Dear Readers, 

 

It is no great secret that the recent history of Chess Horizons has been a tumultuous one. Work and other time commitments have made it impossible for our last several editors to continue to produce the magazine. Unfortunately, in a volunteer organization, these things happen sometimes, and I want to take this opportunity to address any concerns about the present and future of the publication. 

 

First and foremost, this is not the end of Chess Horizons. MACA has a contractual obligation to the subscribers of this magazine to produce the equivalent of no less than four issues each year. When we failed to produce an issue from Summer 2012 through Spring 2013, the MACA board made sure to reimburse those affected by extending their memberships*. However, it would be disingenuous for us to repeat this practice, and the resulting membership situation would be downright confusing. Our subscribers expect Chess Horizons, and we will deliver Chess Horizons. 

 

Thus, I present my first issue as editor. In gathering content, I was faced with a significant backlog of happenings and notable games from the Massachusetts chess community. There’s a lot of exciting stuff here – from stories of simul shockers to grandmaster clashes to all the world-beating antics of Bernie Xu. 

 

More importantly, having all this in the issue means that we’re caught up, and the next issue can feature only the most current news and content. The deadline to submit for that issue (Summer 2014, another double!) is July 15th, and all are welcome. I’m excited to see where things go. 

 

Feedback is also more than welcome – it is important for me to strive to improve my work here through the comments and suggestions of you, the readers. I am not the acting editor, nor the interim editor. I am the editor, and I want to make this publication the best it can be. 

 

* - If you’re not sure how the extension has affected your membership, please address inquiries to membership secretary Robert Messenger (contact information on back).