Nevada Chess, Inc.

Minutes of the Annual Members Meeting, March 27th, 2004

The meeting was called to order by President Chris Bird at 3:05 pm.

Opening Remarks
Chris Bird opened the meeting by asking for a moments silence to recognize the passing of Norm Harvey who had done so much for Nevada Chess and chess in the Las Vegas area. Chris passed thanks to John Currell for his work done as Clearinghouse Coordinator and also to outgoing Directors John Trivett and Ron Gentil.

Minutes from 2003 Meeting
The minutes of the 2003 minute were read and Allen Magruder proposed and John Trivett seconded the motion that “the minutes were a true and accurate record of the meeting”. The motion passed unanimously.

Increase in Membership Dues
An item from last year’s meeting was the motion that a subcommittee be arranged to discuss a proposed increase in membership dues. The subcommittee proposed a recommendation to the Annual Meeting that “the dues be increased to $12 for an adult, $6 for juniors and $15 for family memberships (no increase)”. The motion passed unanimously. An additional motion was made that “multiple year memberships be offered for adults, e.g. $30 for 3 years, $40 for 4 years and $50 for 5 years”. The motion passed.

Bylaws
Chris Bird noted that the Bylaws had been amended at a Special Member’s Meeting on May 31, 2003.

Polgar Tournament
A discussion took place over whether Nevada Chess should contribute something to a Nevada representative to attend the Polgar Tournament for girls (similar to the Denker Tournament for boys). After the discussion Allen Magruder proposed and John Brown seconded the motion that “Nevada Chess contribute $100 to the Nevada Polgar Tournament representative”. The motion passed unanimously.

Nevada Libraries
Chris Bird brought up a case where someone had gone into a library to ask about local chess and the library had no information to provide. A proposal was made by Kim Patraw, seconded by Dan Conver that “Nevada Chess commit $300 to putting a chess set and board in Nevada libraries, along with a flyer advertising Nevada Chess and where to find information about local activities” (e.g. the website and a contact for information). The motion passed with 10 people in favor and 1 against.

State Scholastic Tournament
Allen Magruder mentioned that he thought the early entry date should be eliminated from the State Scholastic Tournament as he felt it was putting some people off entering late for the event. The issue of trophies for the State Scholastic tournament was also brought up at the same time. In the end it was decided that these matters should be left to the organizer of the State Scholastic tournament, who in the end has responsibility for ensuring a successful event.

2004 Election
The ballots for Election 2004 were opened, verified, and counted. 10 Ballots were received. Votes tallied were as follows, Charles Hatherill 8 and Richard Risley 6. Since three positions were open both members were appointed.

Meeting adjourned at 4:00 pm.

Minutes of the Meeting Held May 31st, 2003
CCSN Las Vegas, Bldg D, Room 221

The meeting was called to order by President Chris Bird at 3:05 pm.

The only item on the agenda was the Bylaws Proposal that was detailed in the April 2003 Nevada Chess Bulletin. The President asked for votes from those in attendance at the meeting. These votes were then added to the votes from the mail in ballots that were verified by members Chris Bird and Norman Harvey.

The result of the vote was 16 votes in favor, and none against. Therefore, the new Bylaws were adopted.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 pm.

Minutes of the Annual Members Meeting, March 15th, 2003
CCSN, Bldg D, Room 219

The meeting was called to order by President Allen Magruder at 2:58 pm.

First, a review of the last members meeting was discussed. This included the application of non-profit status by Nevada Chess and Chris Bird is handling this. Also, the list of Directors to the Nevada Secretary of State was 2 years late and this has been updated, with fines paid.

The Budget was discussed. The budget balance for fiscal 2002 was $1320. For fiscal 2003, for at least the first 9 months, income was $956, while expense totaled about $1375. With this deficit in mind, a motion was raised and seconded to raise the dues to $12 a year for 2004. Greg Niemi proposed an amendment to raise the dues to $15. In the discussion that followed, the member’s dues offset the cost of the bulletin, the State Scholastic pays for the $300 stipend to the Denker candidate and the State Champion’s expense is paid by the gifts received (i.e. Ken Sims and Reno Chess Club). Members were in favor of an increase in the dues, but an informal poll indicated a 50-50 split on whether it should be $12 or $15. A proposal was made that a subcommittee be created to analyze both increases and advise on which increase should take effect in 2004. A further motion was made that the Denker contribution be standardized at 50% of the Nevada Chess income from the State Scholastic, with a $200 minimum. The motion passed.

On behalf of the current State Champion, Jerome Weikel, Allen Magruder started a discussion regarding the prizes awarded to the State Champion and runner-up. It was felt that the Nevada State Championship has lost some of its prestige with small prizes. It was also felt that the qualification procedure also lacks prestige, funding and standardization. In the discussion, it was determined Nevada Chess needs to take control of the qualifiers in order to raise funds for the State Championship and to even incorporate the idea of Class Championships. The motion was made to form a subcommittee to look into improving the State Championship qualifiers. This passed.

Next Norm Harvey made the motion that the Board call another Membership meeting to amend the Bylaws by late May. Chris Bird suggested another subcommittee be formed to look at Norm’s drafts and to make any necessary changes. The proposed Bylaws will then be published in the April Bulletin and a membership meeting be scheduled for approximately 28 days after the Bulletin goes out. This passed.

Next, the ballots for Election 2003 were opened, verified, and counted. 19 Ballots were received and 18 were verified (one lacked a signature). Votes tallied were as follows, Dan Conver 14, Allen Magruder 13, Brad Zentmyer 12, Greg Niemi 6, Charles Hatherill 6. Since three take office, Magruder and Conver continue as directors. Zentmyer replaces Hatherill for 2-year term. With this, the meeting was adjourned.

At 4:30 pm, the Board of Directors, with a quorum present (excluding only Ron Gentil) met to discuss Officer placement. John Trivett proposed the following slate, Chris Bird President, Dan Conver Vice President, Brad Zentmyer Secretary and Allen Magruder Treasurer. Zentmyer refused the Secretary position so Trivett agreed to continue and the officers were officially placed unanimously. John Trivett pointed out that he actively solicited for nominations from Northern Nevada and that since none were forthcoming, one of the other ballot candidates, Niemi or Hatherill be appointed by the President until the 2004 election. Under advisement of the Board, as per the Bylaws, President Chris Bird appointed Charles Hatherill to serve the one-year term.

Nevada was represented by two players at the National Scholastic Championships held in Atlanta, Georgia on December 13-15, 2002. Michael Patraw played in the K-10 Championship, while Alan Amici played in the K-7 Championship.Michael started off well and was on 2

A hundred and fifty-five chess players from around the United States converged in Moab, Utah, November 8-10th, to compete for several national championship titles. This event, sponsored by the Moab Chess Club and the United States Chess Federation, determined the best players of the year at the fast, game/60 time control where each player has one hour to complete all moves. Each participant played 7 games in a Swiss-style competition; the more games a player wins the tougher the next game becomes until there is usually only one undefeated person left at the top. In this event the top prize was $1000 in cash, and second place was $500; an excellent prize fund made possible by a grant from the county Recreation and Special Service District.In the Open section, Enrico Sevillano won the $1000 prize. Hailing from the Phillipines, and now a resident of Las Vegas, Sevillano has established himself as one of the better players in the US. After seven games he had six and a half points: Six wins against amateurs and lesser masters, and one draw with Alex Wojtkiewicz of Maryland, an International Grandmaster rated 2683 and ranked #8 in the United States. The game between the #1 and #2 seeded players ended in a “grandmaster draw” on Sunday morning, where they agreed to a tie after just a few moves, saving their strength for their last two games. Sevillano defeated Las Vegas rival Emory Tate (a 7-time US Armed Forces chess champion) in round six, and Utah Champion Laszlo Bekefi in round 7 to finish ahead of Wojkiewicz.

In the final round, 19-year-old Philip Ponomarev of Denver held Wojtkiewicz to a draw in perhaps the greatest upset of the tournament. Rated exactly 500 points below Wojtkiewicz, his theoretical chances for a draw were considered less than one in twenty, and his chances for a win infinitesimal. Nevertheless, this former Colorado State Champion played an extraordinarily accurate game and Wojtkiewicz could not find a win against the young prodigy. Ponomarev finished in a tie for third at 5.5 points, tied with his father Mikhail, a seasoned chess master, and with the other young standout in the tournament, 16-year-old Tory Anderson of Levan, Utah. Wojtkiewicz took home the $500 second place prize as his consolation, plus some extra money he earned by playing 15-players at once on Saturday evening, winning against all. 15-year-old Stephanie Pitcher of Salt Lake City edged 11-year-old Janice Chen on tie-break points to take home the trophy for US G/60 Women’s Champion. Pitcher is currently the reigning Utah women’s champion.

In the Scholastic Section, open to players under age 20, Andrew Smith of Laramie, Wyoming took top honors. Seeded number one in the event, he held off all challengers until the seventh round when he agreed to a draw with Katie Kormanik of Salt Lake City. The two of them took home trophies for the US Scholastic G/60 Champion and Female Champion. Nate Anderson, a star running back on the Durango High School football team, showed his equal agility on the chess board to finish second in the event, tied at 5.5 points with Derek Christensen of Albuquerque, Sean Halls of Provo, Zachary Malone of Colorado Springs, Katie Kormanik and Maxfield Taylor of Salt Lake City. Grade level championship trophies were awarded at every level from 12th to kindergarten, the youngest national championship award won by 5-year-old Emily McIntosh of Salt Lake City.

US G/60 Open Section Trophy Winners:

US G/60 Chess Champion: Enrico Sevillano (Las Vegas)
Women’s Champion: Stepanie Pitcher (Salt Lake City)
Amateur Champion: Philip Ponomarev (Denver)
Senior Champion: Mikhail Ponomarev (Denver)
Category A Champion: Jason Mielke (Salt Lake City)
Category B Champion: Tory Anderson (Levan, UT)
Category C Champion: Jess Mickelson (Salt Lake City)
Category D Champion: Majid Kahhak (Carbondale, CO)
Category E Champion: Bob Phillips (Moab, UT)
Under 1000 Champion: Sherri Astle (Salt Lake City)

US G/60 Scholastic Section Trophy Winners:

Champion: Andrew Smith (Laramie, WY)
Second Overall: Nate Anderson (Durango, CO)
Third Overall: Sean Halls (Provo, UT)
Female Champion: Katie Kormanic (Salt Lake City)
12th Grade Champion: Tim Snow (Salt Lake City)
11th Grade Champion: Robert Mulvey (Salt Lake City)
10th Grade Champion: Mackenzie Mical (Durango, CO)
9th Grade Champion: Derek Christensen (Albuquerque)
8th Grade Champion: Kevin Patraw (Las Vegas)
7th Grade Champion: Taylor Maxfield (Salt Lake City)
6th Grade Champion: Scott Wade (Albuquerque)
5th Grade Champion: Zachary Malone (Colorado Springs)
4th Grade Champion: Kolbie Astle (Salt Lake City)
3rd Grade Champion: David Twerskoi (Denver)
2nd Grade Champion: Benjamin Twerskoi (Denver)
1st Grade Champion: Colin Chen (Salt Lake City)
Kindergarten Champion: Emily McIntosh (Salt Lake City)

Information provided by
Moab Chess Club
3820 Kerby Lane
Moab, Utah
Damian Nash, Organizer
(435) 259-1720

On May 1st, 2002, a new chess studio opened in Las Vegas. Called the Chess Vineyard, the studio will feature lectures, instruction, monthly tournaments, simultaneous exhibitions and a bulletin for members. Grandmasters will visit for simuls and lectures and possible FIDE norm tournaments. The Chess Vineyard is located at 6370 West Flamingo, Suite 11, at the corner of Flamingo and Torrey Pines. The Chess Vineyard will be open from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm. Membership is encouraged for a fee and guests are welcome. You can telephone 248-CHES for details. Special thanks to IM Enrico Sevillano and Allan Fernandez for this new opportunity for local chess.Club Contact Information:

The Chess Vineyard
6370 W. Flamingo, Ste 11
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Telephone (702) 248-CHES
Website http://www.chessvineyard.com
Email allan@chessvineyard.com or enrico@chessvineyard.com

(Report by John Trivett, Nevada Chess Bulletin, May 2002)

Report on the Annual Members Meeting & Election 2002

The annual membership meeting was held March 23rd, 2002 at CCSN, Building D, Room 170A. First business was tallying the ballots of the 2002 Election. Results were: Chris Bird 8, John Trivett 10, Ron Gentil 10, Basil Zangrave 5, so Bird, Trivett, and Gentil are elected to two year terms (2002-2004), joining Charles Hatherill, Allen Magruder, Dan Conver, and Milivoj Filipas on the Board of Directors of Nevada Chess, Inc.

After some discussion regarding the non-profit status of Nevada Chess, Inc., Chris Bird was asked to look into the IRS requirements with the objective to file with the IRS for non-profit corporate status.

Chris suggested we might promote Nevada Chess membership by holding and advertising a Southern Nevada Championship tournament separate from one with a scholastic section, and provide a discounted entry fee to Nevada Chess members. Brad Zentmeyer suggested some number (10?, 20?) of the top finishers in the June scholastic tournament be given discounted or free entries in the Southern Nevada Championship. Chris volunteered to see whether there might be any conflicts with a Southern Nevada Championship Tourney in the July-September timeframe.

Board members need to decide in the near future assignment of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary posts.

Report by Allen Magruder