Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Thursday, May 9, 2019, 7:00pm

Panera, Cambridge, MA

ATTENDEES: Nathan Smolensky (President), Bob Messenger (Treasurer), Andrew Hoy (Clerk),

Dmitry Barash, Jeff Caruso, and Steve Winer.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: MA Open Annual Meeting

1. Meeting Minutes

MOTION: Approval of minutes from the March 5, 2019 board meeting (NS/RM).

VOTE: Passed, 6-0

 

2. Committee Reports

Elections

Annual elections are underway. 131 electronic ballots and 8 paper ballots have been distributed.

Voting will conclude at the MA Open.

Publications / Prison Chess

The penultimate printed Chess Horizons has been mailed. There was a slight delay with the printer.

The final print issue is scheduled for later in 2019. In lieu of a printed magazine, a small leaflet

mailing is planned for the prison program. Once the printed version of Chess Horizons has been

retired, the plan is to move to online publications instead. The final form of the online publications

has yet to be finalized. Ideas include a specialized blog, posts on facebook with additional content,

or news articles directly on the MACA website.

In addition to mailing leaflets, a “fundraising” effort to collect old printed material is being

considered to generate material for prison chess mailings. One potential complication is that

delivery of magazines requires either paid postage or hand delivery.

Tournaments

Tournaments are scheduled through early 2020. After the MA Open, the Westford site will be

evaluated for future events. Locations closer to Boston will also be evaluated, even though they will

potentially be more expensive. Especially in the case of the Hurvitz Cup, the closer location could be

a large boon for attendance.

Finance / Membership

Financial reports for the end of the fiscal year were distributed. Overall membership numbers are

down, with 64 fewer junior memberships. One potential cause is that Hurvitz Cup attendance was

down approximately 70 players from last year.

 

Mass G/60 attendance was also down year-over-year. Holding the event in May was suggested as a

potential factor since the end of the school year presents many conflicts for scholastic players of all

levels.

The LMCF had a large increase in total value. An annuity was automatically rolled over for an

additional three years. The next time the annuity matures, Bob suggested cashing it out and

investing it in one of the Vanguard accounts instead.

As a procedural note, going forward, deposits for sites will be made earlier for MACA events.

3. 2019-20 Budget

The annual budget was proposed by the budget committee. There were minor changes to verbiage

of several line items, and the accounting for the final Chess Horizons printed issue was adjusted in

order to account for the expenses already paid for the issue recently sent out.

MOTION: Approve the fiscal year 2019-20 budget (AH/NS).

VOTE: Passed, 6-0

The following budget was approved by the Board:

Revenue

:

 

Memberships and subscriptions $5,000.00

Transfer from Life Membership Fund $800.00

Adult tournaments (net) $3,500.00

Scholastic tournaments (net) $2,500.00

Donations (not including tournaments) $500.00

Other revenue (interest, labels etc.) $230.00

Total revenue

 

$12,530.0

0

 

Expenses:

 

Publications (1 double issue) $4,500.00

Player travel $2,000.00

Player development $1,000.00

Special projects $700.00

Promotion $290.00

Education $800.00

Internet expenses $50.00

Election expenses $50.00

Administrative expenses $1,000.00

Investment expenses $75.00

PayPal service fees $1,450.00

Insurance $450.00

Miscellaneous expenses $165.00

 

Total expenses

 

$12,530.0

0

 

4. Hurvitz Cup Discussion

Total attendance was down by approximately 70 players at the Hurvitz cup held last weekend.

There is a disparate mix of team ratings and the expectations of players. Advance publicity was

lacking for the event, as evidenced by several inquiries asking about the event specifics after the

event was held. Holding the tournament earlier in the spring will be considered for future years in

order to capitalize on

5. Motion submitted in advance

A motion was submitted in advance to ask Carissa Yip to give a lecture about her recent chess

tournaments and experiences. Her perspective as a top junior will be unique and motivational for

other players, young and old. MACA can provide up to $500 in order to have a lecture held at either

the BCC or Metrowest. The motion was postponed until the next Board can consider it.

6. Thanking Nathan Smolensky

In recognition of his time and effort over the last six years, the Board would like to officially thank

Nathan Smolensky for his tireless efforts to improve chess in Massachusetts.

MOTION: Thank Nathan for his service over the last six years (JC/BM).

VOTE: Passed, 5-0 (1 abstention)

7. Next Meeting

Next meeting will be on held at the MA Open on Monday, May 27 th at the Westford Regency.

MOTION TO ADJOURN

VOTE: 6-0