World Cup Wobbles after Covid-19 scare as Aronian and others withdraw; Concerns for Caruana

The neuroticism that has gripped the world for almost two years continues its march of death toward the total annihilation of Western society. If we keep indulging our proclivity for fear and hypochondria we will soon outlaw not only over the board chess but in-person socialising in general. It is a worrying sign that people so readily abandon their liberties, rights, and even common sense because of what the media and the governments tell them. Hypochondria, what was once considered a mental illness, is now the chief virtue of the West.

We cannot live in perpetual fear any longer: hug, dance, and play over the board chess. No-one has the right to prevent you.

covid is like stockfish vs all of us lets try to get rid of it

Please clarify how someone can get the results of a Covid test mid game - surely in the interests of safety all outstanding test results should be available before play commences

This is so crazy i mean like how could someone be tested positive MIDGAME.

yes

lol! That's pretty much the headline of the world since 2020: Fear stopped everything.
Bye.

wow

@beaverlaw The Sioux had a ghost dance which they believed would protect them from US army bullets. The Chinese Boxer Rebellion was similar. Rebels thought a particular dance would make them immune from weapons. Both those rebellions got slaughtered.
Lack of fear might feel good, but it will not prevent injury, or infection in the present crisis. Taking reasonable precautions is good common sense. The interference with our "freedoms" is minimal.
After 9/11 we started doing the absurd airport security routines, seriously limiting our own lives to supposedly stop terrorist airplane attacks. We gave up our freedom to fly without controls. We would have been better to simply let a few more planes be blown up. That was a serious loss of freedom. But wearing a mask or social-distancing are minor restrictions that are needed.

@sparowe14

It is interesting that you should quote ineffective rituals used to delude people into thinking they are protecting themselves, and in the same breath talk about the necessity of various forms of modern day rituals, such as mask wearing and social distancing. Do you not see the similarities? Masks do nothing to prevent infection rates, neither does washing your hands compulsively every five minutes.

I can agree that wearing a mask is not a serious loss of freedom; what about the ability to meet friends, hug family, go to school or the library, be out after 10pm? Every time you put on a mask, you condone the violations of our freedoms that is currently ongoing and will continue unless people put their foot down. Liberty has become negotiable, and that is the biggest political scandal of the century. Chess players being forced to resign if tested positive is merely an extension of the collective hysteria the West is currently going through.