Nevada Chess, Inc.

Minutes of the Annual Members Meeting held March 5, 2007
Clark County Chess Club, 2040 W. Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, Nevada

President Allen P. Magruder called the meeting to order at 7:10 PM.

Members present: A. Magruder, J. Trivett, C. McVoy, W. Henry.

1. President’s Remarks

A. Magruder read minutes of last (emergency) meeting of the board of directors regarding arrangements for 2007 State Scholastic Tournament. Magruder reported that Dan Cover scheduled the tournament at the Meadows School, that S. Rosen was emailed for advertising support with no reply/response, that Chris Bird sent postcards advertising the tournament to all junior members in Nevada using mailing list from USCF, and that C. Hatherill was emailed requesting help contacting high school coaches for participation of high school players, with no reply/response so far.

2. Treasurer’s Report

Magruder distributed copies of financial report for period 8/20/2006 to 3/4/2007 to those present and reported on income and expenses: income $566, expenses $414.96, balance on 8/20/2006 $2454.54, balance on 3/4/2007 $2605.58.

3. Other Business

C. McVoy reported that there are no more First Friday Chess events planned so that event may be removed from the bulletin announcements. He also mentioned that the Clark County Chess Club now holds regular sessions on Mondays as well as Thursdays from 6:45 to 10:45 pm.

Magruder collected 2007 memberships of Eric Baugus and William Shannon from J. Trivett, and 2008 membership from Charles McVoy.

4. Election Results

J. Trivett was assisted by W. Henry with opening and tallying the election ballots. Of the nine ballots returned, one was without a signature and not counted, with the following net result:

Dan Conver 8
Allen Magruder 8
Edward Silakowski 6
Eric Baugus 5
Richard Risley 4
Charles McVoy 4

Consequently, Conver, Magruder, Silakowski and Baugus are elected for a two year term, from 2007 to 2009. President Magruder will appoint either Risley or McVoy for a one year term after conferring with the other directors, including C. Hatherill and M. Filipas.

5. Meeting Adjourned at 7:50 PM

Motion made by J. Trivett, seconded by W. Henry, all present approved.

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting, August 19th, 2006
Schoolhouse Chess Center, 3004 Rigel Ave., Las Vegas

The meeting was called to order by President Allen Magruder at 3:04 pm. Directors present were A. Magruder, D. Maynard, R. Risley, D. Conver and E. Silakowski. Guests included Scott Rosen, owner of SHCC; Chad Gauvin, Manager of SHCC; Chris Bird, web site manager; and Charles McVoy of the Las Vegas Chess Club at the Dula Center. Director C. Hatherill was detained, but arrived in time to participate in discussion of organization of the 2007 Nevada State Scholastic Tournament, and arrangements for the Tonopah events at the end of September, 2006.

2007 Nevada State Scholastic Tournament
Scott Rosen and Chad Gauvin of SHCC and Charles Hatherill of Palo Verde HS committed to organizing this tournament and have secured the Henderson Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, March 3rd and 4th, 2007 (since the meeting this event has been rescheduled for just one day, Saturday, February 17th, 2007) for the two day event. Early entry fee is projected to be $30 at this time, $40 at the door. Scott and Chad have contacts at over 100 public schools, and estimate over 500 entries possible. USCF membership is required for all players, but will be free to all those in K-3rd grades, thanks to a USCF scholastic program. Accommodations will be made for special situations. [1] The organizers will provide trophy awards and medals commensurate with previous state scholastic tournaments. Director Dan Conver moved that the board approve this organization of the 2007 Nevada State Scholastic Tournament. It was seconded by E. Silakowski, and unanimously approved.

NevadaChess.org Website Management
Chris Bird offered to continue to manage our website even after relocating from Las Vegas, as that can be easily done completely with internet communications. That is, as long as those who have additions and/or changes to the website actually make those revisions known to him over the internet. A. Magruder reported that Al Mack of Rebel Chess Club in Las Vegas runs a website for his club and is available to help Chris if needed. We’re grateful to Chris Bird for his continued support.

Tonopah Events, September, 2006
Charles McVoy will represent Southern Nevada in the Nevada State Championship Match, usually held at the Station House Hotel and Casino in Tonopah Nevada at the end of September. The Northern Nevada representative has not been determined at this time.

Charles Hatherill and John Trivett have volunteered to make arrangements with the Station House Hotel for the date and rooms required for the State Championship match, and for the concurrent North vs South Team Match. They will also identify members of the Southern Nevada Team and coordinate the match with the Northern Nevada Team captain. A. Magruder volunteered to email Station House Hotel contact information, and past match conditions to C. Hatherill and J. Trivett.

Financial Report
A. Magruder, asst. treasurer, distributed a financial report for the period 2/4/06 to 8/19/06 to all directors present, in two parts: a Transaction Report, showing “inflows” ($762) and “outflows” (481.38) with initial balance $2173.92, final balance $2454.54; and an Itemized Category report, showing income and expenses by categories. R. Risley moved that the board accept the financial report as read, seconded by E. Silakowski and unanimously approved.

Other Items
1. Affiliate Administration
A. Magruder remarked that sometime in the not too distant future, the board of directors will have to recruit other people to handle administrative tasks of this USCF affiliate, including publishing the quarterly bulletin, keeping track of the affiliate membership, and managing the finances. (My boys should be off to college in the fall of next year, and I expect to be busy chasing after them, and with other “empty nest” activities. Forewarned is forearmed).

2. October Bulletin
Scott Rosen of SHCC volunteered to print and distribute the October 2006 issue of the Nevada Chess Bulletin, upon receipt of the mailing labels for all current adult USCF members in Nevada from A. Magruder. Distribution is expected by mid-October.

3. Chess Park in Downtown Las Vegas
Charles McVoy reported on his efforts to establish a Chess Park in Downtown Las Vegas, at 4th and Lewis, with several concrete chess tables in place for casual games. He and John Trivett have had initial meetings with city council members promoting the Chess Park with encouraging results. He also reported sponsoring chess games as part of the Las Vegas “First Friday Arts Events” in the Arts Factory, 101-109 E. Charleston Ave., on, would you believe, the first Friday of every month. A. Magruder volunteered to include progress reports in the Nevada Chess Bulletin, to support these efforts.

Minutes of the Annual Members Meeting, March 19th, 2006
Schoolhouse Chess Center, 3004 Rigel Ave., Las Vegas

The meeting was called to order at 4:05 pm by President Charles Hatherill.
Board Directors present: Charles Hatherill, Dan Conver, Allen Magruder
Board Directors absent: Richard Risley, Edward Silakowski, Milivoj Filipas, Kime Patraw
Members present: G. Barrett, J. Trivett, C. Bird, C. McVoy, D. Maynard, C. Gauvin

Director and Secretary Richard Risley, Las Vegas resident, is recovering from recent surgery and sent his apologies. Allen Magruder volunteered to take the minutes in his place. Directors Milivoj Filipas and Kime Patraw, residents of Northern Nevada, were unable to attend this location at this time.

President Hatherill asked Treasurer Magruder for a financial report. Magruder summarized the report he gave at the last Board of Directors meeting in February. For the period from 3/5/05 through 2/3/06, beginning balance $1984.37, total inflows $1393.00, total outflows $1203.45, net total $189.55, ending balance 2/3/06 $2173.92.

Discussions, Proposals, Action Items
1. Support of Denker and Polgar Scholastic Candidates
The initial discussion centered on what was agreed upon at the last member’s meeting, and whether that was binding on the board of directors. Minutes from the last year’s meeting were not available to settle the first issue, but most present at last year’s meeting seemed to recall the support provided by Nevada Chess Inc. would be at least 50% of the proceeds given to Nevada Chess Inc. from the annual State Scholastic tournament for the Denker candidate, and $100 for the Polgar candidate. Last year’s support was supplemented by a $60 contribution from Richard Risley to $400 for the Denker candidate, Michael Patraw, and by $100 from Edward Silakowski to $200 for the Polgar candidate, Rio Patraw. This year’s State Scholastic tournament was not as well attended as last year’s event, particularly in the K-12 and K-8 sections. Hatherill proposed that this year our affiliate allocate $300 for the Denker candidate and $100 for the Polgar candidate. This was seconded by Magruder and approved by all present.

After some discussion, it was generally agreed that the organizer of the State Scholastic tournament has the responsibility to advertise and arrange to satisfy the requirements for these awards, consistent with the requirements of the Denker and Polgar tournament sponsors. John Trivett proposed that the Polgar candidate be the top girl finisher in the K-12 section of the State Scholastic tournament. This was seconded by Chad Gauvin and passed, with 7 for and 2 against.

There was a difference of opinion on whether member’s meeting decisions were binding on the board of directors until the next annual member’s meeting, according to the By-Laws of Nevada Chess Inc. This was not determined, though it seemed generally agreed that unless proposed and approved in the member’s meeting, other issues may be decided by the board of directors, e.g. determine the Denker (but not the Polgar) alternate candidate if the prime candidate is unable or unwilling to attend those tournaments.

2. Other Scholastic Support
In order to distribute a larger portion of the proceeds from the State Scholastic tournament given to Nevada Chess Inc. to the elementary school players, after some discussion Magruder proposed that Nevada Chess Inc. pay or arrange to pay the entry fees to a local major chess tournament, up to $100 each, for the top player in each of the K-3, K-5 and K-8 sections which have more than 50 players in the section. This was seconded by Trivett and passed with 8 for and 1 abstain. The “local major” tournaments mentioned were the National Open held annually in Las Vegas, and the Reno Open and Far West Open, held annually in Northern Nevada.

During this discussion, Charles Hatherill called Alan Losoff, organizer of the National Open to be held this June, and secured 3 free entries for this year’s K-3, K-5 and K-8 winners of our State Scholastic tournament.

3. Nevada Chess Bulletin/Newsletter
Charles Hatherill volunteered to be temporary editor of the bulletin and committed to assembling the next issue for distribution by mid-April. John Trivett volunteered to continue contributing articles for the next and succeeding issues. Dewey Maynard volunteered to arrange for printing the issue. Allen Magruder volunteered to preview the issue for content before printing, and for providing mailing labels and postage from Nevada Chess Inc. funds, and for delivery of issues to post office if necessary. Contributions from others, particularly over the internet, are encouraged.

4. Election Results
John Trivett, Election Chairman, was assisted by Gordon Barrett in tabulating the results of the 2006 Nevada Chess Inc. election. There were only two candidates for the three open seats on the Board of Directors, Charles Hatherill and Milivoj Filipas. Seven ballots were returned of the 20 sent out, with the following result:

Milivoj Filipas 7 affirmed 0 not affirmed 0 no opinion
Charles Hatherill 5 affirmed 2 not affirmed 0 no opinion

After some discussion, Dewey Maynard volunteered to fill the 3rd open seat on the board and was approved by current board members, Hatherill, Conver and Magruder for a one year term, effective until the 2007 election, in accordance with the By-Laws on Nevada Chess Inc.

5. 2007 State Scholastic Tournament
Charles Hatherill reported that Kime Patraw, who has relocated to Northern Nevada from Las Vegas, cannot be prepared to organize the Nevada State Scholastic Tournament until possibly year 2008. Chad Gauvin, representing the Schoolhouse Chess Center in Las Vegas, said he would like to work with Charles Hatherill arranging the 2007 tournament at Palo Verde HS or another venue secured by the Schoolhouse Chess Center (pending approval of the Board of Directors). Hatherill agreed. Gauvin could possibly arrange a site for as many as 400 players and for extensive advertising of the event at the many schools currently served by the Schoolhouse Chess Center.

6. Board of Directors Officers
The Board of Directors and their term expiration for 2006-2007 are:
Daniel Conver (2007)
Milivoj Filipas (2008)
Charles Hatherill (2008)
Allen Magruder (2007)
Dewey Maynard (2007)
Richard Risley (2007)
Edward Silakowski (2007)

Magruder suggested the board meet before the end of March to decide who will serve until the next election as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. He will try to arrange that meeting by internet and mail.

7. Meeting Adjourned 6:00 pm
(Please note that these minutes are the unapproved minutes from the meeting. If you think there are any errors that need correcting, please email them to Allen Magruder as soon as possible.)

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.

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