It is with much regret that I have decided to cancel this year’s Dorset Blitz Championship. The three main reasons are:

1. Although I understand that a couple of chess tournaments are planned for late September, I’m not entirely convinced that such a gathering is legal yet.

2. As far as I’m concerned, the Blitz has always been about more than just the chess – it’s a chance to meet up and have a chat with friends and of course there’s the lunch! With all the precautions we would have to take, notably social distancing, masks and no lunch, it just wouldn’t be the same.

3. Although we have been very lucky in Dorset with a very low rate of infection, cases nationally are increasing very rapidly and the government has shown (quite rightly) that it is prepared to impose local lockdowns with very little notice. We would therefore not know for certain that the tournament could take place until a couple of days beforehand and I am not keen to go through all the preparations (including the extra Covid-related things we’d need to do) just for it to be cancelled at the last minute.

All the best,

Steve Peirson 7/9/2020