Massachusetts Chess "State of the Union"
Letter to members from Rob King, MACA President
August 2024
Note: This letter was originally emailed to MACA members on August 23, 2024.
Dear Members of the Massachusetts Chess Community,
I am honored to introduce myself as the newly elected President of the Massachusetts Chess Association (MACA). As a long-time chess player and National Master, I have been deeply involved in the chess community for many years. In my professional life, I serve as a senior analytics leader at a large medical device company, and I am eager to bring both my passion for chess and my experience in good governance practices from corporate America to this role. I would like to share with you all of the great work the team has been doing in the last 3 months since we were elected.
Our New Mission and Vision
We have recently established a new mission and vision for MACA. Our focus is on advancing the chess culture throughout the state, from unrated casual players to top players. We are committed to supporting chess in all regions of Massachusetts, including Central and Western Mass., in addition to the eastern part of the state. Our goal is to grow chess into a thriving and rewarding community that everyone wants to be a part of. We aim to develop the ecosystem that connects tournaments, clubs, coaches, and schools while inviting as many voices as possible into the decision-making process.
To do this, it will require investments in our infrastructure and projects. The organization is in a good financial decision to do so and we will also be looking to expand our revenue sources beyond the tournaments we run to also include grants and donations.
Guiding Principles
To guide our work, we have established new Guiding Principles for MACA:
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Act in the best Interest of MA Chess and its members
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Maintain integrity and ethical conduct
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Be transparent, accountable, and protect the privacy and security of its members' and donors' personal information
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Protect children and vulnerable individuals
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Act with financial responsibility
These principles will serve as the foundation for our strategy and be our constant guide for all major decisions that we make as an organization. You will find more details of how these principles look like in action when we launch our new website.
New Subcommittees and Governance Model
In order to act with greater speed and focus, we have created nine subcommittees, including a new Governance subcommittee that will establish a new governance model that will define how MACA conducts its business practices and processes so as to ensure transparency and accountability.
Our nine subcommittees are:
The subcommittees are empowered to make decisions about their respective areas and act within limits without needing to wait for a meeting of the entire board. This is a common practice in large organizations and will allow us to deliver value faster.
Each of these subcommittees will invite advisors from outside of the board to bring in diverse perspectives and ideas. We also welcome volunteers who are passionate about helping us achieve our mission to please reach out to me by replying to this email and get involved!
Website Modernization
One of our first major priorities is the modernization of our website. We recognize that the current website does not meet the needs of our community and requires a complete overhaul. We are currently developing a new set of requirements and will be seeking proposals from developers soon. Our goal is to have a first version of the new website available in mid-to-late fall.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our long-time webmaster, Tiffany Wang, for all of the work she has done over the years. Tiffany has been instrumental in keeping the existing site alive and giving visibility to everything happening in Massachusetts chess. Thank you, Tiffany!
Tournament Schedule and Venue Strategy
We are working diligently to develop our tournament schedule, with the aim of establishing it further in advance than in recent years past. This will allow other organizers to plan around our events much more easily. We are also evaluating our venue strategy, seeking alternative locations that are more affordable and convenient for players. We welcome any suggestions or help on this topic. Look for our finalized schedule to be released by October. As a example, we will be hosting our first Spiegel Qualifier at the Montrose School in Medfield rather than the Westford Regency.
Additionally, we are exploring the option of adding new tournaments to our schedule throughout the year.
Women in Chess Initiatives
We are excited to launch new initiatives for Women in Chess, thanks to the efforts of Kateryna Odnorozhenko. She is planning a series of events, including tournaments, simuls, and lectures, aimed at providing women of all ages with opportunities to develop networks, learn, and thrive within the chess community. We are also applying for grants through the USCF to fund these efforts.
Exploring New Technologies
We are currently exploring new technologies to help our players register and pay for tournaments, see who is playing, and more. We are running pilots with the North American Chess Hub (
www.nachesshub.com
), which is already being used successfully by the Metrowest Chess Club. We believe this is the future, as it benefits both players and organizers. Stay tuned for more updates in this space!
We Will Stay Connected!
In closing, I want to promise that you will be hearing from myself and MACA much more frequently. We are committed to keeping you informed and involved in our activities. As I mentioned above, we welcome new ideas and volunteers to the board. We look forward to hearing from you! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly.
Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to working together to make Massachusetts chess the best it can be!
Warm regards,
Rob King
President, Massachusetts Chess Association