Future Direction of Chess as it relates to Covid in the US, given current changes.

I want to open a new discussion, where I ask the public about the future direction of US chess in the pandemic where we are now at 107,000 cases daily, given current changes that should be apparent.

Warning: This will not be a political forum, this will not be a forum for debunking conspiracy theories about Covid. I will not allow conspiracy theories , and I will have a zero tolerance policy about it unlike another thread I have participated in to great lengths, were the OP is an enabler and allows the door open to people that wish to spread harmful misinformation.

Given the clear direction the US is heading (only 1 take is rooted in reality), what hopes and direction do you think US chess will take? Thanks, and good luck : )

As a USCF member myself, I would like chess to return to how it used to be; I enjoyed even my local chess club (rated events as well as unrated games). However, the pandemic is something to be taken very seriously and I am glad that my local chess club was one of the first places to close when meeting became unsafe.

I am not sure where US chess will be headed in the near future (sounds like a great question to ask a USCF TD or USCF organizer though). My hope is that it can re-open like everything else should: in stages and with precautions in place. 

This is a much better situation than ignoring safety or bending precautions for political over scientific reasons. If we take shortcuts, then we may start another wave of the virus (or just as bad is to never have this one fully end).

I am confident that chess will return, but the process or when: I am not sure of at this time. 

Curious to find out though; I haven't even played much chess during quarantine, but I have studied a little and caught up on some reading (chess and non-chess reading). Since the last USCF rated event I participated in, my chess.com rating has gone up about 100-150 rating points. I am eager to see this translate into USCF rating when we are able to get back again

What do you think about the idea that perhaps the pandemic might have possibly indirectly made chess more popular by making online chess more accessible to the public, and thus when the pandemic is controlled, more people than ever before might trickle down to the chess clubs and OTB tourneys? Plausible or do you think these extra viewers will stick to online chess for the most part?

It depends on the person of course; I expect most to remain online players, but many to translate chess into OTB play as well. In fact, I know at least two chess.com friends of mine who began playing chess during the pandemic. 

In my personal opinion, I anticipate there to be a small wave of "extra" chess players when chess returns. However, I don't know how long-lasting that wave of players will be. I feel like most people who take up chess during the pandemic (especially if merely to fight boredom) will only be hobbyists of chess.

On the flip side, even great oak trees were once small; any beginning chess players has the potential to improve a lot. It would be interesting to see if someone, in perhaps the next 10 years, can rise into the competitive chess elite and attribute Covid-19 to them taking up chess. 

I don't think this will be the story for too many, but it would be a happy silver-lining story for a pandemic that has been all too negative in the most part.

 Speaking from a U.S. perspective, chess was kind of like boxing.  Chess was very popular for a time, but fell out of favor and was removed from the media spotlight so it was somewhat forgotten about.  I do believe the lockdown along with the popularity of the Queen's Gambit series has contributed to the current popularity of chess.  I also believe that getting gamers and their followers on social media platforms involved in chess has also contributed.    Some of these new chess players will stick around, but I believe many more will go.  They will move on to the latest new thing, especially once current covid resrtictions are removed.  We should all enjoy it while it lasts