Dear Marshall Member,
We are looking forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting next Tuesday (10/20). In preparation for the meeting, I wanted to write to you about the topic that is on everyone's mind: the ongoing Club closure.
Some of you have asked: Why is the Club not yet open? The short answer is that there are a number of factors the Board has to consider—from the ethical to the legal to the practical—as it weighs this difficult question.
Scientific literature strongly suggests that COVID-19 spreads most effectively amid the following conditions:
a. People in close proximity to one another;
b. Small, enclosed spaces.
Furthermore, the virus’s R0 factor—the degree of contagiousness—is very high and has been shown to occur in clusters with a single infected individual able to infect multiple others all in one go. The unfortunate reality is that playing chess at the MCC checks all of these boxes. Thus, while we may be legally permitted to reopen now, our duty to ensure the health and safety of our members counteracts our collective impulse and desire to do so.
This is not to say that the Board hasn't prepared for an eventual reopening. In June we established a Reopening Task Force. This group conducted extensive research and has produced a comprehensive reopening plan in July that covers everything from new measures for safety, policies for the premises, tournament rules, a socially distanced floor plan, and circumstances for re-closure. The board has been continually reviewing and revising this plan to remain ready as the pandemic evolves.
Yet our continued concern for your well-being, as well as the club's long-term well-being, has kept us from taking that consequential leap. The reality is cases in NYC are again on the rise. Some schools and businesses that opened briefly have been shuttered again. The situation remains fluid, the virus remains dangerous, and giving in to an impulsive urge to play over-the-board chess could very well undermine the MCC’s future. The fact is: The only way to guarantee that the club is not responsible for the infection and illness of its members is to be closed for the time being—though we’d like to point out that in the grand scheme of things the closure will have been relatively short (barring any catastrophic and unforeseeable resurgences). In short, the Board will continue to closely monitor the situation and if/when it looks safe to reopen, we will. Please believe us when we say that we are desperate to reopen. But it must be on the right terms and we want to make sure of a well-informed decision that will benefit the greatest number of our players.
With regard to the Club’s financial situation, we wish to be completely transparent. The loss in revenue is dramatic—our income derives entirely from tournaments and memberships. Fortunately, over the past few years our solid financial performance has prepared us to weather some rainy days (or even a monsoon!). Coupled with the aid we received from the Small Business Association, we are in a position to safely ride out the storm until it is absolutely safe to play chess again.
Undoubtedly this message has not addressed all your questions and concerns. The Board will discuss this topic more thoroughly at the Annual Meeting next week and we highly encourage your attendance. If you'd like to share your thoughts and questions on reopening (or any other topic) prior to the meeting, please email them to Bryan Quick at bryanq@marshallchessclub.org.
Respectfully,
Noah Chasin
President, Marshall Chess Club Board of Governors
