I, Steve Abrahams, would like to announce my candidacy for the Maine policy board. I have only been involved in Maine chess for a short time; however my previous two residences (New Hampshire and North Carolina) were impacted by my chess endeavors. I went to High School in New Hampshire where my love for chess grew. I played in many tournaments and became a tournament director. In 2006 I won the New Hampshire State High School Championship which allowed me to attend the invitational Denker Tournament. I went to college for one year at Boston University where I became the Vice President of their chess club overseeing almost fifty members and helping spread chess among 30,000 students. I decided to take a year away from school and teach chess in my home town of Raleigh, North Carolina. I was a part of many programs and influential in the development in the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). I truly think I can help spread chess both among scholastics and adults, and help mold the policies and procedures of the Maine Chess Association. I feel as if I can bring the prospective of many different chess associations together to help Maine become an amazing place be a tournament player. Thanks for considering me, Steve Abrahams, for Maine Policy Board.

Below is my complete list of chess accomplishments:

-New Hampshire state high school champion 2006

-United States Chess Federation rating of 1798

-Castle Chess Camp counselor at Emory University in Atlanta 2007-2009

-2006 Arnold Denker Tournament representative for New Hampshire (National High School Championship Invitational)

-Two times first on first board in the New Hampshire scholastic team championship 2004 & 2005

-Coach for Raleigh City-Wide Chess Summer Camp 2005

-Four-year high school team captain and first board 2003-2007

-Boston University Open u1900 Champion 2007

-Vice-president and secretary of the Boston University Chess Club 2007-2008

-Chess coach of 25 faculty children at Credit Suisse in Research Triangle Park, NC 2008

-Director of chess lessons Raleigh Chess for Kids Academy 2007-Present

-Chess program director and teacher for the Cary, NC Chinese School 2008-2009

-Chess program director and teacher for Ravenscroft Spring Chess program 2009

-Founder and head coach of the Ravenscroft Summer Chess Camp 2006-2009

-Head Coach for the Ravenscroft School Chess Team in Raleigh 2008-2009

-Co-Head Coach of the Davis Drive Elementary School Chess Team in Cary, NC 2008-2009

-United States Chess Federation certified Tournament Director