05.25.18 The Maine Chess Association Policy Board has chosen Michael Dudley as interim president. Many of you already know Mike from his work as a chess coach, tournament director, and organizer. In this post, Mike shares an open letter to the Maine chess community.

Dear Maine Chess Community,

I'm Michael Dudley, the new President of the Maine Chess Association. Thank you so much for the opportunity to lead our chess community, which has experienced incredible growth in the last few years.

I moved back to Maine three years ago and landed into the best opportunity I could ask for: the chance to coach the Crusader Chess Club at John Bapst Memorial High School. In that time, I have revived my love for tournament chess and become a Local Tournament Director with USCF. That has given me the chance to do something I am thoroughly passionate about: give everyone in our state the chance to enjoy rated chess, and to see the pursuit of competition as an accessible, engaging, enjoyable, and enriching personal experience. To that end, I have worked to establish the Bapst Impromptu Swiss series, the Crusader Cup Series, and done work to promote chess on the scholastic level through league play and participation in the State Scholastic Championships.

This is but one tile in the mosaic that is chess in the State of Maine. Each of you, whether you've been playing for decades or are just moving pieces for the first time, have a story to tell about your relationship with chess and something to contribute to the chess community here. I hope, in writing this, that you'll join me in doing just that.

Over the next few weeks, as I work with the current Maine Chess Association leadership to help craft and enact an agenda for the remainder of 2018, I would love to hear from all of you across the state, no matter what your relationship with the game of chess might be. Specifically, I hope you'll tell me about three things:

1) What is your chess story?
2) What would you like to see the Maine Chess Association take on in 2018 and 2019?
3) If you could describe 'The Way Chess Should Be' in Maine, what would you say?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you again for reading, and for being a part of the Maine Chess Association. I can be reached at mdudley@johnbapst.org. I'm looking forward to this chance to grow and sustain our chess community in Maine!

Sincerely yours,

Michael C. Dudley
Interim President
Maine Chess Association