08.11.10 The president's message and musings as we approach this year's Maine Closed Championship.

Promotion of Maine Chess

As President of the Maine Chess Association, I find it necessary to make a few observations before our meeting this coming Sunday and before the Maine State Closed Championship August 21-22. First off, I did not realize how controversial this position would become. I felt that I could help promote chess with new ideas and encourage people to hold more tournaments. If you look back at my candidate statement and vision for the future of Maine chess, you will see that I have not strayed far from my statements.

Since I have been president, we have had one meeting with the officers and policy board. This meeting was done as a get-to-know each other and try to set up the State Closed Championship as well as formulate a MECA Chessplayer of the Year competition. Due to the length of time of the meeting and giving everybody a chance to share their views, we were unable to complete our immediate tasks. We resorted to corresponding by email to tweak our Closed Championship setup and finalize a place to play; unfortunately we were unable to find a MECA Player of the Year proposal that the majority of us could agree on and we hope to have something in place for January 1. (We will announce a time and place for the annual MECA meeting after Sunday.)

I made a proposal for the current announced setup and prize fund that was accepted by a majority of the Executive Board; this business was conducted via email which was the only practical way to complete our task and have a championship this year. The reason for increasing the prize fund for the Closed Championship was twofold: 1) to increase interest and 2) because a $3000 plus MECA fund balance allowed us a chance to do so. It is distinctly possible that we will lower our fund balance in order to cover our expenditures, but I felt that at this time MECA needed to show that it could put forth an attractive tournament to the top chess players in the state. We need our top players attending our championship. To date response for the higher prize fund has been positive. Nevertheless with less than two weeks until the tournament, we have yet to see many competitors preregister. As an incentive, I thought that we could offer free MECA membership for 2011 to those who preregister. Again this might not be financially prudent immediately, but we need to increase membership and bring new members into the fold. This will increase our viability and also, we hope, our sustainability. We will be discussing this on Sunday, and we would like to hear members' thoughts on this.

MECA is here to encourage chess in Maine. We will continue to vocally support all tournaments from Madawaska to Kittery and from Calais to Bethel. We are pleased that their have been more tournaments in 2010 than in 2009 so far. We are excited that Alex Relyea has expanded his tournaments into Maine and that Roger Morin has provided opportunities north of Bangor. Also we are excited that Steve Abrahams has decided to put his energy into a Border Battle with New Hampshire. I personally would like to recognize everyone that encourages chess whether in USCF rated events, chess clubs, scholastic chess, or online. Drop me an email (bvbryan@aol.com) to share your thoughts and tell me someone who needs to be commended for their work. Finally I would like to acknowledge the active members of the Executive Board for the time and energy that they have put into volunteer positions (even if we don't always see eye-to-eye). Keep me posted and follow my posts!

Andy

Summer Season Musings

Since I last reported there have been a number of excellent tournaments for Maine chess players to attend. From the far north in Presque Isle to the Downeast Open in South Portland there has been action in the quieter summer months. A newcomer on the block, the Eastern Maine Championship in Bangor, attracted a grandmaster, while the popular Chessmaine.net championship continued to draw many participants despite its move to July. Coming up will be more events in Aroostook County while the long-awaited State Closed Championship will be held August 21-22 at the University of Maine.

Fortunately there are many different members of the Maine chess community who are able to find time to provide opportunities for chess throughout the summer season when there are so many other distractions. This month I give a shout out to the Cape Elizabeth chess boosters led by Dan and Ilene Fishbein. They have been tireless in making sure that there are opportunities in their area for playing chess while making sure that the more dedicated have been able to improve their game. Along with the Fishbeins, Mark Parker (Wesley and Brett's dad) and Peter Hatem (Matthew Reale-Hatem's dad) have been instrumental in keeping Cape Elizabeth scholastic chess one of the best programs in the state. Keep up the great work!

Each post I would like to recognize a member of the Maine chess community for their efforts. Please let me know of people who are out there supporting Maine chess.

MECA's own Policy Board member Steve Abrahams is having a strong impact on Maine chess both over the board and as an organizer. His idea for a Border Battle with New Hampshire is coming to fruition and will be a highlight of the fall chess calendar. Thanks, Steve!

The Maine Closed Championship is less than four weeks away, and we are hoping for a good turnout. The MECA Board will be meeting at Governor's August 15 to discuss the tournament and some other items of interest. Please check chessmaine.net for the agenda. Also let us know if there are any specific items that should be addressed at the annual board meeting coming up in the fall. One of the items that I'm proposing at our August 15 meeting is that a 2011 MECA membership be free for all who preregister for the tournament. This proposal comes from the fact that we have been unable to coordinate a player of the year competition for 2010, and members need to have incentives to be a part of MECA. I am hoping that between our upcoming Executive Board meeting and our annual MECA meeting in the fall we will be able to formulate a schedule for 2011 and a player of the year competition.

I appreciate the support that people continue to give to Maine chess. The events calendar has been busier this year than last. Thanks!

Don't forget to check out your local chess club before the summer is out! Often vacationers stop by and provide a new face to challenge.