Former junior chess champion, Attorney-at-Law, Ron Motilall, supports the Guyana Chess Federation’s decision to suspend tournaments locally and says there are several alternative measures the GCF could use to keep the players active.
The GCF took the decision to halt all tournaments in light of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and, in an interview with Stabroek Sport, Motilall said that he agreed with the decision.
“Thankfully in Guyana, chess is not a large spectator sport. This means more often than not tournaments usually only consists of competitors and a few onlookers compared to cricket, football and other sports.”
In light of the pandemic, Motilall suggested that there were a few alternatives to the conventional format of playing.
“It can be done via various electronic mediums for example over a web client like lichess.org or chess.com or several apps which are available for modern smartphones and computers. “Persons have also played games by correspondence in the hopes of keeping the competition alive.”
The 25-year-old pointed out that notable players such as Wendell Meusa, Ronuel Greenidge, Anthony Drayton and Davion Mars, have kept their private club meetings and training sessions ongoing by various electronic means.
“These means of playing are only a stopgap replacement for over the board competition. In a tournament the opponent is known, you can see their reaction, their eyes surveying the board, their idiosyncrasies as the game progresses, all of which you can use to your advantage. All persons usually have a particular style of play and mannerisms for when they think they have found a good or winning move. This is lost when playing online since you see only the board.”
He added, “The other difference is that chess tournaments are in strictly controlled environments, no music, no talking or interference and so forth. Competitors are allowed to strategise in a comfortable environment which is well lit, refreshments are often provided, and competitors may even walk about and survey other ongoing games. This may all be lost when playing remotely or over the internet. The Covid-19 directions confine persons to their own homes. This means competitors now have to deal with the noise and presence of other family members. Some persons may be responsible for caring for family and their focus would be divided. They may even have to share bandwidth with other family members. All of which can impact the result of a game.”
“The other major concern is ensuring that cheating is kept at a minimum. Chess engines have come a remarkably far way, having famously defeated world champions like (Garry) Kasparov. These engines, like modern computers, do not require an entire room of equipment and a commercial chess engine like Komodo can be installed on any computer less than 15 years old or smartphone. These engines can reliably outperform local players since you adjust the playing level of the engine. At a physical tournament, arbiters and other staff can mitigate cheating by supervising the players or confining them to the playing area. This is not the case when playing remotely.”
Motilall, however, was confident that most of the Guyanese players are genuine and he said that he is doubtful that they would engage in unfair practices.
He recommended that players utilize these platforms during this time to improve on their game by playing against these programmes.
Chess evolution
According to Motilall, the sport dates back to ancient times but despite there being a lot of developments, some traits remain steadfast and can pose a threat to spreading the virus.
“Chess has a long history going all the way back to India some 1500 years and while the rules have changed and the game has evolved over that time, one thing that hasn’t changed is that it is played over the board with the players sitting opposite one another. Modern chess boards aren’t very large and players sit directly in front of each other whether for friendly games or tournaments. In tournaments, several persons sit along long tables in large tournament halls. This is true even in Guyana where the average participation ranges from 25-50 persons per tournament and can be ideal for spreading the virus,” Motilall said
Motilall contended, “The best thing to do is to keep everyone at home until we get a vaccine.” He suggested that the possibility of contamination is high since “you have to sit across from one another and you have to use the chess clocks which are touched by the players in a Swiss tournament.”
Motilall opined that while a lot of players may have strong immune systems to combat the virus, they can still be infected and transfer it to vulnerable people such as elders and sick persons.
In 2010, Motilall dethroned defending champion Cecil Cox (junior) in a three-game, tie-break set of matches where he had the advantage of playing with the white pieces twice.
