President M. Urbonas called the MACA Board Meeting to order on ZOOM at 8:15 PM.  Eight people were in attendance: President Michael Urbonas, Vice-President Kateryna Odnorozhenko, Treasurer Robert Messenger, Clerk Nicholas Sterling, Directors Colin Scheriff, Lawrence Gladding, Jamie Williams, Elsie Smits, and Dmitry Barash (the last two arrived shortly after the Meeting was called to order); and one guest Charles Recchia.

Nomination: (1) Background Check Proposal: (a) M. Urbonas presented proposed amendments that would require nominees to agree to a CORI background check as part of the nomination submission process.  Passing the CORI check would be a prerequisite for appearing on the ballot. (b) B. Messenger raised a question about the feasibility of the proposed amendments for last-minute nominations submitted just prior to the deadline. M. Urbonas said that the proposed amendments would require a nominee to agree to a background check as be part of the nomination process; said nominee would then submit a CORI acknowledgement form within 7 days after the nomination submission date. (c) K. Odnorozhenko noted that the acknowledgement form must either be submitted in person with proper identification, or notarized prior to submission, which might delay the process. Notarization of the form may also require nominees incurring an expense, such as that the USPS charges a $10 fee for notarizations. M. Urbonas suggested Mass Chess could reimburse nominees for such nominal costs. (d) The board also raised questions as to who would review the CORI checks of nominees.                 B. Messenger also noted that changes to the bylaws will require a vote by the members to become ratified. C. Scheriff noted the importance of requiring CORI checks for tournament directors. M. Urbonas said that the next agenda topic, establishing a formal internal policy for administering CORI checks ("CORI policy"), should address this issue. (2) The board also discussed the timeline for nominations, with a deadline of March 15th, and the need for clear instructions on how to submit nominations.

• * * MOTION (126-1) made by M. Urbonas and seconded by B. Messenger to table this item to discuss the next closely related topic of enacting formally a CORI policy; the MOTION passed UNANIMOUSLY. * *

CORI Policy: (a) M. Urbonas presented a proposed CORI policy for MACA that was based on a model policy provided by the MA Department of Criminal Justice Information Systems (DCJIS) on its website. The original proposed policy intended to address administration of CORI checks for board members, board nominees, and tournament directors/staff (whether paid or unpaid/interns). (b) E. Smits suggested requiring nominees to agree to CORI checks only if they receive sufficient votes to be elected. The board debated who should have access to CORI checks by role, and how to handle situations when candidates fail checks. (c) C. Scheriff suggested focusing on policy initially on tournament directors/staff rather than board members and officers. M. Urbonas agreed and proposed limiting the proposed CORI policy initially to tournament directors/staff only, with the board in general agreement. However, questions were raised regarding the need to clarify the age requirements for CORI checks, with J. Williams suggesting that parental consent would be required for tournament staff aged under 18.

• * * MOTION (126-2) made by M. Urbonas and seconded by B. Messenger to table the proposed CORI policy in order to receive guidance from DJCIS regarding this issue; the MOTION passed UNANIMOUSLY. * *

Tournament: (1) The board discussed venue options for upcoming chess tournaments, focusing on the Mass Senior Open and Girls Championship (to be run concurrently with a target date of 4/25/2026 – 4/26/2026. M. Urbonas agreed to inquire with Best Western Royal Plaza, Marlborough for this event. (2) M. Urbonas also noted he anticipated a contract from the Best Western Royal Plaza, during the week of 1/19/2026, for hosting the Mass. Open on Memorial Day weekend. B. Messenger suggested considering the Embassy Suites in Marlborough (the venue used for the 2025 Mass Senior Open and Girls Championship) as a backup if space is not available at the Best Western; however, M. Urbonas noted, in his opinion, the Embassy Suites space was overcrowded. (3) Mike noted the Renaissance Hotel in Framingham (formerly Sheraton) is available for the G/60 Championship on 5/3/2026 and submitted a contract. Bob said he would look during the week for another less expensive venue if possible.

Elections: The board briefly discussed plans for the upcoming board election, with M. Urbonas promising to provide election-related materials from the 2025 election to the new 2026 election committee (K. Odnorozhenko, E. Smits, and L. Gladding) by the end of the week. They discussed implementing a Google Form for nomination submissions to avoid any submission issues using email.

Membership: B. Messenger presented a membership report as of Jan 18, noting a 35-member loss (30 of which were junior members) since 12/31/2025, due to no recent tournaments, but noted hope to recover memberships with the 2026 tournament season.

Tournament: (1) D. Barash confirmed upcoming events including the Gus Gosselin Grade Championships, Winter Team Challenge, and 3rd Spiegel Qualifier, with B. Messenger requesting the use of their old registration system for the Hurvitz Cup due to some issues with NAChessHub. D. Barash said he would email Montrose School (copying B. Messenger) to confirm arrangements and payment status for 4/12/2026 3rd Spiegel Qualifier.                   

(2) K. Odnorozhenko noted Chess Quest, a team of students in Belmont, had recently run a successful chess program for kids, and generously donated $2,000 in proceeds to MACA. The board also approved acquiring a $200 plaque as a token of appreciation for Chess Quest, with K. Odnorozhenko and M. Urbonas potentially presenting it in person.

(3) (a) K. Odnorozhenko initiated discussion of the Masters vs. Challengers tournament, which was held on 9/21/2025, and asked whether the board supported running one or possibly two new Masters vs Challengers events. K. Odnorozhenko noted the primary cost for the event is appearance fees for GMs and IMs. (b) C. Scheriff shared insights learned after directing the inaugural event, noting the need for additional staff for future tournaments and for managing DGT boards to stream games. (c) The board unanimously authorized Katerina to organize a Spring Masters vs. Challengers tournament at a cost of up to $1,500. 

(4) D. Barash expressed concerns about low registration for the Gus Gosselin Grade Championship and discussed strategies to improve tournament promotion. including contacting schools and using email blasts. E. Smits suggested sending monthly event updates directly to schools which would then publish internally to students. E. Smits said she would start compiling a list of schools and contacts for sending such monthly scholastic tournament announcements. (5) B. Messenger offered to provide K. Odnorozhenko with a list of email addresses for girl Junior Members to promote the upcoming Girls Qualifier tournament, and M. Urbonas said he would do an email blast to those members.

\President M. Urbonas adjourned the Meeting at approximately 10:20 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Nicholas Sterling, Clerk