New South Wales Chess Association Inc.

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 27 November 2005

Meeting: The Meeting was held in the Ryedale Room, Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club, 117 Ryedale Road, West Ryde commencing at 2.30pm.

Present

Council Members: Bill Gletsos, Norman Greenwood, Peter Cassettari, Mal Murrell, Keith Farrell, Trent Parker and Tom Accola.

Other Members: Brian Jones, Brett Tindall, Bill Herreros, Robert Ambalong, Bob Sewell, Shane Burgess, Arthur Huynh, Ted Wong, Vasil Tulevski, Charles Ghenzer, David Evans, Alfred Flatow, Charles Zworestine, Jason Hu, Rich Carballo, Rolando Gonzales, Chris Nikolaou, Andrew Bird, Les Porter, Gary Cowling, Nick Kordahi, Lachlan Benson, Max Fuller and Johnny Bolens.

Non Members: Amiel Rosario

1. Welcome and Apologies

Bill Gletsos as President and Chairman declared the Meeting open at 2.35pm and welcomed Members to the Meeting.

Apologies for non-attendance were received from Richard Gastineau-Hills, Steve Carratt, Nancy Lane and Laura Moylan.

2. Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting

The Minutes of the 2004 Annual General Meeting were available at the Meeting and had been on the NSWCA website for almost twelve months.

Motion: That the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 28 November 2004 be accepted and signed as a correct and true record (Moved Vasil Tulevski, seconded Bob Sewell) Carried.

3. President’s Report

Bill Gletsos gave a verbal Presidential Report. He highlighted the following matters.

a) Finances

The NSWCA had performed well in producing a modest profit as compared to a loss in the previous year. The Treasurer will be tabling the Accounts and reporting more fully.

b) Membership

Membership numbers had increased this year and had been the highest for the past few years. The Registrar will give further details.

c) Tournaments

NSW Open – This was a very successful tournament attracting in 114 entries. For 2006 it is intended that the event will be held in a larger venue and the rent will be paid from NSWCA funds, which will not affect the prize structure.

January 2005 Weekender- This tournament was successful in attracting 77 entries proving that the North Sydney Leagues Club is a popular venue with Members.

Rose Bay Tournaments- Attendances at these tournaments were disappointingly low even though the format was the same as the January weekender. Council will be looking for a different venue for 2006.

Ralph Seberry Memorial Weekender- This was held at the North Sydney Leagues Club and the participants were higher than the previous year.

City of Sydney Championship – The number of participants have been poor for the last few years. In order to encourage more players the format for the last two years was changed to two rounds per day. For 2006 it has been decided to revert to one round per day and the event will be held in the City of Sydney at the Bridge Association premises on Sunday evenings as an experiment to see if more players enter the tournament.

NSW Championship – The Championship division was a round robin of ten players. The participants in the Reserves were ten players also, down considerably from the previous year. The U1600 division was one less than 2004. For 2006 the Council will consider reverting back to the traditional tournament.

Ryde-Eastwood Open - The number of participants were disappointingly low, the reason for which may have been the Rugby League Grand Final and that a tournament in Victoria may have attracted players from Canberra who usually play in the Sydney tournament.

Teams Challenge - This was a popular tournament and the participants were higher than the previous year. It is intended that in 2006 there will be two Team Challenge events.

Grade Matches - There were more teams in 2005, the highest number since 1998 despite the fact that some Clubs in earlier years no longer exist.

d) Newsletter

There had been some opposition to the Newsletter, but the Council intends to try to continue it with one more issue this year and then into 2006.

e) Appreciation and Thanks

Bill Gletsos thanked all Council Members for their work and effort during the year.

Charles Zworestine commented that in regard to the Open Division of the State Championship it was his opinion that top players would prefer a round robin tournament.

4. Treasurer’s Report

The Financial Report comprising the Statement of Financial Position at 31 July 2005 (Balance Sheet) and Statement of Financial Performance for the year ended 31 July 2005 (Statement of Income & Expenditure) and the Report by the independent Auditor thereon had been circulated to Members present. The Report showed that the Association had earned a net profit of $4,057 as compared to incurring a loss for the previous year of $509.

The Treasurer pointed out that Tournament entry fees had increased by nearly $6,000, but expenses had not risen to the same extent. Capital expenditure included a laptop computer for use at Tournaments.

Chris Nikolaou queried increase in mailing costs and sponsorship for juniors. The December 2004 mail out was to Members and players, who had been Members for the past three years, which added to the cost. In regard to the juniors, there was no contribution to the Australian Young Masters in the previous year. The number of NSW players participating in the World Youth Championships in Belfort, France was higher than the previous World Championships in Greece, which resulted in added cost.

Motion: That the Treasurer’s Report be accepted (Moved Bob Sewell, seconded Peter Cassettari) Carried.

5. Other Office Bearers’ Reports

Registrar’s Report

The Registrar reported that the present Membership is the highest since Australian Chess Forum magazine was part of the membership. The current individual membership is 385 and when 2005 Grade Match players become members the total should be just over 400.

There were 240 players from 44 teams in the Grade Match competition, the highest number for some years. In 1975 and 1998 there were for 99 and 48 teams respectively.

Webmaster’s Report

The Webmaster reported having taken over the position four years ago and since then the number of hits per day is now some five times what it was then. For November the average daily hits was 130. The objective is to update the website as quickly as possible.

In August 2005 the website was moved to a new server and now there are more photographs displayed and games from tournaments are able to be played through on the webpage.

Country Representative’s Report

The Country Representative reported that the number of Country Clubs had increased and it was evident that more players from the City are playing in some Country tournaments where there are no clashes. The present Country Membership numbers 82. The Country Championship event has been shared around in different areas, the latest venues having been Coffs Harbour, Gosford, Taree, Dubbo and the Illawarra.

6. Determination of Annual Membership and Club Affiliation Fees for 2006

The President reported that the Council had recommended that the fees remain the same as the previous year. There was discussion concerning a suggestion of offering a membership fee of $10 for the first year only for new players who had never been a member of the NSWCA.

The Register advised that records are held from 1991 onwards.

Vasil Tulevski suggested the proposed fee of $10 should apply to players who are only one year behind in their membership. Chris Nikolaou asked the percentage of new members gained. The Registrar advised it is about 15%.

Motions: That the NSWCA introduce a membership fee of $10 for anyone who was not a member in the previous year (Moved Vasil Tulevski, seconded Shane Burgess) In favour 5 – motion defeated.

That the Membership Fees and Affiliation Fees remain the same as the previous year (Moved Bill Gletsos, seconded Shane Burgess) Carried.

That new people who had never been a Member of NSWCA pay a Fee of $10 for the first year only (Moved Bill Gletsos, seconded Bob Sewell) Carried.

7. Confirmation of Life Memberships

The President advised that the Council had recommended that Richard Gastineau-Hills be recognized for his efforts and work for chess at junior level and for the NSWCA by being awarded Life Membership.

Motion: That Richard Gastineau-Hills be awarded Life Membership of the NSWCA (Moved Bill Gletsos, seconded Bob Sewell) Carried with Brian Jones and Chris Nikolaou voting against the Motion.

Peter Cassettari advised that Council had recommended that Bill Gletsos be recognized for his efforts and work for chess for the NSWCA by being awarded Life Membership.

Motion: That Bill Gletsos be awarded Life Membership of the NSWCA (Moved Peter Cassettari, seconded Andrew Bird) Carried with Brian Jones and Max Fuller voting against the Motion.

8. Election of Office Bearers for 2006

It was agreed that Bill Gletsos remain in the Chair.

President – Bill Gletsos (Proposed Mal Murrell, seconded Charles Zworestine) Carried.

Vice-President – Andrew Bird (Proposed Brett Tindall, seconded Shane Burgess) Carried.

Treasurer – Norman Greenwood (Proposed Vasil Tulevski. Seconded Trent Parker) Carried.

Secretary- Tom Accola (Proposed Peter Cassettari, seconded Mal Murrell) Carried.

Registrar – Peter Cassettari (Proposed Mal Murrell, seconded Norman Greenwood) Carried.

Ratings Officer – Steve Carratt (Proposed Bill Gletsos, seconded Shane Burgess) Carried.

Webmaster – Mal Murrell (Proposed Keith Farrell, seconded Davis Evans) Carried.

Tournaments Officer – Brett Tindall (Proposed Andrew Bird, seconded Shane Burgess) Carried.

Communications Officer – Laura Moylan (Proposed Andrew Bird, seconded Shane Burgess) Carried.

Publicity Officer – Trent Parker (Proposed Andrew Bird, seconded Charles Zworestine) Carried.

Club Liaison Officer – Patrick Keuning (Proposed Keith Farrell, seconded Charles Zworestine) Carried.

Country Representative – Keith Farrell (Moved David Evans, seconded Mal Murrell) Carried.

Member Without Portfolio – Gareth Charles (Moved Andrew Bird, seconded Brett Tindall) Carried.

9. Appointment of Auditor

Motion: That Ross A Hamilton, Chartered Accountant be appointed Auditor for the ensuing year (Proposed Chris Nikolaou, seconded Charles Zworestine) Carried.

10. Appointment of Appeals Committee

The following nominations for the Appeals Committee were made.

Richard Gastineau-Hills (Proposed Bill Gletsos, seconded Peter Cassettari)

Bill Gletsos (Proposed Norman Greenwood, seconded Vasil Tulevski)

Jason Hu (Proposed Brian Jones, seconded Shane Burgess)

Robert Sewell (Proposed Charles Zworestine, seconded Norman Greenwood)

Shane Burgess (Proposed Charles Zworestine, seconded Brian Jones)

Nick Kordahi (Proposed Chris Nikoloau, seconded Max Fuller)

The voting results and appointment were as follows.

Name Votes Appointments

Jason Hu 21 Appeals Committee

Richard Gastineau-Hills 20 Appeals Committee

Bill Gletsos 19 Appeals Committee

Shane Burgess 18 Alternate

Nick Kordahi 13 Alternate

Robert Sewell 10

11. Other Business

Membership Cards

Chris Nikolaou raised the matter of Membership Cards for use at the Grade Matches competition and for the profile of Members.

Discussion and comments ensued, the main points being as follows.

Gareth Charles – the card should be used for tournament entries.

Charles Zworestine – the card would make recording easier. The Council would control pre numbered cards with Membership Numbers. He offered to examine the cost and arrange the printing.

Andrew Bird – suggested a plastic card with a tape and which could be swiped.

The President advised that the Council will look at concept of introducing Membership Cards.

Electronic Payments

Chris Nikolaou suggested that electronic payments for pre entries for tournaments may help tournaments to commence on time.

Charles Zworestine commented that in his experience as a DOP around the Country and Interstate, most tournaments commenced up to 30 minutes late.

The President advised that Council will look at the matter.

Suspended Members

Chris Nikolaou raised the matter that it would be of assistance to Clubs if details of suspended Members be placed on the Website.

The President advised that provided there were no legal impediments, the names and period of suspension would be entered on the webpage.

Entry Fees for Tournaments

Brett Tindall raised the matter of concession rates for full time students and juniors moving from the NSWJCL to adult chess, for in his experience a number of students with limited income have indicated to him that they cannot afford the entry fees.

A vote by a show of hands was that there was a difference of one vote in favour of students being given a concession, but the majority was against giving pensioners a discount.

The President advised that the Council will discuss the matter.

Closure of Meeting

There being no further business, the Meeting was closed at 4.58pm.

Confirmed as a correct record.

………………………………….. Dated……………………………….

Chairman