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MINUTES OF MACA BOARD MEETING – 9/8/2013
President N. Smolensky called the September Board Meeting to order at 6:14 PM at New England Sports Academy in Westwood. Nine people were in attendance: President Nathan Smolensky, Vice-President John Sadoff, Treasurer Robert Messenger, Clerk Nicholas Sterling, and Directors Richard Kinne, Stephen Dann , Ken Belt, George Mirijanian, and Walter Driscoll.
Minutes of the July Board Meeting were distributed by N. Sterling, and a couple of small changes were made. * * MOTION made by R. Kinne and seconded by N. Smolensky to approve the July Board Meeting Minutes; with 3 abstentions, the MOTION passed. * *
President: none
Treasurer’s report was read by R. Messenger:
(a) (i) (1) Net income of the General Fund this period this year: $127.17 net loss. (2) Net income of the General Fund this period last year: $2042.63 net loss.
(ii) (1) Special Fund income this period this year: $65.61, with $57.17 dividends.
(2) Special Fund income this period last year: $25.53, with $0 dividends. (iii) (1) Special Fund expenses this period this year: $1449.31. (2) Special Fund expenses this period last year: $580.95. (iv) (1) Special Fund net income this period this year: $1383.70 net loss. (2) Special Fund net income this period last year: $555.42 net loss. (v) August 2013 Changes in Fund Balances: $1510.87 net loss. (vi) Total Assets as of August 2013: $72460.92. (vii) Reserve for Chess Horizons: $1550.00. (viii) Unearned Tournament Reserve: $6070.00.
(b) Chess Horizons was published in September, and its publication used up much of the prior Reserve.
(c) The Tournament Reserve pertains primarily to the NE Open.
Membership: R. Messenger read the 9/28/13 Membership numbers as follows: Adults: 239 (+3); Junior 497 (+14); Life 213 (=); Affiliate 8 (+3); Complimentary 4 (=);
D. Library 6 (=); D. Subscriber 27 (+2); Exchange 16 (=); Library 2 (=); Prison 283 (+3); Subscriber 21 (-13). Total change in Membership and Subscribers: +12.
Tournament: (a) R. Messenger reported: (i) the NE Open was held on Labor Day weekend and drew in 162 players. The total profit was $630.03. (ii) the Greater Boston Open will be held on 10/6/13 in Marlboro; (iii) the Pillsbury Memorial will be held on 12/15/13 in Marlboro; (iv) the MA G/60 Championship will be held on 4/27/14 in Marlboro; (v) the MA Open will be held on Memorial Day weekend in Marlboro.
(vi) nothing further had progressed with the proposed benefit tournament to be held in commemoration of the 4/15 Marathon bombings.
(b) N. Sterling reported that the NESA August G/30 was held on 8/18/13, and hosted ten players in the Rated Section. An adult, Andrew Mekas won, facing down stiff competition from members of the NESA Chess Team.
Chess Horizons: R. Kinne reported: (i) CH at last was published! A total run of 900 was printed. By 9/1/13 most everyone had reported having received mailed printed copies. (ii) The Fall Issue (a seasonal term that meets with favor with the Board) is now in progress. R. Messenger has to check his files to be sure to send any remaining back articles, such as one by Joel Johnson, to R. Kinne. (iii) There is a long-standing question of what to do about requests for back issues of CH. S. Frymer has most of them, but would like to get them out of his house. There may be a need to rent a storage facility.
Scholastic: (a) N. Smolensky and R. Messenger reported: (i) In the newly launched Spiegel Cup Series, NESA (in cooperation with AP Chinese School) will host its event on Saturday 11/23/13, and BCC will host its event on Sunday 11/24/13. (ii) As a result of adding in these new tournaments, practically every weekend now has a tournament scheduled related to the Spiegel Cup. (iii) A decision must be made about how to choose the top winners from the four Qualifiers and the SCS when one person wins more than one of them: should the remaining spots be chosen from second-place winners, or from the players with the highest ratings?
(b) The current MACA Affiliates are: BCC, MARI, AP Chinese School, Westwood Chinese School, NESA, Perel Chess, and Celestial Minds.
(c) The 1st Qualifier is scheduled for next Sunday, 9/15/13, and an e-mail must be circulated about it. This e-mail needs to include details about the Spiegel Cup Series.
Education: (a) N. Sterling reported:
(i) (1) the last Committee Meeting discussed in detail the proposed project to train teachers of Kindergarten through Grade 3 to teach chess during the school day to their students. There is a need for a manual or guidebook to instruct teachers how to do this, and we can either write it ourselves (a big cumbrous project), or else use an existing one. J. Sadoff listed First Move, Kasparov School, and Polgar School, and N. Sterling added Berklee School, as possible models for a manual. (2) There was some animated discussion about the need to approach superintendents, principals, and teachers’ unions with the proposed project, as a potential obstacle.
(ii) Westwood Chinese School is seeking a need for a new chess instructor on Sunday, 10:30-11:30 AM.
(iii) NESA and Chess Master Connections will start exchanging players for their respective competitions, maybe even in team format.
(b) R. Kinne reported that he is helping set up a chess club at Perkins School for the Blind, and they may host the next US Blind Championship.
NECA Meeting: R. Messenger reported: (a) the first part of the Meeting was devoted to planning the 2014 NE Open. Alex Relyea may bid for it to be held in NH, and therefore MACA should not get involved yet in planning for it. The deadline for submitting bids is 11/1/13. (b) Andrew Paul and Ben Swiszcz (the RI Delegate) were newly appointed to the Board. (c) The website has a new domain that is intended to fill the prior gap of accessible information about NECA. R. Kinne will be the head of a team that will organize the site itself. (d) K. Ballou remains the Coordinator of the NE Clearinghouse. There are lingering questions about what exactly the role is of the Clearinghouse and Coordinator, including the policies (NOT published on the website) for the acceptance of events to be published on the Clearinghouse. (e) There was discussion about ascertaining that events not be held with the words “New England” in the title unless they have been previously recognized by NECA.
Old Business: N. Sterling stated that, as Web Coordinator, he may be in the best position to receive all requests for publication on the website to be sent to Tiffany, to avoid confusion and miscommunication.
New Business: (a) R. Messenger reported on the USCF Delegates Meeting:
(i) the minimum age for serving on the USCF Executive Board was set at 18; MACA may wish to consider a similar limit; (ii) a proposal to set the minimum age for serving as a USCF Delegate at 16 was voted down. (iii) the Vice President of Finances presented a proposal on what to do with the allocation of Future Years Dues in the event that someone purchases a Membership right near an expiration date. (iv) a proposal to introduce Life Membership for Members under age 12 was turned down.
(b) * * MOTION (913-1) made by R. Kinne and seconded by
G. Mirijanian:
“WHEREAS Carissa Yip has been invited to the World Youth Championship in the UAE in December of 2013, and
WHEREAS Carissa Yip is an MA resident and competitor, and
WHEREAS MACA wishes to support its young players who are the future of the organization and the hobby, and
WHEREAS Percy Yip has made a formal request for assistance,
RESOLVED that MACA supports Carissa Yip's expenses to the World Youth Championships in the UAE in December with a $500.00 grant.”
The VOTE was taken; the MOTION passed unanimously. * *
President N. Smolensky adjourned the September Board Meeting at 8:56 PM. The date, time, and place of the October Board Meeting were set at Sunday 10/20/13, at 6:00 PM, at New England Sports Academy in Westwood.
Respectfully submitted,
Nicholas Sterling, Clerk
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