I get the impression that people still read these things based on responses, so I clearly need to be mindful of what I say…or keep doing what I have been doing and continue soapboxing as I see fit. Empty soapboxes of course, which seem to be abundance nowadays, but stores are slowly replenishing their quantities. So I begin with the following disclaimer that I make no claims to be 100% pure of mind or claim to be an expert of anything, unlike some profess to be. We are all hypocrites and the sooner people come to terms with that, the sooner we can move on and progress forward.
While the last communication came about as spur of the moment, glad to see 45 individuals competed in the Blitz held by Stuart Strack. Great job Stuart, I know you were elated to see many join. A shout out to John Bartholomew and Chessable in echoing the Call to Pawns in his early morning tweet, and others who used their mediums to get the word out. In the next several days, a few of us will seek to generate a “online schedule” to offer some variety in terms of time controls and rating caps. Also in need are people wanting to host a tournament themselves for us to advertise since there limits Lichess has set up.
Creating a lichess account: A suggestion would be create a separate email account for this. If that email gets compromised somehow, there is not a whole lot of personal information tied to it. On the subject of safety, please be mindful of who you converse with on these platforms. While, yes, people as a whole can be trusted, just watch out. Follow those you choose, and perhaps block those you do not, just be safe. I will fully disclose that my username on lichess is MNchessTD, and I have started “following” certain usernames. Just be safe…measures have been taken to keep ourselves safe in public, be just as vigilant in being safe online.
March 20th, Andrew Titus will be hosting a Blitz tournament from 3:30-5:00pm. Username: Titus369
Link: https://lichess.org/tournament/pdWhlw43 Password: my coach said no
March 21, for those seeking a format longer than a five minute control, I will host one that is 15 min from 12:00-2:00pm, Username: MNchessTD
Link: https://lichess.org/tournament/pWMibHKq Password: mnchess
More will follow, more communication will likely come out. For now, sign yourself up for the Blitz on Friday, and the G15 on Saturday. Get the word out, this is one of the few things that is being encouraged to spread. Thank you all. One day at a time, one move at a time.
mnchess.org 