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height of chess tables at congresses
#1
The past two times that I have played in Blackpool I have thought that the height of the tables was too high. Two years ago I tried to get round it by putting one chair on top of another and this seemed to work until I nearly fell off so I stopped. This year, after I had seen many reports that sitting down is bad for a person anyway, I tried standing a lot of the time. Again this worked ok to start with but, as time went on, I got tired and played less well. I would not be writing this post had it not been for playing in a league match v David Begg of Pentland Hills on the Tuesday. To my horror their tables were also too high so I stood to play my game only for David Begg, when it was my turn to move, to come round to my side and stand right next to me, practically touching me and towering over me in a most intimidating manner. When I complained to the arbiter he said that he was upset that I had not politely asked him to stop. I thought it was against the rules to speak to your opponent during play. However, I have since discovered a 2015 FIDE document on standards of chess equipment which state categorically that the height of chess tables should be 74 cm. This document also mentions sizes of boards and pieces - I can think of some clubs and events that might to meet these standards either. Of course all this is academic unless we are playing under FIDE rules which, most of the time, we are not. By the way I am sure that some people will say that I should just take a cushion. For Blackpool travelling by train this would be difficult as I am already at my limit as to how much I take with me (luggage racks on trains are not that big). As for other places - this might be possible if I knew in advance. I am working on the Shirov solution - learning to go through games without a board or set but for now this takes me a lot longer (maybe in time, with practice I will be just as fast without a board and not need to see the board other than to see what the last move was). Any other ideas would be welcome.
Good sense is of all things in the world the most equally distributed, for everybody thinks himself so abundantly provided with it, that even those most difficult to please do not commonly desire more of it than they already possess. Descartes
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#2
I scudded my knee on one of the low tables at the Badger's Brook the other night. Never 74 cm.
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#3
Is this thread some sort of early April fool? Brilliant!
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#4
The Blackpool Congress was really well run. Playing conditions were ideal and it was a most enjoyable weekend.

I have to confess that I forgot to measure the height of the tables.
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#5
I was playing in a different location, but I don't recall any particular problems with the height of the tables. On the other hand, the distance between some of them made it difficult to get out.

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#6
Yeah, they were a bit high (or the chairs were too low). Great congress though. Makes a refreshing change from playing the same ones in Scotland all the time. £1500 first prize kind of makes things competitive.
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#7
Surely there is a simple solution here. All that needs to happen is for congress players to bring with them their own personal 74 cm table. Come to think of it they can bring their own chair also if they wish. This would ensure that Fide guidelines were being fully adhered to and also dramatically reduce the cost of table and chair hire for congress organisers.
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#8
George Neave Wrote:Is this thread some sort of early April fool? Brilliant!
Everthing in the post is true. See https://www.fide.com/component/handbook/...w=category from the FIDE website.
Good sense is of all things in the world the most equally distributed, for everybody thinks himself so abundantly provided with it, that even those most difficult to please do not commonly desire more of it than they already possess. Descartes
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#9
I have sympathy and can see that it is a relevant issue for many. I am 5'11½" and have generally found most congresses I have played at to be perfectly fine (never played at Blackpool though).

G.Kafka is right Badgers Brook height is not great or comfortable. Sandy Bells is not great either, in particular the table is almost the exact same size as the boards, and there is little spare room for a bit of an elbow rest or scoresheet writing. The table surface size can be an issue just as much as the height can with regards to comfort and ergonomics.

And finally (serious comment), I will take my tape measure to Irvine Congress this weekend and report back.

EDIT: To be fair, Wandering Dragons club which I am also associated with, the tables there are not the best in terms of surface area either.
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#10
Having played in Blackpool at the weekend I can't say I found the table height to be a problem. And it would appear they were fine for the vast majority of the other players as well (even the juniors). It would seem disproportionate and unworkable to expect tournament organisers to ensure all their tables are 74cm high; running events is already expensive and tricky enough without added silliness like that. Do we even know for sure that the tables at Blackpool weren't 74cm high?

Maybe you should make space for a cushion in your luggage Donald?
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