As you will probably know, the Government has issued new Covid-19 measures which came into effect yesterday (14 September). The measures, under which social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England, can be found here and here. Similar measures apply in the other countries of the UK. Our understanding is that the measures will be enforceable in law. In particular, we note:

1. Although there are some exceptions to the measures, none cover backgammon in any way;
2. Backgammon is not recognised as a sport by Sport England, and so falls squarely within the definition of ‘social gatherings’ rather than ‘recreational sport’;
3. The measures make it clear that if you are in a group of up to six people “you should … avoid social interaction with anyone outside the group you are with, even if you see other people you know” (where it is reasonable to take “avoid social interaction” to mean “avoid interaction that does not comply fully with social distancing guidelines”);
4. Community facilities which are following COVID-19 secure guidelines can host more than six people in total, but only in respect of permitted activities – of which we are not part.

These measures are going to make it very difficult to organise any sort of live play for the foreseeable future, other than perhaps league matches where two individuals meet in suitably distanced circumstances, and even then we would emphasise that online play is a safer option.

The English Bridge Union and English Chess Federation have issued very similar guidance to their members.

Obviously, it is frustrating that we cannot envisage a return to live play, , in the foreseeable future. We recommend that club and tournament organisers keep a close eye on further Government announcements and also liaise closely with their venues, and we will update our advice here as appropriate. Furthermore, we reserve the right not to accept results into the ratings system if they have come from tournament-type events which would violate the above measures, until those measures are lifted.

Nominations are now open for elections to the Board of the UK Backgammon Federation for the two year term 2020-21. If you wish to stand in this election, please send an email indicating so to contact@ukbgf.com, along with a photograph of yourself taken within the last 2 years, and a statement (maximum of 250 words) in support of your candidacy, before 23.59 on 8th September 2020; that is, the day before the AGM. Nominations received after that time will not be accepted. You can find examples of past statements here. If you would like to know more about what being on the Board entails, please feel welcome to ask any of the existing members.

We will be electing up to nine Board members this time; as the UKBGF has grown, so has the workload and we are keen to make sure we are not over-reliant on a small number of people. We will also adopt a similar regional format as last time to ensure that the Board has a geographical spread that reflects the distribution of members; there will be two places guaranteed for Board members in each of three regions (London/SE, Midlands/Wales/West and North/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

You will be able to vote for candidates regardless of where they are based on a points-based system – that is, 9 points for your first preference, 8 for your second and so on down to 1. The two candidates with the highest totals from each region, and the next highest three, will be elected. (If fewer than two stand in any region, the unfilled places will revert to the “next-highest” pool)

To be eligible to stand for the Board, you must be a member of the UKBGF as of today (11/8/2020).

The timetable for the election is:

• 8th Sept, 23.59: nominations close. Candidates and statements will be announced as soon as possible afterwards. If there are 9 or fewer candidates, no election will be needed and this will be confirmed at the AGM. Otherwise:
• 15th Sept: Voting begins. Instructions will be sent out to all members about how to vote.
• 4th Oct, 23.59: Voting closes. An independent scrutineer will be appointed to oversee the process.
• 18th Oct: Results announced.

The current Board will then arrange one or more handover meetings with the new Board, so that they are ready to take over at the start of 2021.

Meetings: While the current Board met every two months in London up to the beginning of lockdown, we have been using Zoom roughly monthly since that time and, having worked well up to now, it is anticipated that this will become a permanent arrangement rather than asking Board members to travel. We want to encourage anyone to be able to stand and will be as accommodating as possible.

UPDATE (16th March): In the light of government instruction to avoid all unnecessary social contact, we have to recommend the suspension of face to face play at all levels. We understand it is deeply frustrating but the health of all must come first. Please keep an eye on Twitter or Facebook where we will post updates as soon as we have them.

UPDATE (15th March): The West Yorkshire Open, Manchester One Day and Nordic Open have all been cancelled/postponed. It is very likely that others will be too.

This is probably the post I least wanted to write, but with the UK likely to escalate actions to slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, we as a community have a duty of care to each other and need to play our part in looking after ourselves, our friends and colleagues. You may believe that you are fit and healthy and at low risk, but the same may not be true of your opponents, your organisers, venue staff, and their families and friends. Moreover, we don’t know who has the virus, and symptoms can take a couple of weeks to emerge, so you could find yourself sat opposite someone who is unaware they have it.

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