Dear Chess Friends,

In the coming years, the Maine Chess Association (MECA) will need to take steps towards becoming more relevant to all Maine chess players. Because officers of MECA are often chess organizers, there is a natural tendency for members to identify MECA closely with the tournaments organized by its officers. Thus, if the President of MECA lives in Portland, and organizes a tournament there, then it would be natural for many to assume that the State Championship tournament should be held there in the Portland area. But what about the players north of Orono? Aren’t these MECA members at a distinct disadvantage because of sheer geography?

While identifying MECA with its individual officers/organizers may have had some short-term benefits in the past, in the long run, it has lead MECA down a road where the State Championship title has been centralized in one geographic area, and has disenfranchised a large majority of chess players throughout the rest of the state. This centralization approach is a dis-service to those players who are geographically disadvantaged, mainly the northern, and eastern regions of Maine.

In order to address this inequality, and to therefore make MECA more relevant to all chess players, regardless of location, I am proposing to the new and future Policy Board members that MECA should divide the state into four geographic, "championship zones", or "regions". Within each zone, chess organizers who conduct multi-day, long-time control events, in excess of G/120, or 40/2, time controls, would be deemed as "championship events", and the winners of said events, would be sanctioned as "state title holders" of their particular zone. This would not preclude MECA from sanctioning titles such as "G/60 State Champion", or "State Blitz Champion" for events with shorter time controls.

It will be a policy of mine, however, not to have MECA organize these events, but to solely sanction the title winners of these events. That is the most neutral and equitable position that MECA can take, while at the same time, encouraging chess organizers to ‘privately’ finance their own championship events without MECA assistance.

In the recent past, chess organizers largely rejected paying MECA any fees, and with the exception of the State Championship, no organizers would require their players to pay the $10 membership fee to MECA on top of their own tournament fees. One cannot blame them either. Why would a tournament organizer in Presque Isle ever want to pay MECA any dues/fees when MECA provided them nothing in return? But if a zonal championship event were to be held in Presque Isle next year, and MECA were to sanction the winner as the Northern State Champion, then I for one, believe that the MECA membership requirement, plus the $1 per player fees which go to support MECA and other Maine chess activities have been earned. Remember, as always, only the organizer themselves can decide whether to voluntarily be a MECA sanctioned event. MECA itself, cannot and should not, try to impose MECA fees on any chess organizer against their best judgement.

Thus, instead of a single state champion title holder who wins a single event, MECA would now create four new state champion titles:

[1] Southern State Champion (Portland area),

[2] Northern State Champion (Millinockett and areas north),

[3] Eastern State Champion (Orono/Bangor and the DownEast portion of the state), and the

[4] Western State Champion (Bethal/Rumford, and the surrounding areas north).

Precise boundaries are not necessary, because any player, may participate in any, or all, of these events. It is possible, that one player, may travel to, and prevail as the unique winner of all four of these State Zonal Championships---a Zonal “Grand Slam”. Organizers will have at their sole discretion, the choice of method which will result in a unique Zonal State Champion, and these minor differences alone, may generate a great deal of excitement for all of us observers and participants.

Presuming that different champions emerge from the zonal cycle, then ChessDreams will organize and finance a Championship Match to be held the first weekend of November, at a site to be determined. This match play championship will have a prize fund, and will be streamed live over the Internet, for all Maine chess players to enjoy. Further, should I win the elections this December, then ChessDreams will be the guarantor of the Southern, Eastern, Western, and Northern Zonal Championships. In the event, that no other organizer can or will hold a long time control event in their zone, ChessDreams will finance and organize the zonal events solely by itself. We will, at the same time, be encouraging other organizers who wish to take part in this Championship cycle, to propose their own zonal championship events with the financial assistance of ChessDreams. ChessDreams has already committed to being the guarantor, of what it hopes will be the Eastern State Championships on the weekend of May 15^th & 16^th at the Hollywood Slots Hotel in Bangor. We are proud to announce that Relyea Chess, has declared their interest in running this event, although perhaps under a different name, yet to be determined. And that flexibility to adjust the details of the overall event, is a welcome one, as long as the "open" or "championship section" utilizes a long time control as previously discussed. The Portland Chess Club, will be by tradition, given the first right of refusal, to hold the Southern Zonal Championships.

MECA’s role, with Board Approval, will be to sanction the title winners of each of these events, and ultimately, the new Maine State Champion. In the future, it is hoped that MECA will seek to maintain an arms-length relationship from any individual organizer, and present itself as a neutral, sanctioning/arbitrating body dedicated to all regions of Maine, instead of being closely involved with any single event, or event organizer.

Akagi

ChessDreams

Augusta, Maine

October 6th, 2009