Many sports cannot be practiced in times of Corona because of the applicable rules since November 1st – unless you are a professional or competitive athlete. Thus, people not only lack sport, but also social contacts. At this point, however, chess offers the possibility of continuing to play the game and then “only” reorganizing social contact. The chess club Niederbruch shows how this can work.
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BY THOMAS HEIDER |
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“But you can still clearly see that the club members are keen on the chess evenings and the competitions on the board. It works the way it does, but it could be done better, ”says the chairman of the Niederbruch chess club, Andreas Klapper. |
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The SKN also had to reorganize at the beginning of the pandemic. “Everything takes place on a voluntary basis, and when the club friends have to turn everything upside down in their private life, there is often little time for the club,” says Andreas Klapper. Nevertheless, some players quickly showed themselves ready to take responsibility for new offers. |
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Internal tournament and training offer |
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So the chess club was able to offer its members an internal tournament and training offer after a short time. Also in the Hessian Chess Association and in the German Chess Federation new structures and offers developed. Now it was time to network all of that. A step into the virtual world. |
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“Our popular Christmas Blitz tournament was held online with 16 participants in a joint video chat,” explains Andreas Klapper. David Henrich was the winner, ahead of Dominik Garzinsky and Florian Lesny. |
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SK Niederbruch currently offers various tournament and training options online. “Unfortunately, not all members of our club have an internet connection either, which is why our offer does not reach all chess fans. Nevertheless, even under the current conditions, the board would like to maintain an offer that at least many can use, ”says the SKN chairman, describing the current objective. Ongoing online events for young people and senior citizens are either organized internally by the club or externally via the German Chess Federation, the Hessian Chess Association or the chess district. The chess club Niederbruch starts in the current season with two teams in the German Chess Online League. |
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“Our club evening was always open to club members and interested guests. Of course, that also applies online, ”emphasizes Andreas Klapper. Since everything is changing rapidly at the moment, all interested parties are asked to inquire about the current offer via the contact options on the SKN homepage at www.schachklub-niederrechen.de. |
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