Senior Chess Nationals slated to be held in Kanpur deferred indefinitely due to COVID-19

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) declared on Friday that the Senior National Chess Championship slated to be held in Kanpur, stands postponed. This decision was announced by the authorities after the Kanpur District Magistrate turned down the permission requests for conducting the tournament due to COVID-19. While the championship was scheduled from April 13-20 earlier, it has been deferred indefinitely and the new dates shall be given out later.

Event delayed due to the UP government's ban on mass gatherings

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As per the statements of AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan, the Uttar Pradesh Chess Sports Association informed about the dismissal of permission requests for the event. He said that Kanpur District Magistrate refused to give consent, in alignment with the Uttar Pradesh government's orders that have mandated a blanket ban on all mass gatherings due to COVID-19.

In addition to this, Chauhan said, "Moreover, the central/state governments are issuing various (Covid-19) advisories every now and then. So, it will be difficult for the players to plan and play in the event in a peaceful manner, required for a championship of this stature," He further acquainted that the dates for the event shall be announced after the circumstances become favourable.

Surge in UP's COVID tally

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After a dampened effect of the coronavirus, the COVID count has spiked again in the state of Uttar Pradesh. With 918 new cases on Tuesday and a cumulative count of 6,15,996 COVID-affected individuals, the fear of an accentuated spread has gripped the state again. Given this situation, the authorities have attempted to check the possibilities of accelerated virus spread by cancelling the current schedule of the event.