Omicron checkmates chess action
Face-to-face chess action in Shropshire has been suspended because of the rampant Omicron variant – just weeks after it had been resumed.
A special meeting of Shropshire Chess Association officials and club representatives voted 8-1 to call an immediate halt to the league season.
The meeting, held on Zoom, heard that some clubs had already closed and cancelled fixtures.
The decision to suspend all face-to-face chess games will be reviewed early in the New Year as the Covid situation develops.
All over-the-board chess was halted in March 2019 at the start of the pandemic, and in Shropshire the league resumed in the autumn as restrictions eased.
The chess "lockdown" saw a big rise in chess being played over the internet, and online leagues in Shropshire will continue.
