444
 
 
         1      U.S. CHESS FEDERATION EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
 
         2                     JANUARY 21, 2001
 
         3
 
         4                  MIAMI AIRPORT MARRIOTT
 
         5                   1201 NW LEJEUNE ROAD
 
         6                      MIAMI, FLORIDA
 
         7
 
         8                         VOLUME IV
 
         9                     (Pages 444- 574)
 
        10
 
        11
 
        12
 
        13
           MEMBERS PRESENT:
        14
                     TIM REDMAN, PRESIDENT
        15           JOHN MCCRARY, VICE PRESIDENT
                     JIM PECHAC, VICE PRESIDENT FINANCE
        16           DORIS BARRY, SECRETARY
                     GEORGE DEFEIS, CEO
        17           JEFF LOOMIS, CFO
                     JOE IPPOLITO
        18           BOB SMITH
                     HELEN WARREN
        19           STEVE SHUTT, SCHOLASTIC COUNCIL
                     PAT HOEKSTRA, SCHOLASTIC COUNCIL
        20
           ALSO PRESENT:
        21
                     JOEL BEREZ, GAMES PARLOR
        22           FRANK NIRO
                     JIM WARREN
        23           DON SCHULTZ
 
        24
 
        25
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              445
 
 
         1           MR. REDMAN:  We are back in session.  You want
 
         2 to go back and pick up a sponsorship item that we forgot
 
         3 about.  George?
 
         4           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah.  John mentioned the
 
         5 baseball season that triggered that I meant to be saying
 
         6 something.  And then I will get to it in a second, but I
 
         7 just wanted to mention some of the things that we do to
 
         8 get into the doors of some potential sponsors.  The
 
         9 Americinn happened because of really a couple phone
 
        10 calls.  Then I went to their office in Chicago and went
 
        11 with a modest presentation.  This is one Ann Henry and I
 
        12 made to Hasbro in Massachusetts.  I want you to pass it
 
        13 around so you can see the types of things.  And just
 
        14 sitting around the table with just some powerpoint
 
        15 walkthrough it gives a level of credibility as to what
 
        16 it is we do, what opportunities there might be.
 
        17           So again, Americinn just started like this.
 
        18 We went up to Hasbro, Massachusetts.  We are now talking
 
        19 with USAOpoly is a company that markets Monopoly, I
 
        20 think Scrabble.  It's a division of Hasbro.  There was
 
        21 actually some interaction from Massachusetts to
 
        22 California; and they talked to us about they wanted to
 
        23 develop this chess game with a connection to baseball,
 
        24 Yankees against the Mets.  Anyway, I will pass this
 
        25 around.  We are just in discussion pieces.  They would
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              446
 
 
         1 want our brands connected to this particular game.  And
 
         2 we would - you know, the way the sponsorship would work
 
         3 is a percentage or a royalty payment that we might get.
 
         4 So there's an opportunity.
 
         5           MR. IPPOLITO:  That's a great idea.
 
         6           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah.  They have king and - they
 
         7 define the pieces.  They don't have all the pieces.
 
         8           MR. NIRO:  Which team will be the black
 
         9 pieces?
 
        10           MR. IPPOLITO:  It will be big in the New York
 
        11 area and New Jersey.
 
        12           MR. LOOMIS:  Connecticut.
 
        13           MR. REDMAN:  Thank you.  I think we are going
 
        14 then into tournaments and members section.  Item 24 is
 
        15 the press release policy.  I put that in as actually to
 
        16 ask a point of information.  Who does our press
 
        17 releases?  How often are they done?  How are they done?
 
        18 Where do they go?  There was a criticism under Kings
 
        19 Just Politics which everyone was surprised to see that
 
        20 we have the U.S. Championship and we didn't have a press
 
        21 release on it.  Part of the opportunity that press
 
        22 releases gives is for free advertising and enhanced
 
        23 visibility.  Sponsors love publicity obviously, so it
 
        24 ties into sponsorship.  Who does the press releases?
 
        25 How often are they done?  They probably should be
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              447
 
 
         1 circulated to the board.
 
         2           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah, we established some months
 
         3 ago a press release policy.  Let me pass it around as to
 
         4 how they get prepared.  This is dated May 9th, so soon
 
         5 after I got there we wanted to organize this really
 
         6 within the marketing area.  It was Ann Henry.  Now it's
 
         7 June DeBoise for the time being.  Again, I only have
 
         8 one.  I can get them for the minutes, but this is our
 
         9 press release policy.  We certainly issue press releases
 
        10 right after all national tournaments to announce winners
 
        11 and results.  We also issue them before.  We just did
 
        12 one the other day for the Supernationals and the U.S.
 
        13 Amateur Team meets, really the sizeable ones.
 
        14           We have also instituted a template to make
 
        15 available at tournaments where it's a standardized USCF
 
        16 press release.  And we have to go out to the scholastic
 
        17 events, and they can insert the information and get to
 
        18 their local papers.  They have a vehicle with our brand
 
        19 on it that they bring to tour town if they want a
 
        20 tournament or something like that.  So largely it's the
 
        21 big activities that we do.  Did you say that we did not
 
        22 do a press release after the U.S. Championships too?
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  There was some claim to that
 
        24 effect I think.  The point I am trying to make is - I am
 
        25 sure you have a policy.  I am sure it's a good policy.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              448
 
 
         1 I would like the executive board to receive copies of
 
         2 all press releases just so we stay on top of that to see
 
         3 what's being said and done.  So that's just saying that
 
         4 we want to have.  So can you make sure that happens?
 
         5           MR. IPPOLITO:  I have one question.  George,
 
         6 when you send out press releases, do they go out to
 
         7 chess clubs?  Who do they --
 
         8           MR. DEFEIS:  I think we have a database of
 
         9 about 100 or 200 media outlets, and that's where they
 
        10 go.  There probably are some chess clubs that have their
 
        11 own publications, large ones.  They do not go out to all
 
        12 affiliates or whatever.  But it is - I think it's a
 
        13 database of about 100 or 200 outlets.
 
        14           MR. IPPOLITO:  Because there was a practice I
 
        15 guess about ten years ago that Manhattan Chess Club used
 
        16 to get press releases and Marshall and the big clubs
 
        17 around the country.
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  We put them right on the web, so
 
        19 our press releases go right on the web.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  It would be also to see - could
 
        21 you send to the board a copy of the distribution list?
 
        22           MR. DEFEIS:  Sure.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  You might include categories such
 
        24 as elections.  We will have a new USCF president in
 
        25 August and a new board or some new board members.  I
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              449
 
 
         1 know my university has a press office.  So when I was
 
         2 elected to the board, I told them.  And we got in twice
 
         3 in the Dallas Morning News two different places, one in
 
         4 the business section which everyone thought was
 
         5 interesting.  But I think we have more opportunities
 
         6 there.  I think especially in the realm of scholastic
 
         7 chess we have had no trouble whatsoever in convincing
 
         8 the Dallas Morning News and the Texas press to cover
 
         9 what we were doing because they just think that's the
 
        10 neatest thing going because it's positive news.  And I
 
        11 think that we have real opportunities there also to push
 
        12 the cultural prestige of chess which exists, and just
 
        13 the general perception is that if you play chess you
 
        14 must be smart.  And the secondary perception is if kids
 
        15 play chess they become smart.  And I think pushing that
 
        16 kind of identity just keep drumming it in that - and
 
        17 that's what sponsors look at, well, we are going to
 
        18 sponsor this.  What kind of press are we going to
 
        19 expect?  It's often a media buy.  Sponsorship is often a
 
        20 media buy.  Now --
 
        21           MR. IPPOLITO:  In talking about the last
 
        22 delegates' meeting, executive board meeting that we had,
 
        23 I had given you I guess it was a pamphlet from the
 
        24 Department of the Interior executive that was
 
        25 acknowledging that the school, Texas Morningside School,
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              450
 
 
         1 and things that they have been doing with low
 
         2 socioeconomic kids and the advances they have been
 
         3 making.  I don't know if you had given that to Peter.
 
         4           MR. DEFEIS:  I remember you gave me the fax.
 
         5 I don't know.  I will ask Peter.  But I did pass it over
 
         6 to Chess Life.  Actually, for Schoolmates we were going
 
         7 to look for something; but let me check with Peter.
 
         8           MR. IPPOLITO:  If not, just get in touch with
 
         9 me.  I will give you the guy's name and number.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Here is the item I was talking
 
        11 about.  It's on Rec Games Chess Politics posting by Al
 
        12 Lawrence.  Did anyone else notice that there was no USCF
 
        13 press release on the U.S. Championship?  Is that true?
 
        14           MR. DEFEIS:  I don't have all my list of press
 
        15 releases.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  But that's something we should be
 
        17 concerned about obviously that it's the U.S.
 
        18 Championship, and we don't look good when there's no
 
        19 press release on the U.S. Championship.  It's one of
 
        20 those situations where there might have been a falling
 
        21 between the cracks where we assumed the Seattle folks
 
        22 would do it, and they assumed we would do it.  If you
 
        23 could find out about that, I'd like to get some factual
 
        24 information.
 
        25           MR. IPPOLITO:  I am monopolizing.  What that's
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              451
 
 
         1 saying when we were in Seattle for the U.S.
 
         2 Championship?  One thing that stood out right away was
 
         3 that we as part of the USCF did not have a photographer
 
         4 there to take pictures.  And in national events, we
 
         5 should make it a point to have a photographer on hand
 
         6 that can take these shots spontaneous or whatever and do
 
         7 a big thing on that line.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  I think that we need to make more
 
         9 efforts in this direction.  There are some costs
 
        10 involved, but media exposure is very valuable.  Anything
 
        11 else on press releases?  Jim?
 
        12           MR. PECHAC:  Just a point, on the release of
 
        13 the information I am not sure what the appropriate
 
        14 process is.  But certainly one of the considerations
 
        15 might be another system as a place for us to get it
 
        16 also.
 
        17           MR. REDMAN:  I just put that request in that.
 
        18 I'd like these sent to us as they come out in paper
 
        19 form.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Anything else?
 
        21           Then Grand Master Goldin.  Joe?  I am sorry.
 
        22 Helen?
 
        23           MS. WARREN:  No.  Really Joe.  He is the
 
        24 liaison to Grand Master affairs.
 
        25           MR. IPPOLITO:  I don't know what this is
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              452
 
 
         1 about.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  I have a request in hand.  It's a
 
         3 message from Helen.
 
         4           MS. WARREN:  I sent you the material.  Grand
 
         5 Master Goldin's request, Goldin made a request to me
 
         6 that I present his request to this board to have his
 
         7 country of residency changed.  He wants it to now be the
 
         8 United States because he is a permanent resident.  And I
 
         9 sent you a copy of his letter of intent along with his
 
        10 immigration and naturalization sheet that shows him as a
 
        11 legal resident.  I talked to you either by e-mail or by
 
        12 phone and sent this to you by snail mail.  I will look
 
        13 here to see if I have a copy.
 
        14           MR. IPPOLITO:  Maybe it's still being
 
        15 delivered.
 
        16           MS. WARREN:  Here it is.  Yes, I have it.  He
 
        17 is just making a formal request to change his national
 
        18 affiliation with FIDE.  When he goes abroad to play in
 
        19 tournaments, he wants to be listed as a U.S. player.
 
        20 And he gives his documentation for that being so.  This
 
        21 is a normal thing.  We usually do this with great
 
        22 speed.  And this would mean that the office would need
 
        23 to notify FIDE that Grand Master Alexander Goldin is now
 
        24 a U.S. legal resident and perhaps forward to them the
 
        25 notice of action from the immigration service and
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              453
 
 
         1 immigration and naturalization service.  And then he
 
         2 would become as far as we are concerned a U.S. player.
 
         3 He would be listed on our top lists as a U.S. player.
 
         4 He would become eligible for the U.S. Championship by
 
         5 virtue of his rating and so on.
 
         6           MR. DEFEIS:  Why don't I just send a letter to
 
         7 FIDE?
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  It's a little more complicated.
 
         9           MR. LOOMIS:  Would anyone like copies of these
 
        10 documents?  I will go make them.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  No.
 
        12           MS. WARREN:  I will give George the copy.
 
        13           MR. REDMAN:  My understanding is - and
 
        14 actually, Tom Brownscomb knows these rules - but my
 
        15 understanding is there is a three-year period after the
 
        16 declaration in which he cannot play for other countries.
 
        17           MS. WARREN:  He is talking about he had been
 
        18 living and playing in the U.S. since February 1999.  And
 
        19 so he is asking for that date to be used as start date
 
        20 to determine his eligibility.  I think he understands
 
        21 that he would not be eligible until 2002.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  And I just wanted to alert you to
 
        23 check with Tom because he is on top of these rules.
 
        24           MS. WARREN:  Let me pass these over, then Tom
 
        25 can take care of it.  It's the country, not the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              454
 
 
         1 individual that petitions FIDE.  So it would need the
 
         2 national federation of the country to make that request
 
         3 to FIDE.  The individual player cannot do that.
 
         4           MR. REDMAN:  Helen, could you write a short
 
         5 motion simply saying that the board approves the request
 
         6 from Grand Master Goldin.  Pat and Steve, we will wait
 
         7 until you finish eating.  Then we will get to your
 
         8 regular places.  Take your time.
 
         9           Twenty-six, implementation of 80 percent
 
        10 internet membership.  I think we got that in the report
 
        11 that it's ready to go with the initial target of 30,000
 
        12 lapsed minutes.  Is that right?
 
        13           MR. DEFEIS:  Correct.
 
        14           MR. REDMAN:  You have created the data field
 
        15 for that, and you are ready to put it in.
 
        16           MR. DEFEIS:  Yes.
 
        17           MR. REDMAN:  This is a sensitive matter to
 
        18 some of the delegates, so I just wanted to call your
 
        19 attention to the fact.  And Bruce Trainee is one that's
 
        20 raised this question, and Bruce is a very reasonable
 
        21 man.  I will just read you one paragraph:  If I am a
 
        22 delegate next year, I plan to ask some very serious
 
        23 questions about promises that I understood were made to
 
        24 offer internet memberships at 80 percent of the full
 
        25 membership rate.  It was two months after the fact that
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              455
 
 
         1 I was informed that the motion that I thought I had
 
         2 voted for had been changed and that his pricing decision
 
         3 was put into the hands of the office rather than the
 
         4 hands of the delegates.  And he has been shaken about
 
         5 this, about this not going forward.  So I think we want
 
         6 to make sure that we are acting in good faith - I mean,
 
         7 they will recognize that we have problems with data
 
         8 fields.  We found a creative way to solve them.  But we
 
         9 do need to implement these changes because remember we
 
        10 present a dues restructuring as a package.  And some
 
        11 people voted for the whole package.  And if we said,
 
        12 well, we were kidding, we are only going to do these and
 
        13 not those, I think that would have changed some votes.
 
        14 So we need to proceed on implementation here.
 
        15           Jim?
 
        16           MR. PECHAC:  Yeah, I guess is there an
 
        17 understanding of where that's at from George?
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah.  I reported on it.
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  It's in the report.
 
        20           MR. DEFEIS:  That's a mailing to 30,000 lapsed
 
        21 regular and youth members who now are of the age --
 
        22           MR. PECHAC:  The technical side of it is
 
        23 solved?
 
        24           MR. DEFEIS:  Yes.  In the category of internet
 
        25 regular, our plan is to then have internet youth and
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              456
 
 
         1 internet scholastic.  So it's being --
 
         2           MR. PECHAC:  So regular the first.
 
         3           MR. DEFEIS:  The internet regular has been the
 
         4 programming necessary has been achieved; and the card,
 
         5 it is at the printer.  It may have been mailed while we
 
         6 are here or this coming week.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  The same point has been
 
         8 made by a number of people; and these are serious,
 
         9 responsible individuals who were concerned and feel such
 
        10 as George John and I that his voting for the whole
 
        11 package was contingent upon the internet member option
 
        12 and that we are slow to putting that into effect.  I
 
        13 disagree.  We have another alleged software computer
 
        14 limitation, and this alleged limitation hasn't been
 
        15 discussed with the internet computer committee.  We are
 
        16 here to help the office work around problems and develop
 
        17 solutions.  But if no one let's us know what's going on,
 
        18 we can't be of any help.  And so this is a concern, and
 
        19 it's valid.  And we want to make sure that we get that
 
        20 going fast.
 
        21           Doris?
 
        22           MS. BARRY:  The correspondence that I got or
 
        23 e-mail, whatever it was, noted that it was Tom Doan who
 
        24 went into the office and discovered that we actually did
 
        25 have another of these fields or we did have two vacant
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              457
 
 
         1 fields we could use.
 
         2           MR. DEFEIS:  I don't know.
 
         3           MS. BARRY:  I was wondering why we didn't know
 
         4 that if this was the case why Tom was the one that found
 
         5 it.
 
         6           MR. DEFEIS:  I don't know that to be true.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  Rule book contract, George.
 
         8           MR. DEFEIS:  The rule book contract is I'd say
 
         9 near complete.  Let me explain where there has been
 
        10 holdups.  The contract that I had prepared on a model of
 
        11 one that Tim shared with me I prepared for a contract
 
        12 between USCF and Tim just for the new rule book.  I sent
 
        13 that to Tim and received his comments back, shared those
 
        14 comments with Tim in Seattle and got Tim's comments on
 
        15 this very lengthy, ten-page contract.  I incorporated
 
        16 all of Tim's comments and fed a revised contract to Tim
 
        17 Just.  And then I will say in November I received a
 
        18 complete new contract written by a lawyer that Tim
 
        19 knows.
 
        20           MS. WARREN:  Dan Burg, a member of the --
 
        21           MR. DEFEIS:  Dan Burg.  Now I had the contract
 
        22 that we had agreed to and Tim had provided comments on
 
        23 and Tim Just also.  And then I got a new ten-page
 
        24 contract.  And when I got that, I required considerable
 
        25 reconciliation between the two.  I think we are near
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              458
 
 
         1 resolve now.  But this came along with the other thing
 
         2 happening.  Had he provided comments on the revisions,
 
         3 that would have been signed by now.  But getting a 100
 
         4 percent new contract really delayed things.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Just for the record, most
 
         6 of the Tim's referred to were Tim Redman.  Tim Just
 
         7 referred to was, of course, Tim Just.  And the Tim
 
         8 possessive lawyer referred to was Tim Just also.
 
         9           Motion from Helen Warren.  The executive board
 
        10 approves request of Grand Master Goldin to be listed as
 
        11 U.S. player.  All in favor?  That's unanimous.  Thank
 
        12 you.
 
        13           Item 28.  Survey report.  John?
 
        14           MR. MCCRARY:  I just completed summarizing in
 
        15 typed form all of the open-ended things from the survey
 
        16 we did last summer.  I went through some of these in
 
        17 October just from memory.  I can do one of two things.
 
        18 I can either go through these and just read this
 
        19 quickly, or I can just e-mail this to everyone.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Please e-mail it to us.
 
        21           MR. MCCRARY:  That will be satisfactory.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  Thank you.
 
        23           2001, 2002 U.S. Open status.  That's been
 
        24 cleared up I guess, right?  But let's hear a report on
 
        25 it.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              459
 
 
         1           MR. DEFEIS:  Let me give you the status.  The
 
         2 Framingham 2001 U.S. Open is signed, of course, with the
 
         3 hotel facility.  We have still been discussing the
 
         4 agreement with Macka.  Now it's an event that we are
 
         5 managing in house.  We still want an agreement with
 
         6 Macka and will have an agreement with Macka.  I spoke
 
         7 with Steve Freimer two days ago and explained where we
 
         8 are on this.  We have an announcement for the events
 
         9 going into the April issue of Chess Life with the early
 
        10 bird fee and the next fee and whatever.  So 2001 is
 
        11 scheduled, and I plan to meet with Steve Freimer in the
 
        12 coming - he mentioned something in mid-February or so.
 
        13 He is up in Massachusetts.  But they are - I spoke with
 
        14 him - I think comfortable.  They did have a problem of
 
        15 having a hotel agreement of a couple years ago, not a
 
        16 very good one that we went and revised the hotel
 
        17 agreement when we had done that with Al Lurvey as a
 
        18 consultant for a little bit and got that in good order.
 
        19 They have had an agreement with Macka, and that's still
 
        20 we are looking to work so that we provide the right
 
        21 partnership and incentive there for them.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  Will some of the players at the
 
        23 U.S. Open in Framingham have to stay at hotels different
 
        24 than the site?
 
        25           MR. DEFEIS:  Possibly because of the room
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              460
 
 
         1 block that we were only able to secure, it may require
 
         2 that some people don't stay on the site.  The block that
 
         3 we were able to get is not as much as we occupied
 
         4 actually in St. Paul.  So there's that possibility.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  Are arrangements being made to
 
         6 have some kind of shuttle bus service for that?
 
         7           MR. DEFEIS:  We are working on that to have
 
         8 some sort of convenient, inexpensive transportation.
 
         9 That is being considered as part of the budget.  We
 
        10 didn't set the entry fee yet.  So this, of course, gives
 
        11 us the opportunity as opposed to some events when once
 
        12 the fee is set and published when you realize, gee, I
 
        13 need ten grand for transportation so we could right now
 
        14 make sure we have the right financial line in the
 
        15 budget.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  Helen?
 
        17           MS. WARREN:  What about transportation from
 
        18 Boston Logan to Framingham?
 
        19           MR. DEFEIS:  That's a very good question.  We
 
        20 are going to publish the convenient ways to get to
 
        21 Framingham.  Actually I have been told that flying into
 
        22 Providence, Rhode Island is more convenient than flying
 
        23 into Logan.  We will provide more information on
 
        24 transportation to Framingham.  I don't believe it to be
 
        25 the optimal site to have such an event, but we are
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              461
 
 
         1 contractually there.   We will look to propose as much
 
         2 information on the web for convenient and cost-effective
 
         3 transportation.  I don't know what to do beyond that.
 
         4           MR. REDMAN:  John?
 
         5           MR. MCCRARY:  The publication is a big issue
 
         6 because I assume we are at the point now that we would
 
         7 have to publish no earlier than the - or no earlier than
 
         8 the June issue of Chess Life coming out in May; is that
 
         9 correct?
 
        10           MR. DEFEIS:  No.  We are publishing our first
 
        11 announcement in the April issue of Chess Life which
 
        12 comes out in March.
 
        13           MR. MCCRARY:  Okay.  I missed that.
 
        14           MR. DEFEIS:  And we will have one monthly.  We
 
        15 will have a half page in this coming one and a full page
 
        16 I expect in the next three or four.
 
        17           MR. REDMAN:  USCF tournament bidding policy,
 
        18 procedures and contracts.
 
        19           MR. DEFEIS:  You want to know about 2002?
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  It's in New Jersey.  We got a
 
        21 great deal with the New Jersey folks.  We got a great
 
        22 offer.  They are going to help us financially.  It was a
 
        23 terrific gesture of real support for the organization.
 
        24 We are very happy about that.
 
        25           USCF tournament bidding policy, procedures,
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              462
 
 
         1 contracts.
 
         2           MS. BARRY:  That is mine.
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  Yeah, Doris.
 
         4           MS. BARRY:  Helen and I were appointed to the
 
         5 committee for tournament procedures.  I gave a report
 
         6 for the bidding policy to George I think it was at the
 
         7 last meeting with the suggestions for improving the
 
         8 bidding.  If you don't have it, George, I will send you
 
         9 another copy.  So I think the procedures and the
 
        10 contracts - so I forgot to discuss this with Helen, but
 
        11 what I thought I would do is I have some very successful
 
        12 organizers on my organizing committee.  And I thought
 
        13 that I would enlist their help in going through not only
 
        14 the bidding policy, the procedures and contracts, but in
 
        15 order to do that I need copies of whatever you have in
 
        16 the files for either contracts or what the bidding
 
        17 process, the forms are and everything in order to have
 
        18 them look at it.  Is that possible?
 
        19           MR. DEFEIS:  Yes.  Let me if I could offer a
 
        20 couple things.  We have had a document called How to Bid
 
        21 a National Event.  This is the text version.  I have had
 
        22 Tom Brownscomb working on a revision which I will
 
        23 share.  I don't have copies.  This one is December, so
 
        24 we have made some changes to that.  The process on the
 
        25 national events is changing.  Frankly, as we talked
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              463
 
 
         1 about not getting full, complete, final bids that come
 
         2 in with the expectation of signing a contract within a
 
         3 couple days, this has caused us troubles.  The approach
 
         4 that we were using - and the scholastic council is on
 
         5 board when we met in New Windsor about the solicitation
 
         6 to potential partners really through the state
 
         7 affiliates - we'd like to work always with an
 
         8 organization as opposed to an individual.  We have
 
         9 gotten into trouble working with individuals in signing
 
        10 agreements because if there's not a level of support
 
        11 beyond that person things are going to fall through.
 
        12           On scholastic events, the scholastic council
 
        13 will be involved in the process of selection of the
 
        14 ultimate signing of contracts.  Decision making will
 
        15 reside with the executive director.  It will be done in
 
        16 a way presumably that everyone is on board.  We are
 
        17 hoping that we have a number of opportunities for the
 
        18 2003 Elementary Tournament that we could consider and we
 
        19 had pros and cons and did a balanced objective review
 
        20 of.  And then we would negotiate final arrangements with
 
        21 the facility and USCF ultimately have that
 
        22 responsibility as we have anyway relative to any legal
 
        23 issues with the facility on contracts.  But I will share
 
        24 this.
 
        25           MS. BARRY:  I think that particularly when I
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              464
 
 
         1 saw the contract that was signed by Ralph last it leaves
 
         2 a lot to be desired.  I thought I would get
 
         3 suggestions.  You in turn could submit it to the legal
 
         4 committee.  It's not that we are going to take over your
 
         5 job.  We are just going to give you suggestions on
 
         6 this.
 
         7           MR. DEFEIS:  Thank you.
 
         8           MR. PECHAC:  I would hasten to point out that
 
         9 knowing Steve Doyle and the discussion we just had
 
        10 earlier on the contract review of the computer
 
        11 relationship that that type of person that Steve might
 
        12 have in his delegate ADM may leave it somewhere, and
 
        13 that's a consideration that we want to look at so that
 
        14 brings other people involved in.
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  Helen?
 
        16           MS. WARREN:  Apropos to this, I am now going
 
        17 to submit to George the proposal for the 2002 U.S.
 
        18 Masters which is a result of a $25,000 bequest from the
 
        19 estate of Eugene Martinowsky.  The national tournament
 
        20 will be run through the auspices of the Illinois Chess
 
        21 Association.  And I will begin hotel negotiations.  I
 
        22 couldn't do it earlier because I didn't know when that
 
        23 money was coming out of probate.  So all of the
 
        24 tournament specs are there.
 
        25           MR. SHUTT:  And including the budget.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              465
 
 
         1           MR. REDMAN:  That's terrific work on Helen's
 
         2 part.  Her cultivation, her long friendship with Eugene
 
         3 Martinowsky and the great trust and esteem Helen has
 
         4 held by every member of the Chess Federation except one
 
         5 was older than this bequest.
 
         6           MS. WARREN:  Four or five.  The list gets
 
         7 longer as I get older.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  That's a great achievement.  It
 
         9 will be a great tribute to Eugene who was a great
 
        10 player.
 
        11           Thirty-one, we have covered that Doris tells
 
        12 me.
 
        13           MS. BARRY:  Yes.  That was at number 54 that
 
        14 we discussed and closed.
 
        15           MR. DEFEIS:  Let me add a comment back to 30.
 
        16 I thought it was going on indemnifications so we are
 
        17 protected as tournaments not relative to TD issues.  As
 
        18 we all know, agreements that we have signed with
 
        19 organizers have been very loose in terms of legal
 
        20 language if things go wrong and whatever.  We have been
 
        21 modifying that to include some protections.  I wanted to
 
        22 pass around what's been done on tournament agreements
 
        23 that we are signing.  I am just giving you one page.
 
        24 Our general tournament agreement is about three or four
 
        25 pages long, and it contains really nothing in the way of
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              466
 
 
         1 any agreement by the organizer especially when we are
 
         2 not involved to have the responsibility of insurance and
 
         3 indemnification of the USCF.  We have added this new
 
         4 paragraph there.  This is an interim measure.  I did
 
         5 send our tournament agreement to Mike Lazler because I
 
         6 wanted that to have much more than this.  But at least
 
         7 in here I wanted there to be some responsibilities that
 
         8 the organizer that we signed with understands that they
 
         9 have certain responsibilities we don't, that they are
 
        10 indemnifying us for any problems financial and
 
        11 otherwise.  So you can see what this says over there
 
        12 that they are an independent contractor.
 
        13           Lastly, I want to pass around after I send
 
        14 Mike Lazler our tournament agreement, this is the draft
 
        15 version that I got back from him which scared me to
 
        16 death in trying to say, well, gee, I don't know if any
 
        17 organizer will ever run a tournament again once they
 
        18 read this document.  So I am in the process of balancing
 
        19 the level that we think we need because Mike says we
 
        20 need everything.  And some of this gets into the
 
        21 insurance issue about what - and if we are able to
 
        22 provide it as part of an affiliate benefit, then they
 
        23 don't have to provide it separately.  But you will see
 
        24 what the letters say; we should be signing with our
 
        25 organizers.  And again, it frightened me.  But we have
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              467
 
 
         1 been using this one here on this new - at least that new
 
         2 paragraph.  Now I got to figure out what do we need as a
 
         3 pro's and con's.
 
         4           MR. REDMAN:  Doris?
 
         5           MS. BARRY:  George, do you want me to submit
 
         6 it to the committee and give their feedback on this?
 
         7           MR. DEFEIS:  Sure.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  Americinn has been covered.
 
         9           New rating system, activity points,
 
        10 implementation.  In October I had requested that we have
 
        11 Laura Martz make implementation of the rating committee
 
        12 new system her first priority and activity points were
 
        13 second priority.  We had a slight modification this
 
        14 weekend which I know you have noted.  But we have
 
        15 announced that this would be in effect for calendar year
 
        16 2001, and it should be - we should do what we say we are
 
        17 going to do.  That's very important.
 
        18           So improvement of timeliness and accuracy of
 
        19 TD rating reports.
 
        20           MS. BARRY:  That was a board motion for George
 
        21 to report back on.  Actually, most of these were board
 
        22 motions that I was just following up on.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  Thank you.  That's useful.
 
        24 Certainly as I said yesterday the scariest thing I read
 
        25 in the report, in the many reports was Larry King tells
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              468
 
 
         1 us that he has to manually correct 95 percent of these
 
         2 rating reports submitted.
 
         3           MR. DEFEIS:  Ninety-five percent of the
 
         4 reports, a report might have one correction there.  I
 
         5 don't mean to say each report has 95 percent errors.
 
         6           MR. REDMAN:  Yeah, but that's a lot of hand
 
         7 work.  So I think - you have any further information?
 
         8           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah.  I met with Steve and Pat
 
         9 and Joe last night to address when I get back.  I am
 
        10 going to be meeting with Laura and Larry King to come up
 
        11 with some measure of better timeliness on this whole
 
        12 process.  We noted in George John's report that - and we
 
        13 agree that to go through a full-blown whatever we need
 
        14 to do on this old system is probably not going to be
 
        15 worth it.  So what measures can we do in streamlining
 
        16 similar to the task force I put together to go through
 
        17 the TLA process?  So now we are going to address the
 
        18 ratings, and we will come up with some things, and we
 
        19 will make things better.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Jim?
 
        21           MR. PECHAC:  I have discussed this I think a
 
        22 couple meetings back, and I am relating back to my
 
        23 letter that I wrote on this in '99 and the reason I was
 
        24 interested in being a ratings liaison.  I think you are
 
        25 seeing even more so the fact that the ratings committee
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              469
 
 
         1 somehow isn't involved in this process.  Is there a way
 
         2 or is there someone other than the computer and internet
 
         3 committee that we can get improvement from, someone
 
         4 other than technical people in the field?  Delegates?
 
         5           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah.  I mean, Tom Doan has been
 
         6 very helpful in getting the whole new program done.  He
 
         7 is agreeable to help us on the activity points and to
 
         8 help us with our ratings issues.
 
         9           MR. PECHAC:  That's correcting the calculation
 
        10 which the committee then would have a direct hook into.
 
        11 I am talking about the administrative process back to
 
        12 the tournament directors and the organizers and the
 
        13 people that report those things.  In other words, you
 
        14 mentioned and we discussed earlier the idea of let's sit
 
        15 down and go through a tournament and see what happens.
 
        16 When the rating committee looks at their job, they see
 
        17 that little calculator that does the calculation.  They
 
        18 don't see the administrative process that the organizer
 
        19 or director goes through, the report and the forms and
 
        20 ways that they enter the information into the system to
 
        21 get it back to Larry King who then has to take it and
 
        22 disseminate it through that system.  The rating
 
        23 committee only sees that little chip as the calculation
 
        24 which has to be done which is done in a microsecond.
 
        25           And we are looking at a process that affects
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              470
 
 
         1 many people and many desks.  George sees that top level
 
         2 item, and I don't want - I wouldn't want the internet
 
         3 committee to get down to the level where they are going
 
         4 beyond system design and into your office.  But perhaps
 
         5 we might have someone go into it.  My expression to that
 
         6 then is it's possible there still may be people in our
 
         7 organization that may be able to assist you in this.
 
         8 It's just that we haven't reached for them yet and that
 
         9 they may not necessarily be on committees that we have
 
        10 even structured yet.  So I am expressing that as a
 
        11 concern because we still haven't reached for that type
 
        12 of expertise yet.
 
        13           MR. REDMAN:  Steve and then George and then
 
        14 Doris.
 
        15           MR. SHUTT:  Sorry to interrupt, but I do have
 
        16 a point directly related to that.  I have asked George
 
        17 because it was originally a scholastic issue - it
 
        18 impacted on the scholastics as I reported yesterday - I
 
        19 asked George if he would meet with some of the people in
 
        20 the ratings committee and those that he felt could
 
        21 brainstorm and come up with solutions, and he has agreed
 
        22 to contact both Tom Doan and another ratings committee
 
        23 chairman George John with Tom Doan.  And he is going to
 
        24 meet with Ernie Slick and because Ernie had compiled a
 
        25 list of things about the old system that he thought
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              471
 
 
         1 needed to be changed; and he was going to meet with him
 
         2 and other people that he thought might provide a
 
         3 solution to brainstorm to come up with an idea, some
 
         4 ideas.  So we were forming a subcommittee along trying
 
         5 to unite as many people as possible for that.
 
         6           MR. DEFEIS:  The first step I think I had
 
         7 mentioned that Al Losoff has offered to come to visit us
 
         8 in February to assist with the ratings processing, that
 
         9 whole process.  So as far as a volunteer expert in
 
        10 ratings and understanding what we go through quite well,
 
        11 that's scheduled for February at some point or other.
 
        12           MR. REDMAN:  Doris?
 
        13           MS. BARRY:  I put Laura in touch with Matt
 
        14 Goshen who lives around Silicon Valley in California.
 
        15 He has offered probably for two years to write the
 
        16 program for the submission of the rating reports
 
        17 directly from the tournament.  Because of all the other
 
        18 projects that Laura had, Laura didn't follow up with
 
        19 him.  I contacted her just before we left, and she said
 
        20 she would definitely do that.  She had forgotten about
 
        21 it.  I believe he's a programmer and has offered his
 
        22 services repeatedly.  So I'd like to see if we can get
 
        23 something from him.  He is also a chess player.  And he
 
        24 may have already started the process.  So I think if
 
        25 Laura follows up with him, then we will get some kind of
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              472
 
 
         1 a feedback about it.
 
         2           MR. DEFEIS:  I will talk with him.
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  Item 35, discount on electronic
 
         4 submission of ratings.  Doris?
 
         5           MS. BARRY:  That was also a board motion for
 
         6 George to report back on.  That's actually what Matt is
 
         7 working on.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  So can we look forward to having
 
         9 this done by April?
 
        10           MR. DEFEIS:  I didn't realize that was an item
 
        11 for me.  I don't have anything to say other than it's
 
        12 part of the whole - one of the elements I mentioned in
 
        13 the ratings is that there are economic ways of getting
 
        14 information the way that is most easily handled, that if
 
        15 you submit it on a disk this is your fee.  If you submit
 
        16 it on paper, this is your fee.  So some of this is going
 
        17 to be part of this process analysis.
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  Excellent.
 
        19           Okay.  Rating list on the web.
 
        20           MS. BARRY:  That was another board motion.  I
 
        21 put the board motions next to this, and I said reports
 
        22 in progress.  So I guess when you put it on there, it
 
        23 was confusing.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  Where do we stand on that one?
 
        25           MS. BARRY:  Well, this was when we decided
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              473
 
 
         1 that we weren't - or did we decide we weren't going to
 
         2 print the rating list anymore?
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  That's right in the January
 
         4 issue.
 
         5           MS. BARRY:  And the alternative offered was
 
         6 that it would be put on the web.  So I guess it was a
 
         7 follow-up to make sure it would be done.
 
         8           MR. DEFEIS:  When I met with the board, Laura
 
         9 indicated to me - and I say she because she is getting
 
        10 the print version; it may be updated already, so I will
 
        11 report on that - she said it's not a problem at all,
 
        12 just that it was not done yet.
 
        13           MR. REDMAN:  Jim?
 
        14           MR. PECHAC:  I will express again that fact
 
        15 that what you have gone through is a list of the
 
        16 projects that were talked about in terms of this
 
        17 strategy and that these projects have to have a person
 
        18 in there to do them and to prioritize time on.  And we
 
        19 did talk about having a second senior person, and I
 
        20 think that has to be put into context of the fact that
 
        21 they assigned priority to five projects to the same
 
        22 person.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  Yes.
 
        24           Okay.  Report on the New Delhi trip.  George
 
        25 has circulated that in writing.  Questions?
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              474
 
 
         1           MR. MCCRARY:  Did I get that, George?
 
         2           MR. DEFEIS:  Page 8(a)21.
 
         3           MS. WARREN:  Yes, I have a question.
 
         4           MR. REDMAN:  Helen?
 
         5           MS. WARREN:  Is it going to be the intent of
 
         6 this board to send a representative from the office to
 
         7 future FIDE meetings when our FIDE representative is not
 
         8 able to attend?
 
         9           MR. REDMAN:  If I may answer, the board has to
 
        10 decide itself.  But it is not my intent to do that.  I
 
        11 think that was an extraordinary situation, and I
 
        12 considered it to be a onetime exception to my own past
 
        13 preference.  When I was president back in the 80's with
 
        14 Jerry Delay what I did was if there were any FIDE events
 
        15 happening in this country I would encourage him to
 
        16 attend.  And I would encourage him to use the proximity
 
        17 of the office to New York City to host or meet any FIDE
 
        18 people.  I will note that the center of gravity and FIDE
 
        19 has shifted from roughly the Netherlands to somewhere in
 
        20 the middle of the Caspian Sea and that, therefore,
 
        21 increasingly - I will go into this more in detail in
 
        22 April - but therefore, increasingly more and more of
 
        23 these meetings are being held in areas where the State
 
        24 Department has strongly advised U.S. citizens not to
 
        25 travel.  And there are some implications for our
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              475
 
 
         1 approach to FIDE in that.  But it is certainly not my
 
         2 intent to have this as a regular policy by any means.
 
         3 This was an exception, onetime only from my
 
         4 perspective.
 
         5           Bob?
 
         6           MR. SMITH:  I see in Page A 23 says the $3,000
 
         7 was reimbursed.  Have we actually received the money?
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  Yeah.  He was clever.
 
         9           MR. DEFEIS:  We reduced it from what we owe
 
        10 them.
 
        11           MS. BARRY:  Very good, George.
 
        12           MR. SMITH:  I was going to say if you got a
 
        13 check probably I wanted to know something.
 
        14           MR. DEFEIS:  We were about to send them a
 
        15 check, and I said:  So Jeff, let me get my ticket and
 
        16 then we will subtract the $3,400 from FIDE.  What did we
 
        17 owe them?
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  Close to $10,000.
 
        19           MR. DEFEIS:  We owed them close to $10,000.
 
        20           MR. LOOMIS:  I remember it seems to me that it
 
        21 wasn't dollars; it was Swiss francs which came to more
 
        22 like five or six thousand dollars as I recall.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  Unfortunately - and we will go
 
        24 into this when we do FIDE in April - when I got to
 
        25 Istanbul, David Jared, the FIDE treasurer, came up to me
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              476
 
 
         1 and says Chess Federation is in arrears and beyond the
 
         2 penalty days date.  And I had no idea, and no one in the
 
         3 office had - I had to call George and find out what was
 
         4 going on.  And it turns out that without going into too
 
         5 many details the official e-mail address of the U.S.
 
         6 Chess Federation was the e-mail address of a private
 
         7 person's e-mail account.  And no more needs to be said
 
         8 in open session on that.  But they were sending us lots
 
         9 of notices, and we never got them because they were
 
        10 going to a private e-mail account.  I will show you
 
        11 should anyone care to see this - I will show you the
 
        12 FIDE directory what it says.
 
        13           Okay.  Prison affiliates and a modest
 
        14 membership initiative.
 
        15           MS. WARREN:  Very quickly we have 33 prison
 
        16 affiliates chess clubs who are in the federation, and
 
        17 only two of them have certified tournament directors.
 
        18 Two out of the 33 would like to see the office send
 
        19 information to each of these prison affiliates on how
 
        20 they can get TD - one of their people to be a TD even at
 
        21 the lowest level so that they can begin to run some
 
        22 tournaments in prisons.  Then if we have a limited
 
        23 degree of success with getting them certified, and by
 
        24 that I mean if we can get five or six or seven of them
 
        25 with certified directors, at the next meeting I'd like
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              477
 
 
         1 to make a proposal for membership for individual
 
         2 memberships - in other words, try to recruit people who
 
         3 are now playing inmates who are now playing chess to
 
         4 become USCF members.  So right now all I am asking is
 
         5 that certification information be sent to these
 
         6 affiliates, and the address and a designated person is
 
         7 indicated on the printout that I got so this can be
 
         8 generated by the office.
 
         9           MR. REDMAN:  Thank you.
 
        10           MR. DEFEIS:  Sent TD certification information
 
        11 to those.
 
        12           MS. WARREN:  Sent TD information to our
 
        13 affiliates.
 
        14           MR. REDMAN:  Koltanowski seminars.
 
        15           MS. WARREN:  We have done.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  We have done that.
 
        17           At this point since I see Pat and Steve at the
 
        18 table, I would like to go back and pick up the
 
        19 scholastic handbook regulations.
 
        20           MR. SHUTT:  Thank you.  The little addendum
 
        21 which I have passed out includes two things that were
 
        22 missing from that which was e-mailed to you.  One was
 
        23 the appendix which appears on the last page there.  That
 
        24 deals with the spectator conduct.  And that was
 
        25 something that I referred to yesterday which I wrote up
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              478
 
 
         1 which I think should be distributed or read to all
 
         2 people at any scholastic or youth national championship,
 
         3 should be made available either read to them at the
 
         4 opening ceremony or distributed.  And a couple of these
 
         5 will add that to it.  The other thing was when I
 
         6 outlined yesterday the differentiation between
 
         7 scholastic events and youth events, they were not
 
         8 included in your handout.  They are included in this.
 
         9 That's the only two additions that these represent.
 
        10           The reason we did that as I said yesterday is
 
        11 because a couple of reasons.  One, we felt that there
 
        12 was a large number of kids that were entering these
 
        13 scholastic events in the Spring and the Fall Nationals.
 
        14 And the other two events, the U.S. Junior Congress and
 
        15 the National Scholastic Action Tournaments were not
 
        16 being very well attended, plus the growth of club and
 
        17 along with scholastics was causing some friction between
 
        18 the two and causing a lot of problems.
 
        19           The one case a very strong player did not even
 
        20 enter a tournament because they were bidding between
 
        21 him, the club - his club mentor and his scholastic
 
        22 coach.  And he didn't want to offend either one of
 
        23 them.  So because of these growing problems, we decided
 
        24 to separate them.  And this will give us a chance to let
 
        25 the National Junior and the National Action tournaments
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              479
 
 
         1 grow.  So we changed the name of National Scholastic to
 
         2 National Youth Action, and they will be club events.
 
         3 The National Youth Action and the Junior Chess Congress
 
         4 will be youth events.  And we are pegging that age to
 
         5 the age of youth and scholastic.  As we find the USCF,
 
         6 the one advantage to this if you decide you want to
 
         7 increase the age of youth membership to 22 this will
 
         8 enable college clubs to participate also.  I think the
 
         9 ideas expressed yesterday of this mainstream of getting
 
        10 scholastic members involved as they become adults, I
 
        11 think the college format would be a very good way of
 
        12 bridging that gap.  This would enable kids to mix and
 
        13 mingle that are in high school and moving up into
 
        14 college.  So we can see club delegations as also a way
 
        15 of accomplishing this.  We feel there is a lot of
 
        16 benefits to that.  That is the only additional change
 
        17 that is in your handout, those two things.
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  Joe, I'd like you to author a
 
        19 motion to approve the USCF National Scholastic
 
        20 Tournament regulations if you think that's appropriate.
 
        21 Discussion or questions?  That's good.  Very impressive
 
        22 work when you don't get any discussion or questions from
 
        23 the board.
 
        24           MR. SHUTT:  Thank you.
 
        25           MR. IPPOLITO:  I just have executive board
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              480
 
 
         1 approves the national scholastic handbook regulations.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  All in favor, please raise your
 
         3 hands.  Six.  Opposed, none.  Abstaining?  Let's try
 
         4 again.  All in flavor, please raise your hands.  Seven.
 
         5 Opposed, none.  It's unanimous.  Thank you very much.
 
         6           MR. SHUTT:  Thank you very much.  Appreciate
 
         7 that.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  That moves us to Chess Life.  We
 
         9 got a detailed report about the problems resulting from
 
        10 unexpected departure of two staff members.  Timeliness
 
        11 is obviously an issue that I think the reports
 
        12 adequately reflect, the understanding that staff has of
 
        13 this importance of timeliness.  Part of this, of course,
 
        14 is also due - part of the problem is due to the fact
 
        15 that there's not a lot of redundancy built into the
 
        16 staffing there.  It's a very lean staff, I mean, in the
 
        17 sense that in my view they are asked to do many, many,
 
        18 many things.  And the departure of even one key figure
 
        19 can cause these incredible repercussions.  So I am
 
        20 convinced from the report that was circulated that this
 
        21 problem has been addressed and corrected.
 
        22           Moving on, TLA announcement refunds.
 
        23           MR. PECHAC:  One aspect of this issue was the
 
        24 financial aspect; and that was we had to pay Quebacor I
 
        25 believe or we had to make a payment on a certain point
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              481
 
 
         1 in time, and that check - a couple days or something.
 
         2           MR. DEFEIS:  One of the things that was lost
 
         3 in addition to expertise was some of the --
 
         4           MR. PECHAC:  Process.
 
         5           MR. DEFEIS: -- process details such as
 
         6 preparing a check to pay our printer.  And when two
 
         7 people who had this responsibility left without saying,
 
         8 hey, don't forget to fill out the check request, a check
 
         9 request was not sent.  So Quebacor or the post office
 
        10 didn't mail it, and so we did lose I would say --
 
        11           MR. LOOMIS:  A day.  It was supposed to be
 
        12 sent Friday.  I came in on Saturday.  We did the check
 
        13 and Federal Expressed it on Saturday.  So they had it on
 
        14 Monday.  So instead of having it Friday, they had it on
 
        15 Monday.  But that's still --
 
        16           MR. DEFEIS:  Couple days.
 
        17           MR. PECHAC:  So that's been addressed.
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  Oh, yeah.
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  TLA announcement refunds.
 
        20 Opinion of some people, responsible people that if their
 
        21 TLA was late or rather their TLA was in an issue that
 
        22 was late, later than their event, that some provisions
 
        23 should be made to refund money or to issue a credit or
 
        24 some way recognize that we did make a mistake.  We have
 
        25 corrected the mistake.  But we owe you a little bit more
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              482
 
 
         1 than too bad, these things happen.  I think that it
 
         2 would be appropriate that we do have some kind of refund
 
         3 issued.  Now the mechanism of that is not simple as
 
         4 usual.  And I think the appropriate - one approach might
 
         5 be to put a notice in Chess Life just briefly explaining
 
         6 what went wrong and apologizing and apologize to the
 
         7 affiliates whose attendance might have been affected by
 
         8 this and then possibly have a contact e-mail should they
 
         9 want more information or -- Yeah, Jim?
 
        10           MR. PECHAC:  Put it in context, if you follow
 
        11 the process that's described for the TLA submission
 
        12 payment control, I believe you come right up to almost
 
        13 four days from the cut date.  In other words, you expect
 
        14 that magazine to be out and in their hands; and four
 
        15 days later there might be an event.  And if you do have
 
        16 a problem like we did running into on this deadline, you
 
        17 could for all those events end up having that magazine
 
        18 arrive late.  And then the second aspect of it is, yes,
 
        19 it might have arrived in Florida; but the person over
 
        20 here in Seattle keeps going on Rec Games saying I
 
        21 haven't got my magazine yet.  Now depending where the
 
        22 event is, he may, in fact, be correct.  And if, in fact,
 
        23 he is advertising a west coast event, he is very valid
 
        24 in receiving it late.  So your window is very sensitive
 
        25 to the geographic distribution and the timing of a post
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              483
 
 
         1 office, and it depends on the time of year.  In this
 
         2 case, we are talking Christmas season.  The post office
 
         3 for some reason doesn't always necessarily process our
 
         4 mail just as quick because of other reasons.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  I saw John, then me, then Doris.
 
         6           MR. MCCRARY:  I think that in a number of
 
         7 individual cases the organizer does have a valid
 
         8 complaint.  I think in particular was it the November
 
         9 issue that was very unusually late?
 
        10           MR. LOOMIS:  October issue.
 
        11           MR. MCCRARY:  October also.  However, the
 
        12 cases vary.  So I think that Tim's suggestion of putting
 
        13 something in Chess Life and a person to contact if they
 
        14 have a concern is a good one.  Then I would be
 
        15 comfortable with the office dealing with each
 
        16 situation.  But I think if there is a legitimate concern
 
        17 that the office should consider a refund or a credit.  I
 
        18 would prefer a credit.
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  I agree again with John.  I think
 
        20 this is the right way to do it.  The general philosophy
 
        21 that we would like to follow is that yes, we have
 
        22 problems.  All organizations have problems.  We
 
        23 acknowledge those problems when we have them, and we fix
 
        24 those problems.  And this is a case where we had a
 
        25 problem.  Now I think we should acknowledge it and
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              484
 
 
         1 apologize and try to fix it.  I think that's just a
 
         2 sensible way to go.  Unfortunately, there's a new sport
 
         3 that's developed on Rec Games Chess Politics.  I think
 
         4 it's going to replace in popularity with recall the
 
         5 board.  But back then --
 
         6           MS. BARRY:  It might be a board game.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  The new sport on Rec Games Chess
 
         8 Politics is called Holmes and Watson Go in Search of
 
         9 Chess Life.  And nationally people report on when their
 
        10 Chess Life arrived from all over the country.  So you
 
        11 can track it and see where it's coming in and heading in
 
        12 different places.  So we want to make sure that these
 
        13 concerns are met.
 
        14           Doris?
 
        15           MS. BARRY:  I just wanted to have in the
 
        16 record that those snowstorms across the country around
 
        17 Christmas time, I remember going and mailing something
 
        18 to my daughter in St. Paul.  She didn't get it 'til two
 
        19 weeks later.  So it took three weeks to get from Tucson
 
        20 to St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
        21           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  So I think we will just
 
        22 take that as general guidance too.
 
        23           MR. DEFEIS:  The suggestion of putting
 
        24 something in Chess Life about if you have had a problem
 
        25 or something like that may open up a can of worms in the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              485
 
 
         1 process.  We have addressed individual organizers and
 
         2 said, hey, by the time it hit I lost something.  And I
 
         3 think we issued a credit somewhere, and we checked that
 
         4 it was submitted on time and whatever.  Those that feel
 
         5 that there was a problem caused by us have written, and
 
         6 we can address that in that way.  I just wonder the
 
         7 thought of putting something in Chess Life that if you
 
         8 were an organizer and you think that we affected the
 
         9 level of attendance at your event please write to us for
 
        10 a credit or something --
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  That was not what we were
 
        12 discussing.  In fact, I think John's words were very
 
        13 precise; and I think it's the right way to go.  We
 
        14 apologize for the fact that these issues were late, and
 
        15 we have corrected the problem that caused this.  If you
 
        16 have any concerns about this, please e-mail and just
 
        17 that open-ended.
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  Okay.  I misunderstood.
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  For free money.
 
        20           MR. LOOMIS:  I think the organizers would take
 
        21 advantage of us on that.
 
        22           MR. PECHAC:  The other side of the coin, of
 
        23 course, is that we have to be receptive to the fact that
 
        24 the organizers are having problems getting space and
 
        25 that they at least take the initiative to take the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              486
 
 
         1 gamble to get the events going even if they are up
 
         2 against the TLA deadline.  So one of the elements to
 
         3 this is to look to work technologically to reach this
 
         4 bridge.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  Exactly right.  Year of the
 
         6 Over-the-Board Player I saw in Peter's report that it
 
         7 has been given I think sufficient attention in the first
 
         8 issue that I saw.  He did, however, say that he hasn't
 
         9 received any articles under this category.  And I wonder
 
        10 if you could pass along the suggestion that he might try
 
        11 and soliciting articles in this category and see if he
 
        12 could come up with one or two that would address the
 
        13 theme.  But I am satisfied in the first issue was given
 
        14 appropriate attention; and I think in general the issue
 
        15 was really good, and his plans are good.  But I think
 
        16 perhaps a little bit more of a proactive approach by him
 
        17 and not many but some.
 
        18           Likewise, the availability of activity points
 
        19 has been announced; but I think that should be continued
 
        20 and announced and, of course, the correction be
 
        21 announced also.  Too often in the past I have noticed
 
        22 that the board has put in policies; and then there
 
        23 really hasn't been sufficient public notice given to
 
        24 these policies, especially promotional policies.  This
 
        25 is not this administration but in the past.  And I think
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              487
 
 
         1 that we are focusing on the year of the over-the-board
 
         2 player, and activity points is part of what we hope is
 
         3 an attempt to curb the decline in regular membership.
 
         4 But they don't work unless people know about them.  So
 
         5 just kind of a friendly note for Peter.  Member
 
         6 orientation philosophy.  I really think that it should
 
         7 be standard item every tournament or event where we, the
 
         8 U.S. Chess Federation, are sending someone to represent
 
         9 us or any kind of chess activity or event where we are
 
        10 supporting it in some way, I think there should be not
 
        11 in the four-point type but in something approaching
 
        12 twelve-point type a simple statement:  This program or
 
        13 this tournament was made possible in part by the support
 
        14 of you, the USCF member.  As standard for public
 
        15 broadcasting I think we should start to think of our
 
        16 members as members, not just customers.  And so I think
 
        17 one part of this is to keep that message out there.
 
        18 Every time that the federation is supporting an event or
 
        19 activity I think there should be a very brief in the
 
        20 report in Chess Life, a very brief but clear statement:
 
        21 This event was made possible in part by the support of
 
        22 you, the USCF member.  Keep that message with them.  And
 
        23 I think that you have then more of a sense of
 
        24 participation and more of a sense of empowerment and
 
        25 more of a sense of our gratitude, and that will turn
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              488
 
 
         1 into more people adding that $10 on or sending us a
 
         2 check.  So I think that's all part of the orientation or
 
         3 philosophy.
 
         4           One interesting, fascinating item that came up
 
         5 was an e-mail from Ernie Slick which was sent to the
 
         6 board December 10th, 2000 talking about the strong and
 
         7 continuing effort to get Chess Life carried by as many
 
         8 news and book outlets as possible which you are working
 
         9 on now which is good.  He suggested and I thought this
 
        10 was excellent that the idea of polybagging an issue, and
 
        11 then I saw independently Peter Kersdorfer has had that
 
        12 same idea of polybagging Chess Life and Schoolmates
 
        13 together for newsstand distribution which I think is
 
        14 just a terrific idea.  Ernie's variation on this is to
 
        15 consider including a CD with free chess software as
 
        16 well.
 
        17           MR. DEFEIS:  U.S. Chess Live software?
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  Yeah, something.  Because I
 
        19 notice as I buy more computer magazines as I attempted
 
        20 to understand my new computer notice it's somewhat quite
 
        21 common to see these things with a CD in them.  It makes
 
        22 you think you are getting more because there's more of
 
        23 an inclination to buy it because you are getting more.
 
        24 So I think that Ernie's suggestion was tremendous.  CD's
 
        25 cost very little, and I think that should be pursued
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              489
 
 
         1 both Peter's initiative and then this also.
 
         2           MR. MCCRARY:  I would agree.  I think the
 
         3 office can investigate that and do that at their
 
         4 discretion.  Just an additional comment, I think Doris
 
         5 was saying they couldn't find Chess Life in Tucson.  It
 
         6 is sold one or two places in Columbia.  But it's
 
         7 difficult to find because it's down in the bottom shelf
 
         8 behind some other magazines.  Now in the past this
 
         9 question came up, and Glen suggested that if we paid an
 
        10 extra two or three hundred dollars to a distributor that
 
        11 they give it higher visibility.  Now whether that's
 
        12 worthwhile or whether that's even an option is something
 
        13 you might inquire about.
 
        14           MR. LOOMIS:  We did have this discussion with
 
        15 John Kapell when he was in - he is the person that
 
        16 handles our magazine distribution, and we did have this
 
        17 conversation with him.  And it's not only the payment of
 
        18 the fees, but it's the number of the magazines that are
 
        19 presented.  One of the problems we had with visibility
 
        20 is the date of our magazine.
 
        21           MR. DEFEIS:  The cover date was important.
 
        22           MR. LOOMIS:  Simply because people didn't want
 
        23 to buy a magazine that said May when it was May 25th.
 
        24 They figured they were getting old news.  If you have
 
        25 noticed, the redesign of the cover with the line across
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              490
 
 
         1 and everything down the left, he pointed out that
 
         2 various other magazines this is the way it's done
 
         3 because when they stack the magazines this is what you
 
         4 see.  And the redesign was due largely to his
 
         5 suggestions to make the magazine more visible on the
 
         6 newsstand.  And hopefully by advancing the cover date
 
         7 and redesigning the cover, it will make the magazine
 
         8 more attractive to the people who - to the distributors
 
         9 that's selling the magazine too and possibly to other
 
        10 distributors to put the magazine on the newsstands.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  It's kind of funny, deja vu all
 
        12 over again.  The last time I was USCF president I
 
        13 suggested that they advance the cover date in order to
 
        14 improve newsstand sales.  And she said that's a great
 
        15 idea, and they did it.  Then two or three years ago they
 
        16 put it back again.  And now we have advanced it again.
 
        17 So two steps forward, one step back.  We are getting
 
        18 there.
 
        19           MR. LOOMIS:  One other point just as a point
 
        20 of reference.  He also suggested that we raise our price
 
        21 of the magazine which came as somewhat of a surprise to
 
        22 me that you will sell more if it costs more.
 
        23           MS. BARRY:  It happens.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  It's called dues restructuring.
 
        25           MR. DEFEIS:  That would shock some economists
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              491
 
 
         1 also.
 
         2           MR. LOOMIS:  This was his philosophy that our
 
         3 magazine was underpriced on the market.
 
         4           MR. DEFEIS:  We don't get paid by those
 
         5 distributors anyway, so it doesn't matter what we
 
         6 charge.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  I am happy to see you are doing a
 
         8 lot of this.  I think that's great initiative.
 
         9           Thirteenth last chance issue was somehow a
 
        10 suggestion by someone.  Should we do this or not?
 
        11 Should we cut them off?  George?
 
        12           MR. DEFEIS:  Let me explain what we are doing
 
        13 with the last issue that's included with your
 
        14 subscription, with your membership.  And beginning with
 
        15 the April issue I think it is that which gets
 
        16 distributed in March when it is your last issue, in
 
        17 addition, of course, there's notices, dues renewal - but
 
        18 on your last issue there will be a wrap on that issue
 
        19 that says:  This is your last issue.  Please renew now.
 
        20 And the membership form is the cover of that.  Please
 
        21 complete below.  And the back of the wrap is a
 
        22 self-addressed envelope that you can fold it up, put
 
        23 your check in.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  Excellent.
 
        25           MR. DEFEIS:  Yes.  We are doing that beginning
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              492
 
 
         1 with April.  There was some programming issues as to how
 
         2 do we sort those members whose last issue is that
 
         3 because we have to give Quebacor this file whether these
 
         4 are the ones that get the wrap, these are the other
 
         5 70,000 that don't get the wrap that are loud and clear
 
         6 on the cover.  I don't have proof of that, but that's on
 
         7 the last issue.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  Terrific.  That's great.
 
         9           The final item on Chess Life is just a word of
 
        10 caution or advice that you should pass on to Peter just
 
        11 coming from me.  In the past because of the geographical
 
        12 location of the office and the proximity to New York,
 
        13 there has in the past been a perception that there was a
 
        14 kind of east coast coverage bias in the magazine.  No
 
        15 one was trying to do this.  It wasn't someone saying we
 
        16 definitely have to cover only New York tournaments or
 
        17 New Jersey tournaments or anything else.  However, it
 
        18 has happened in the past because it's a lot easier to go
 
        19 down to New York and cover a story than it is to go out
 
        20 to North Dakota.  And so I think Peter is new; I am very
 
        21 pleased with what he is doing.  I wonder if you could
 
        22 just pass that along that he should be aware that there
 
        23 is a tendency for the editor unknowingly to have that
 
        24 bias creep into the coverage of events, and that causes
 
        25 friction and complaints.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              493
 
 
         1           Okay.  Item 47 or should we take a break?
 
         2           MR. SMITH:  Let's take a break.
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  We will take a ten-minute break.
 
         4           (Whereupon, a short break was taken. )
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  We are back in session.  We are
 
         6 going to do the one motion that we put on the agenda in
 
         7 advance.  This obviously has a history.  The
 
         8 circumstances are inherently difficult for some board
 
         9 members.  It was especially amusing to me that I think
 
        10 it was last Wednesday Sam Sloan sent me an e-mail saying
 
        11 he was having trouble getting labels to the voting
 
        12 members from the office to do the mailing that was going
 
        13 to recall me and three other members of the board and,
 
        14 Dear Tim, would I help him intervene.  As people know, I
 
        15 am a member of the ACLU.  I am also a member of Penwest
 
        16 which is the international organization of authors, and
 
        17 I am on their Freedom to Write Committee.  So I am
 
        18 professionally and personally invested in free speech,
 
        19 even free speech by all of our members.  So I did call
 
        20 George and said, George, best send him the labels if you
 
        21 would; and he did.
 
        22           MS. WARREN:  No, no.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  No.   They were picked up.
 
        24           MS. WARREN:  By whom?
 
        25           MR. DEFEIS:  Steve Immett, I think.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              494
 
 
         1           MR. REDMAN:  Steve Immett.
 
         2           Anyway, in my view I think the motion is
 
         3 self-explanatory that I always have tried to shield the
 
         4 office staff as much as possible from the politics of
 
         5 the organization.  In my view, that's one of the
 
         6 functions of the executive board.  To do this in my view
 
         7 it's one of the functions of the president to shield the
 
         8 executive director from politics.  And it is true that
 
         9 we get some pretty interesting stuff in the mail during
 
        10 election time.  During the last election '99, I received
 
        11 a letter from a woman who said that her son who was 15
 
        12 years old was a voter and that had she known what was
 
        13 going to be sent to him she never would allow him to be
 
        14 a voter in the federation.  So there's no question that
 
        15 some of the level, let's say, of political discourse in
 
        16 the federation sometimes reaches unimaginable new lows.
 
        17           Nonetheless, I don't think we should withhold
 
        18 distribution of the mailing labels for the USCF voters
 
        19 only from anyone who requests them and for two reasons.
 
        20 I think, first of all, requiring that copy be submitted
 
        21 in advance.  We are about to enter an election year.  We
 
        22 are in an election year, but we are about to enter an
 
        23 election period.  This will be seen by some as an
 
        24 attempt by the office to sensor their ability to speak
 
        25 freely on issues.  And thus, it will be seen as a
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              495
 
 
         1 political interference by the staff to the USCF
 
         2 elections.  The federation has a long tradition in the
 
         3 allowing the staff in any way to get involved in the
 
         4 politics.
 
         5           And the second thing is that the policy of
 
         6 requiring an advanced copy of the mailing is essentially
 
         7 unenforceable except for the honest folks who comply
 
         8 with it.  Others may simply send something, say this is
 
         9 what I intend to send out, get the labels and then send
 
        10 out what they really were going to send out in the first
 
        11 place.  So in a way there's a kind of a penalty there
 
        12 for honesty and compliance.  And I think that for those
 
        13 two reasons we must distinguish this particular
 
        14 category.  The policy itself I think is a good policy.
 
        15 But this particular category should be excerpted.
 
        16           And finally, I am going to ask the three
 
        17 members of the board who are not being recalled if they
 
        18 have any comment on this action or on Sam Sloan's.  I
 
        19 saw Bob first, then John.
 
        20           MR. SMITH:  I agree with you entirely, Tim.  I
 
        21 don't think it's enforceable for the very reasons that
 
        22 you stated.  I think it would put a burden on the office
 
        23 and Ennis as well that maybe they are playing politician
 
        24 and, well, I don't like this statement but I will let
 
        25 this one go.  I think it's an impossible situation.  I
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              496
 
 
         1 don't think there's any choice but to vote for it.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  John?
 
         3           MR. MCCRARY:  I would basically agree with
 
         4 both you and Bob.  My concern is whether this should be
 
         5 limited to voters.  And it's not unusual for organizers
 
         6 to request mailing lists to solicit members to advertise
 
         7 tournaments.  If you are having delegate elections, vote
 
         8 for the entire membership of USCF over age 18.  I don't
 
         9 recall that in the past I have ever had to provide a
 
        10 sample of anything when I have needed mailing labels.
 
        11 So my recommendation would be that they simply be made
 
        12 available to anyone upon request but that the USCF could
 
        13 issue a disclaimer with them that they are expected to
 
        14 be used for lawful purposes or something to that
 
        15 effect.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  I say George and then
 
        17 Doris.
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  I have gone around and around in
 
        19 my head how to handle something like this.  Certainly we
 
        20 are a political office.  We have some legal corporate
 
        21 responsibilities relative to our membership.  And that's
 
        22 why we instituted the policy of providing copy.  People
 
        23 may violate that.  But if there is a claim, if there is
 
        24 a suit of some kind, at least we have due diligence
 
        25 done, well, yes, we did give so-and-so these labels.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              497
 
 
         1 This is the form they filled out.  This is the piece
 
         2 they told us they were going to send.  That they didn't
 
         3 send that and they sent this other piece, at least we
 
         4 have some level of - something to fall back on that we
 
         5 did our job to make sure that they were not used for
 
         6 unlawful purposes or slanderous purposes or purposes
 
         7 that might get the federation into some legal trouble.
 
         8           I have come up with a substitute motion to the
 
         9 motion that's here because I want to balance the freedom
 
        10 and the protection that I think we need.  So if I could
 
        11 read this.
 
        12           MR. REDMAN:  Yes.
 
        13           MR. DEFEIS:  In order to allow for freedom of
 
        14 expression, maintain confidentiality of strategic USCF
 
        15 political activities and protect USCF from any legal
 
        16 actions resulting from these activities, USCF shall make
 
        17 its membership mailing labels available for purchase by
 
        18 members without requiring the submission of mailing
 
        19 content so long as the label purchaser signs the
 
        20 following declaration.  And then what I wrote was:  I,
 
        21 blank, hereby indemnify and hold harmless the USCF in
 
        22 any and all claims resulting from my usage of the USCF
 
        23 membership mailing labels I am purchasing.
 
        24 Additionally, I will defend USCF against such claims and
 
        25 pay the cost of any USCF litigation expenses associated
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              498
 
 
         1 with such claims.
 
         2           We won't ask for the copy, but at least they
 
         3 bear some responsibility of the legal.  Now whether or
 
         4 not this will keep us from out of court, but at least I
 
         5 think it will let the user think about perhaps that we
 
         6 have to be protected.  Otherwise, that's why we ask for
 
         7 copy so we want to make sure that we protect our members
 
         8 from these type of issues.  And other organizations
 
         9 require copy too.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Doris, then John.
 
        11           MS. BARRY:  What about the sale of the labels
 
        12 to other companies for use?
 
        13           MR. DEFEIS:  We ask for copy.
 
        14           MS. BARRY:  Ask you for copy?
 
        15           MR. DEFEIS:  Sure.  Frankly, that was
 
        16 instituted after I came.  Before that it was not asked
 
        17 for.  And we want some legal protection as to how our
 
        18 labels will be used.
 
        19           MS. BARRY:  I mentioned to you privately about
 
        20 your considering the cost of these labels and looking at
 
        21 the cost to us and whether or not there should be a
 
        22 price increase.  Remember we talked about that?
 
        23           MR. DEFEIS:  Oh, sure, yeah.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  John?
 
        25           MR. MCCRARY:  Well, first on George's
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              499
 
 
         1 statement, he actually doesn't say that he is expecting
 
         2 them to use it for lawful purposes.  You may want to put
 
         3 that in rather than saying you will indemnify us you
 
         4 might also state that I intend to use them for lawful
 
         5 purposes.
 
         6           MR. DEFEIS:  I will add that.
 
         7           MR. MCCRARY:  Secondly, just as point of
 
         8 order, you have a substitute - you have a motion.  I
 
         9 might amend one of the motions, so we need to straighten
 
        10 that out.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  I accept the substitute motion.
 
        12 Did I have anything else?
 
        13           MR. MCCRARY:  Well, I can make my statement
 
        14 when we finish this discussion.  I think it will be
 
        15 best.
 
        16           MR. LOOMIS:  Just as a thought throwing
 
        17 something into George's statement because we did discuss
 
        18 this at our senior staff meeting last Wednesday, putting
 
        19 something into that statement that they will distribute
 
        20 nothing of a pornographic or discriminatory nature.
 
        21           MR. DEFEIS:  I think when you say lawful --
 
        22           MR. MCCRARY:  My thought was libelous
 
        23 actually.  That's why I use the term lawful.
 
        24           MR. DEFEIS:  I agree.  We did say that.  They
 
        25 say they are going to send this, and they send out
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              500
 
 
         1 pornography.  That's infringing on someone's rights.
 
         2 But we don't want to be sued because of that.
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Jim?
 
         4           MR. PECHAC:  John, you may have also addressed
 
         5 this but I don't recall.  And that is, is there a way
 
         6 that I can flag my name so it doesn't go out?
 
         7           MR. DEFEIS:  We couldn't do it for a
 
         8 particular request comes in today for 600 labels unless
 
         9 we contact those 600 people and said do you want your
 
        10 name not included on any mailings or any political
 
        11 mailings.  But it cannot be done expeditiously.  When we
 
        12 get a new system, we could ask that question:  Do you
 
        13 want any labels for mailings that we deem appropriate?
 
        14 And if you say no, then maybe that will be prevented
 
        15 from printing that.  We can't do that now.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  Further discussion on the
 
        17 motion?  Hearing none, are we ready to vote?
 
        18           MR. SHUTT:  I am sorry.  I am thinking of
 
        19 scholastics, though.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Steve?
 
        21           MR. SHUTT:  I just want to say if you have got
 
        22 parents of young kids you have got to be careful because
 
        23 this is one of the reasons you didn't want to make our
 
        24 database easily available to Games Parlor.  And if Games
 
        25 Parlor can't get in because we don't trust them with the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              501
 
 
         1 information, are you going to make it easily available
 
         2 to any outside vendor?  I am thinking of young kids.  Is
 
         3 there a way to give parents the option of having them
 
         4 removed before we institute this, removing their names
 
         5 of their kids from the mailing list?
 
         6           MR. REDMAN:  I think in a way that George
 
         7 answered that in response to Jim's question, and the
 
         8 answer I understand is not with our current technology.
 
         9 But such options will be available when we have new
 
        10 technology.  Is that correct?
 
        11           MR. DEFEIS:  Yes.
 
        12           MR. REDMAN:  Jeff?
 
        13           MR. LOOMIS:  George, can't we sort out the
 
        14 labels by age or by category?
 
        15           MR. DEFEIS:  If we have a date of birth.
 
        16           MS. WARREN:  Only if there's a date of birth.
 
        17           MR. DEFEIS:  Some members --
 
        18           MR. LOOMIS:  I would say probably a large
 
        19 majority of the scholastic community at least has their
 
        20 age on the database.
 
        21           MS. WARREN:  Well, if they are scholastic
 
        22 members, you already know that they are below something.
 
        23           MR. LOOMIS:  Yeah or just --
 
        24           MR. DEFEIS:  The youth is that category that
 
        25 gets into the legal age of something.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              502
 
 
         1           MR. REDMAN:  Are we ready to vote?
 
         2           MR. MCCRARY:  I did have a question on your
 
         3 motion which is to the new main motion.  Would any
 
         4 member then be able to order mailing labels, and this
 
         5 would apply to any set of mailing labels whether they
 
         6 are voters or not?  For example, members in that state?
 
         7           MR. DEFEIS:  Yes, for this political purpose
 
         8 as we still want copy of advertisements.  We are doing
 
         9 this to accommodate the political question that's been
 
        10 raised.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  Could you read the motion again?
 
        12           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah.  In order to allow for
 
        13 freedom of expression, maintain confidentiality of
 
        14 strategic USCF political activities and protect USCF
 
        15 from any legal actions resulting from these activities,
 
        16 USCF shall make its membership mailing labels available
 
        17 for purposes by members without requiring the submission
 
        18 of mailing contents so long as the label purchaser signs
 
        19 the following declaration:  I, blank, hereby indemnify
 
        20 and hold harmless the USCF from any and all claims
 
        21 resulting from my usage of the USCF membership mailing
 
        22 labels I am purchasing.  The intended use will be for
 
        23 lawful purposes.
 
        24           I will insert that.
 
        25           Additionally, I will defend USCF against such
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              503
 
 
         1 claims and pay the cost of any USCF litigation expenses
 
         2 associated with such claims.
 
         3           MR. MCCRARY:  I think the word intended in
 
         4 front of use to actual use or just the use.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  Jim?
 
         6           MR. PECHAC:  I would seriously consider that
 
         7 wordage to the effect that it would be single use and
 
         8 that it would not be incorporated into a database for
 
         9 subsequent analysis or release possibly.
 
        10           MR. DEFEIS:  That's in our standards.
 
        11           MR. PECHAC:  That's already in there?
 
        12           MR. DEFEIS:  That's in our standards that it's
 
        13 onetime usage.  This was for this particular - in
 
        14 addition to our normal rules.
 
        15           MS. BARRY:  Just a point of information.  I
 
        16 was under the impression we were only talking about
 
        17 mailing labels that went to voting members.  Are we
 
        18 talking about all mailing labels?
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  Because we have a new category of
 
        20 voters which is essentially all U.S.
 
        21           MS. BARRY:  That's right.  But the scholastic
 
        22 community does not vote in the election if they are
 
        23 under a certain age.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  Are we ready to vote on this?
 
        25 All in favor, please raise your hands.  Six.  Opposed?
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              504
 
 
         1 None.  Abstaining, one, Jim Pechac.
 
         2           And then as I earlier requested, I would at
 
         3 this point invite the three board members who are not
 
         4 being recalled if they would like to make any
 
         5 statement.  John?
 
         6           MR. MCCRARY:  Okay.  I will state very frankly
 
         7 that I do oppose any petition for recall of any board
 
         8 member, and I don't mind saying that to anyone.  I will
 
         9 also state, however, that I agree with the statements
 
        10 made earlier by Tim that there's a lot of stuff in the
 
        11 political climate that I don't think should be there.  I
 
        12 think that the propensity for personal attacks that
 
        13 occurs in the USCF politics is well beneath what I
 
        14 consider reasonable ethical standards.  I think that it
 
        15 discourages a lot of people from running for office.  I
 
        16 think that we should make all possible efforts to
 
        17 resolve this full climate.
 
        18           Now we will also note that I have received
 
        19 quite a few personal attacks myself.  We have all been
 
        20 in this.  And I do have to state that I'm aware that
 
        21 some members of the board have stated that they thought
 
        22 those attacks were fine.  I think that if I am defending
 
        23 other people against personal attacks that I would
 
        24 appreciate the same courtesy from my colleagues if the
 
        25 situation arises.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              505
 
 
         1           MR. REDMAN:  Thank you, John.  Other
 
         2 comments?  Okay.  We are ready to move now.  As soon as
 
         3 you finish that, we are going to go back to an item that
 
         4 we need to look at again.
 
         5           Next item 48 is BINFO subscription status.
 
         6           MR. MCCRARY:  That was the one I put on.
 
         7 Basically, we changed our BINFO policy a few months ago
 
         8 as I understand it.  We now use the BINFO e-mail address
 
         9 which goes automatically to all board members.  We use
 
        10 the BINFO con e-mail address which goes also to board
 
        11 members which is considered confidential.  Personally I
 
        12 think the system has merit.  But like any new system,
 
        13 there are questions that have arisen, and there are
 
        14 ambiguities.  The two questions that I have and the
 
        15 first one most importantly because we replaced the old
 
        16 BINFO system, we do have persons who consider themselves
 
        17 subscribers to BINFO's who are now not getting BINFO's.
 
        18 That raises the general question of access to the BINFO
 
        19 e-mail address.  Are we intending everything we send to
 
        20 the BINFO's e-mail address to be publicly accessible?
 
        21 If so, are we going to make this available to the public
 
        22 because I assume the file is about three yards thick by
 
        23 now?
 
        24           My second question is use of BINFO con.  My
 
        25 feeling is that the standard for closed sessions that
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              506
 
 
         1 are including in the standards of conduct for the board
 
         2 is the standard that should be applied to determining
 
         3 whether information is confidential or not.  Those
 
         4 standards are that if it concerns a legal matter or a
 
         5 personnel matter or if it violates the privacy rights of
 
         6 any individual or if it involves sensitive contract
 
         7 negotiations it should be confidential as a rule.
 
         8 Otherwise, it should not be.  Now this applies only to
 
         9 closed sessions and the standards of conduct that I
 
        10 believe by extension could apply to general board
 
        11 issues.
 
        12           Now that in turn raises another question which
 
        13 is that if a person uses a BINFO address for a
 
        14 discussion that he wants to be confidential on the board
 
        15 but it doesn't fall within those categories, how should
 
        16 that be addressed?  Personally I would recommend there
 
        17 that the board member who wants to have a confidential
 
        18 message to the board should use the individual addresses
 
        19 of the board members and not the BINFO address or the
 
        20 BINFO con address but if it's sent to the BINFO con
 
        21 address should conform to the standards for
 
        22 confidentiality as specified in the standards of
 
        23 conduct.  My purpose in bringing this up is really to
 
        24 open it up to discussion.  We are doing well on time.,
 
        25 so I think it would be a good point to get opinions on
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              507
 
 
         1 clarifying these issues.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  I actually was also
 
         3 interested in this.  In 1978 I suggested that the office
 
         4 serially number all correspondence going out to the
 
         5 board to ensure that everyone was getting everything.
 
         6 We had some unfortunate situations where accidentally
 
         7 the office didn't send key documents to selected members
 
         8 of the board, and we wanted to ensure that that would
 
         9 never happen again.  And this idea was adopted and was
 
        10 dubbed the BINFO system.  We have I think in the flurry
 
        11 and the press of getting all kinds of other things done
 
        12 urgent things, certainly neglected the people who have
 
        13 subscribed to the BINFO's.  And Ken Sloan has asked me
 
        14 about this and on several times; and you know, I thought
 
        15 that we would discuss it.  The only thing I can think of
 
        16  -- I agree with John's points.  The only thing I can
 
        17 think of doing is changing the subscription possibility
 
        18 to e-mail and charging a premium for Xeroxing and paper
 
        19 copies.  And yet there are other questions here because
 
        20 the BINFO's collectively represent an important part of
 
        21 the deliberations of this board, and they are important
 
        22 that we remember what we are doing and have access to
 
        23 them.  They are developed early on a fairly elaborate
 
        24 classification system where BINFO's were assigned
 
        25 numbers according to what classification they were in.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              508
 
 
         1 And that was one way of tracking what was going on.  And
 
         2 we just haven't done this at all.  And so once again, in
 
         3 a small way we have said we were going to do something
 
         4 and we haven't done it.  And that always bothers me.
 
         5           So what I'd really think that the staff should
 
         6 come up with a - take a look at your senior staff
 
         7 meeting if you will at this whole question of
 
         8 inexpensive means of distribution of BINFO's to
 
         9 subscribers and making sure that they are available
 
        10 electronically and getting the service back in place.
 
        11 Now we are providing the delegates with a substantial
 
        12 amount of information, and that's important.  They are
 
        13 our corporate board.  But there are people out there
 
        14 that are simply interested in monitoring what the
 
        15 federation is doing.  And a serious problem of
 
        16 perception has arisen often because of the new medium of
 
        17 the internet and e-mail where a kind of we will say
 
        18 semi-fictional, semi-factual tale of the USCF evolves in
 
        19 the course of Rec Games Chess Politics.  And sometimes
 
        20 the tale is lurid and scandalous, and sometimes it's
 
        21 sensible and rational.  But unless we can get our own
 
        22 official documents out to people, we are never going to
 
        23 correct this.  And I just think it's part of my
 
        24 responsibility to try whenever I can get on Rec Games
 
        25 Chess Politics and just try to factually correct
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              509
 
 
         1 errors.  But my computer system mercifully deletes
 
         2 anything that has sat there unlooked at for nine days
 
         3 which saves me a lot of headaches.  So often I will mix
 
         4 out on whole batches of things.  But we need to get the
 
         5 word out about what we are doing and what we are
 
         6 accomplishing, and the BINFO packet is part of that.  So
 
         7 we need to do this.
 
         8           John?
 
         9           MR. MCCRARY:  Well, I agree with you on that.
 
        10 The theory for this I think is very sound.  I have no
 
        11 problem with that.  My concern purely is with the
 
        12 practical aspects.  We are using the BINFO address on a
 
        13 daily basis probably for several messages.  A lot of
 
        14 these messages I think probably don't have to be
 
        15 designated as permanent archived messages.  Some of them
 
        16 should be, and I think it should be on the discretion of
 
        17 the person sending it.  But if someone hypothetically
 
        18 says what time are we starting a meeting next Saturday
 
        19 in Miami and they type in BINFO U.S. Chess, I don't
 
        20 think that has to be archived as a permanent message.  I
 
        21 think sometimes it's being used for convenience.  If we
 
        22 are going to use it, I think board members should have a
 
        23 sense that if you want to keep this as part of the
 
        24 record, use it.  If it's not that important to be kept
 
        25 as part of the record, don't if it's not.  Then you are
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              510
 
 
         1 going to have the question with accessibility of the
 
         2 public.  If someone said I want to see the BINFO stuff
 
         3 and George says, well, we have 3,000 messages, it's a
 
         4 practical problem.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  That's a very good - I had
 
         6 suggested some months back that they establish the BINFO
 
         7 and BINFO con addresses, but I hadn't thought of that.
 
         8 So what I'd ask George is that he could have Laura
 
         9 introduce a third category message, maybe just call it
 
        10 comment where if you want to ask a question to the board
 
        11 or make a comment to the board but, you know, it's not
 
        12 of permanent historical record to know that there's no
 
        13 restaurants at the hotel that that would be this further
 
        14 feature comment.  And that gives us the ease instead of
 
        15 doing all eight addresses or whatever it is, it gives us
 
        16 the ease of rapid communication without, however,
 
        17 archiving everything.
 
        18           MR. SMITH:  Tim, I use AOL.  And you can group
 
        19 names.  And I always used that before we came up with
 
        20 this BINFO concept where I just got USCF board, and that
 
        21 has everybody listed.  And I have other categories like
 
        22 that where I just push one button, and that way you
 
        23 wouldn't have to go through a system that the office
 
        24 structures at all.
 
        25           MR. REDMAN:  That's true.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              511
 
 
         1           MR. SMITH:  I don't know whether other systems
 
         2 that can be done or not, but it can be on what I have.
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  I had my assistant set that up
 
         4 for me, but it doesn't work anymore.
 
         5           MR. SMITH:  Another point that I think you
 
         6 were talking about this Rec Games anomaly, you know,
 
         7 every time I have tried - when I was president and I
 
         8 would attempt to send out some message that I thought
 
         9 was to correct an issue, immediately I get ramrodded by
 
        10 Larry Parr and Richard Peterson and two or three
 
        11 others.  In other words, no matter what I said good or
 
        12 bad they were hard on the ethics committee and all this,
 
        13 that and the other.  I just wonder if - I am sure you
 
        14 are coming into a certain amount - I don't even read the
 
        15 damn thing anymore.  But if the board for the president
 
        16 feels that something needs to be corrected on this
 
        17 medium just to set out a statement, what about the
 
        18 statement just coming from the board and before it's
 
        19 posted have it sent around to the rest of us for
 
        20 review?
 
        21           MR. REDMAN:  Well, I don't have any problem
 
        22 with that except the type of work it would involve.  I
 
        23 am going to take my general interpretation is somewhere
 
        24 in the bylaws that says the president speaks from time
 
        25 to time for the board.  I'd be happy to copy the board
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              512
 
 
         1 on anything I send out that is of a factual nature.  But
 
         2 we are talking about when I get on Rec Games Chess
 
         3 Politics over a period of three or four hours, I
 
         4 frequently post seven or eight messages.  I don't try to
 
         5 over-post.  That's a danger.  But if before I posted
 
         6 seven or eight messages I had to send them around to the
 
         7 board for approval, we'd lose the thread.
 
         8           But you know, your perception of the medium is
 
         9 correct.  It is a new and evolving medium.  And knowing
 
        10 how to handle it is part of my professional competence.
 
        11 So there was a limerick --
 
        12           MR. SMITH:  If you were comfortable in doing
 
        13 it.  I was not comfortable in doing that.
 
        14           MR. REDMAN:  There was a limerick about me in
 
        15 the latest.
 
        16           MS. WARREN:  There's an absolutely perfect
 
        17 observation inherent in what he says, and I would like
 
        18 to take the practical example and superimpose upon what
 
        19 you said.  Posted on Rec Games Chess Politics was the
 
        20 entire Sloan slam.  Using your method, there would be a
 
        21 board reaction to that which would be okayed, given a
 
        22 knock by the rest of the board members.  Would you be
 
        23 willing to do that?
 
        24           MR. SMITH:  You mean to respond to that?
 
        25           MS. WARREN:  Yes.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              513
 
 
         1           MR. SMITH:  Yes.
 
         2           MS. WARREN:  You would be willing to sign a
 
         3 collective response to that the board okayed to that
 
         4 mailing?
 
         5           MR. SMITH:  Well, of course, I would.
 
         6           MS. WARREN:  I would like to make a board
 
         7 motion.  The executive board adopts the following
 
         8 statement:  In response to the Rec Games Chess posting
 
         9 and subsequently to the mailing to USCF voting members
 
        10 as follows to be adopted by the board over the next week
 
        11 and mailed to all 500 voting members as well as posted
 
        12 on Rec Games Chess.
 
        13           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Discussion of the motion?
 
        14           MR. SMITH:  What are we going to say?
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  That's the next step.
 
        16           MS. WARREN:  That's the next step.
 
        17           MR. SMITH:  Oh, okay.
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  That's pertinent.  It's a
 
        19 pertinent question.
 
        20           MS. WARREN:  You said that you would certainly
 
        21 be willing to put it in a statement that would correct
 
        22 the errors inherent in the posting which resulted in a
 
        23 mailing to 500-plus voting members.
 
        24           MR. SMITH:  Correct the errors?
 
        25           MR. REDMAN:  We are going in order.  And you
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              514
 
 
         1 know, I think maybe liar, liar, pants on fire might be
 
         2 about the best we can do.
 
         3           Joe?
 
         4           MR. IPPOLITO:  I am kind of lost.  We were on
 
         5 this BINFO statement, then we got onto this.  And you
 
         6 are going to ask us now to vote on something that's not
 
         7 going to be complete?
 
         8           MS. WARREN:  No.  He said that the way to deal
 
         9 with stuff like this is to circulate opinion among the
 
        10 board and to come up with a common response that board
 
        11 members could accept.
 
        12           MR. IPPOLITO:  Okay.  So let me finish then.
 
        13 In that vein of what you are saying, are you asking us
 
        14 to vote for this then to approve this?  That's the first
 
        15 thing.  Second thing is, is that going to be every time
 
        16 if somebody goes on Rec Games which is notorious for
 
        17 slamming individual people that every time one person is
 
        18 slammed we are going to then send out another 500
 
        19 mailings?
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  That is one time only I think is
 
        21 the intent.
 
        22           MR. IPPOLITO:  Then why should we limit it to
 
        23 one time only?
 
        24           MS. WARREN:  Because if you didn't, the
 
        25 extraordinary nature of this time would be completely
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              515
 
 
         1 lost.  Have you ever in your chess career known of
 
         2 something like this to happen?
 
         3           MR. IPPOLITO:  Well, in my chess career,
 
         4 there's been unique things that have come on all along.
 
         5           MS. WARREN:  You don't consider this unusual?
 
         6           MR. IPPOLITO:  I'm considering the course that
 
         7 it came from.
 
         8           MS. WARREN:  Well, certainly.
 
         9           MR. IPPOLITO:  And that person in himself is
 
        10 unique.
 
        11           MS. WARREN:  That, indeed, is proper.  But do
 
        12 you think that 500-plus voting members will also
 
        13 consider the source when they don't know a damn thing
 
        14 about this creep?
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  We are going to go back
 
        16 and talk in turns and not dialogue.  So I think who has
 
        17 the floor?  Joe has the floor.
 
        18           MR. IPPOLITO:  I am finished.  I kind of made
 
        19 my point.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Then Jim is next.
 
        21           MR. PECHAC:  Moderating that to the technical
 
        22 aspect of this, and I believe someone mentioned Laura
 
        23 coming up with a process correction.  And I like very
 
        24 well the idea of coming up with a third category to
 
        25 screen out the hotel reservation, airline reservation.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              516
 
 
         1 What should be required - I believe I talked about it
 
         2 once already - was the capability of anyone making the
 
         3 order having a PC being able to get information either
 
         4 via an e-mail or quite possibly receiving a computer
 
         5 disk.  But absent those two things, no matter what you
 
         6 do there's going to be a labor cost to accumulating all
 
         7 that information.  Those 3,000 might be whittled down to
 
         8 1,500, but it's still going to be a lot of paper.
 
         9           I will go back to one item that was mentioned
 
        10 by Tim several times, and that is when we do motions
 
        11 let's get the cost implications of them.  You are going
 
        12 to have to wrestle with the fact that one of these days
 
        13 we may need a new copier.  I go into the office, and I
 
        14 see a limper copier in there in the room that we call a
 
        15 luncheon room and say why is that copier there.  And the
 
        16 reason that's there is because if they didn't have that
 
        17 backup unit and the main one goes down, down the old
 
        18 whatchamawe goes our process in the office.  So they
 
        19 have to limp along with a second, horrible piece of
 
        20 equipment because when that main copier goes down they
 
        21 have to still be able to do these small projects that we
 
        22 are talking about.
 
        23           The recommendation of going out and running an
 
        24 event might also relate to a tournament to one of the ED
 
        25 members going in and watching, one day watching what
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              517
 
 
         1 happens in the office and maybe doing the distribution
 
         2 and the BINFO information themselves and the process
 
         3 that has to be gone through.  I will again express the
 
         4 idea that Laura probably can come up with a compressed
 
         5 ASCII file for that BINFO con, and that's going to be
 
         6 maybe $2.50 and none of her time.  But sending Sam Sloan
 
         7 1,300 pages is very questionable again in my opinion.
 
         8           MS. BARRY:  Could I just -- There is a point
 
         9 of order.  Helen has a motion on the floor, and we have
 
        10 digressed from this whole issue.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  Your point of order is well
 
        12 taken.  There is a motion on the floor, so can we run to
 
        13 the discussion of the motion.  Does anyone want to
 
        14 speak?  I saw John and then Bob.
 
        15           MR. MCCRARY:  Actually, I was preparing to
 
        16 speak on either topics; but I raised my hand for that
 
        17 topic too later.  You know, I have no problem with any
 
        18 board member making an individual statement.  I don't
 
        19 feel it's appropriate for the board as a group.
 
        20           MS. WARREN:  I would accept that.  I will
 
        21 accept that in the spirit of comity, C-O-M-I-T-Y.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  As opposed to slapstick.
 
        23           MS. WARREN:  As opposed to C-O-M-E-D-Y.  And
 
        24 that is the exact response that I wanted to elicit by
 
        25 making this motion in the first place.  And I withdraw
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              518
 
 
         1 it.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  I saw Bob and then Jeff.
 
         3           MR. SMITH:  Well, if the motion has been
 
         4 withdrawn, my only thought was that if we were going to
 
         5 make a joint statement on behalf of the board which I
 
         6 agree is appropriate --
 
         7           MS. WARREN:  Do you?
 
         8           MR. SMITH:  Yes.  But I think that this should
 
         9 not be a onetime thing, and I think Tim had indicated
 
        10 that he felt like the president speaks for the board and
 
        11 that it wasn't necessary or perhaps too burdensome to
 
        12 circulate something before he actually put it on this
 
        13 Rec Games thing.  But I think that I know that my
 
        14 experience there no matter how I tried to smooth things
 
        15 the worse they got.  And I don't know whether if we as a
 
        16 board make factual corrections we think are necessary
 
        17 then that's what I was in favor of doing.  And this
 
        18 would be one of them.  But I don't think it should stand
 
        19 alone.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Let me clarify one thing.  When I
 
        21 do post to Rec Games Chess Politics, it's under only my
 
        22 name.  I don't use the title USCF president.  I mean,
 
        23 they know who I am; but it's not exactly official.  It's
 
        24 just me.
 
        25           It's Jeff and then John.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              519
 
 
         1           MR. LOOMIS:  Going back to the BINFO's --
 
         2           MR. MCCRARY:  Can we stick to one topic at a
 
         3 time?
 
         4           MR. LOOMIS:  I am sorry.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  John.  Multi-tasking
 
         6 doesn't work.
 
         7           MR. MCCRARY:  I will reiterate what I said.  I
 
         8 don't have any problem with an individual making an
 
         9 individual statement, and I personally have no problem
 
        10 with the president making a statement to me unless he
 
        11 expressly stated hypothetically I am speaking for the
 
        12 board.  It's understood he is speaking as an individual
 
        13 even if he signs his title.  So I personally think
 
        14 that's fine.  Getting into a board statement like this
 
        15 is a whole different question.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  It's very difficult to come up
 
        17 with a board statement.  Should I make a statement that
 
        18 is speaking for the board, I would certainly circulate
 
        19 it in advance.
 
        20           MR. SMITH:  Okay.  That was my - I
 
        21 misunderstood.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  The president speaks from time to
 
        23 time.  It's very vague.
 
        24           Jeff?
 
        25           MR. LOOMIS:  As far as the BINFO's, the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              520
 
 
         1 BINFO's that go into the BINFO file via e-mail are
 
         2 automatically sent to each board member as part of the
 
         3 process.  Why can't we take the subscription list, put
 
         4 their e-mail addresses on the same contact list and
 
         5 automatically when that BINFO came in - this is the
 
         6 non-confidential - it would automatically go to everyone
 
         7 on the subscription list?
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  Well, something like that was my
 
         9 initial suggestion that this be circulated in some way
 
        10 electronically.  Whether we want simultaneous
 
        11 distribution, though, that gets very tricky.  So I would
 
        12 rather have a monthly distribution.  $2.50 solution
 
        13 sounds very good to me.
 
        14           John?
 
        15           MR. MCCRARY:  I would basically concur with
 
        16 what you are saying.  I think Jeff's position is the
 
        17 logical position that if we are being open it's like a
 
        18 transcript.  Anybody interested can get it.  However, if
 
        19 people suddenly find all over the USCF if they can
 
        20 eavesdrop for free on our conversations, we are likely
 
        21 to get an increase in monthly subscribers.  I think the
 
        22 way that you are doing it having a fee if someone
 
        23 requests information would be preferable.  But at the
 
        24 same time, we need somehow to get a sense of what is
 
        25 appropriate information to put on that BINFO thing.  And
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              521
 
 
         1 if you are putting every little question or comment or
 
         2 back and forth in this just because it's a convenient
 
         3 address list, that isn't going to work.
 
         4           MR. REDMAN:  This is why I have asked them to
 
         5 develop a third list called comment.  Okay?  And we have
 
         6 subscribers who pay us money to subscribe, and the point
 
         7 is we should deliver what they are paying for.  The form
 
         8 is left up to the staff, and we would prefer it
 
         9 electronically I think is appropriate.  I am sure you
 
        10 will work this out.  We wanted to call this to your
 
        11 attention.  It was not as much of a priority for me last
 
        12 August; but we are now in a situation where a lot of the
 
        13 fires are put out, things are much better.  So we needed
 
        14 to get to this.  He has paid for this subscription, and
 
        15 we need to deliver.  They are not many of them.  There's
 
        16 also this I think in the past it has been the practice
 
        17 to give this to past presidents if they wanted without
 
        18 charge, but I don't remember.  But that has been past
 
        19 practice.
 
        20           Professionalizing the delegates' meeting,
 
        21 credentialing.  This, of course, Joe has been talking
 
        22 about; so we will let Joe start.
 
        23           MR. IPPOLITO:  Thank you.  Again, the annual
 
        24 delegates' meeting, aren't they fun?  You know, just
 
        25 look at that annual delegates' meeting and just get that
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              522
 
 
         1 picture - most of us have gone there for so many years,
 
         2 and we take a lot of things for granted.  And you know,
 
         3 it's a time for socializing.  And in two days we are
 
         4 also expected to get some things accomplished.  And then
 
         5 when you walk in, you get there at nine o'clock, and we
 
         6 then have to go through the credentialing process that
 
         7 kind of takes almost two hours.  And you know, the rest
 
         8 of the delegates that are out there what do they do
 
         9 while the credentialing is going on?  They are doing
 
        10 this.  They are doing that.  This is a valuable time
 
        11 that that's now counterproductive for educators.
 
        12 Imagine if you went in to teach a class and for the
 
        13 first twenty minutes you are taking attendance.  Well,
 
        14 just think now these are adults; and the same thing is
 
        15 happening to them.  You have got little dialogues and so
 
        16 forth going on.  We have got to get better.
 
        17           And some of the things that - again, these are
 
        18 comments and observations that people have given to me
 
        19 about the delegates' meeting.  They said the
 
        20 credentializing takes two hours.  They said you have
 
        21 people that they classify the chess bullies that
 
        22 prominently place themselves strategically around the
 
        23 hall who stand up with their hands like this a la Benito
 
        24 Mussolini.  And while people are trying to pay attention
 
        25 to what's going on, they are circulating like little
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              523
 
 
         1 ants around to try to get their points across.  And
 
         2 there can be people that's trying to pay attention to
 
         3 that, and they are listening to the chess bullies trying
 
         4 to get their point across.  We have got to do better.
 
         5 If we have got this two-year thing --
 
         6           So I have a motion, and it says:  In order to
 
         7 provide delegates professional first annual meeting I
 
         8 recommend the following.  (A) The delegates are to pick
 
         9 up their credentials prior to the start of the two-day
 
        10 delegates' meeting.  They could pick it up Friday night
 
        11 between 7:30 and 9:00 o'clock.  They can pick it up on
 
        12 Saturday morning from 7:30 to 8:45.  The people that are
 
        13 there for the meetings they can go to a selected site
 
        14 and pick up their credentials too.  That saves us two
 
        15 hours of credentializing.  And then we also have kind of
 
        16 a control of who goes into the meeting.  When they come
 
        17 in through the door, they have got their credentials
 
        18 already in place.
 
        19           Second thing is the delegates exercise
 
        20 restraint of private discussions during the meeting so
 
        21 that if we are trying to do business and your chess
 
        22 bullies are throughout trying to get their point across,
 
        23 it's distracting to people that are trying to pay
 
        24 attention to what's going on in the front.
 
        25           The third item is that the Roberts Rules of
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              524
 
 
         1 Order are strictly adhered to.  That's my motion.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  Well, I can support that.  I
 
         3 think I am going to add something else, but I think
 
         4 that's a good start.  I was going to suggest - I think I
 
         5 had informed the board in October that I had already
 
         6 started an e-mail discussion with Mike Nolan about ways
 
         7 to run the meeting better, and he has come up with a lot
 
         8 of suggestions.  So I am going to suggest that the board
 
         9 appoints a subcommittee of Doris who is the secretary,
 
        10 me being the president, Joe as the parliamentarian -
 
        11 last parliamentarian to really look into great detail
 
        12 about ways to make the meetings more productive and more
 
        13 efficient.  But yeah, I'd like the motion.
 
        14           MR. IPPOLITO:  I would like to still vote on
 
        15 this motion only for the fact that --
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  We will.  John?
 
        17           MR. MCCRARY:  I am fine with that, Joe.  Just
 
        18 for the record, I'd like to state when I listened to the
 
        19 tapes of the meeting, the credentialing, the roll call
 
        20 took about 45 minutes.  It did seem like two hours to
 
        21 you.  To me it seemed like five hours.  Actually, it
 
        22 measured about 45 minutes.  However, I fully agree that
 
        23 anything that can help that process is excellent.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Helen?
 
        25           MS. WARREN:  That will cut down on some time,
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              525
 
 
         1 give some time.  But it will not eliminate the roll call
 
         2 which will bring up those voters who will still need to
 
         3 pick up credentials.  You will still have the flow of
 
         4 voters who will be coming up to get credentialed at the
 
         5 podium.  This motion will not eliminate that.  You are
 
         6 aware of that?
 
         7           MR. IPPOLITO:  Am I allowed to speak?
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  No.  First.
 
         9           MS. WARREN:  I am finished.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Helen did address a specific
 
        11 question to Joe, so Joe can answer that question, then
 
        12 Doris goes.
 
        13           MR. IPPOLITO:  Helen, I realize that.  And
 
        14 what I am looking at is we have got to take a step
 
        15 towards making our meetings better.  And if it does cut
 
        16 back even a half hour from the time for the credentials,
 
        17 that's a half hour more that we don't leave the
 
        18 delegates out on the floor to just have their minds
 
        19 wander and not focus on what we are there for.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Doris?
 
        21           MS. BARRY:  Well, I wrote out some specific
 
        22 suggestions; but I mean, I will pass these around.  But
 
        23 one of the big problems is if a delegate does not show
 
        24 up, then a substitute or the next person in line will
 
        25 have to receive the credentials.  And that's also what
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              526
 
 
         1 takes time because they have to call out the name, have
 
         2 the person come up, and those are also things that delay
 
         3 the meeting.  Those are the things that I am trying to
 
         4 address in ways to save that time if it's possible
 
         5 either by having a couple of volunteers who handle this
 
         6 and set it up sort of in assembly line process.  Those
 
         7 are the things that I am looking towards improving
 
         8 because that's really what will improve the time.  So
 
         9 when we get together as a committee, I will pass these
 
        10 suggestions on.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Joe's motion is on the
 
        12 floor.  Could you pass it over here.  Any further
 
        13 discussion?  John?
 
        14           MR. MCCRARY:  If I could add one additional
 
        15 suggestion that might help, I had to call the names of
 
        16 all the alternates conceivable.  You could say you have
 
        17 the list of alternates.  If any are present, please
 
        18 speak up.  That would save a great deal of time.
 
        19           MR. SMITH:  Yeah, that would.  That alone
 
        20 would.
 
        21           MR. REDMAN:  Further discussion on the
 
        22 motion?  Hearing none, are we ready to proceed to the
 
        23 vote?  All in favor, please raise your hands.  Seven to
 
        24 zero.  Thank you.
 
        25           Second motion, the board appoints a committee
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              527
 
 
         1 of the president.  Parliamentarian Joe Ippolito to
 
         2 improve the efficiency and productivity of the
 
         3 delegates' meeting.  Further discussion?  Hearing none,
 
         4 we can proceed to vote.  All in favor?  Thank you.
 
         5           Interim financial reporting, Doris and Bob.
 
         6           MS. BARRY:  That was when we requested sales
 
         7 figures.
 
         8           MR. SMITH:  Yeah.  I think that's probably
 
         9 been covered.
 
        10           MS. BARRY:  It's been sort of fixed by Jim's
 
        11 batching suggestion.
 
        12           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Thank you.
 
        13           Item 51, tiebreaking for elections.  John?
 
        14           MR. MCCRARY:  If we can pass this around, and
 
        15 I will explain.  As you know in the delegate and
 
        16 alternate delegate elections last year there were some
 
        17 ties in most states.  The bylaws fortunately did express
 
        18 the state how these were to be resolved.  It's one of
 
        19 the few things that they were clear on.  So I followed
 
        20 the procedures.  Most of the states replied with lists
 
        21 of delegates and alternates in sequence.  Some states
 
        22 did not reply.  The bylaws stated if no reply was
 
        23 received by December 1st that the executive board breaks
 
        24 the ties.
 
        25           What I have done is I have distributed this
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              528
 
 
         1 list, and I have a coding on it that I will explain.
 
         2 After each state we should have five pages - six pages,
 
         3 excuse me.  After each state if you have TB after the
 
         4 name of the state, it means that the state did break the
 
         5 tie.  If you have S after the state's name it means that
 
         6 the state did not break the tie.  And what we have is my
 
         7 recommendation.  We have STB, that means that the state
 
         8 did not break the tie officially but that someone within
 
         9 the state made recommendations unofficially.  And in
 
        10 that case I am recommending those recommendations be
 
        11 followed.
 
        12           Now this is the total list of delegates and
 
        13 alternate.  It's not just those who have been tie
 
        14 broken.  You can, of course, refer to the executive
 
        15 board newsletter which has the specific vote totals if
 
        16 you want to break these down.  What I did for the S
 
        17 states is I developed an objective procedure that has no
 
        18 discretion.  Any person employing this procedure would
 
        19 get the same list.  And the procedure was designed to
 
        20 approximate what states would have done if they had
 
        21 answered.  So it's hypothetical.  I think it's better
 
        22 than a purely random selection.  It's also better I
 
        23 think than the board trying to exercise discretion.  The
 
        24 procedure I used was to use three consecutive tie
 
        25 breaks.  The first is anyone who was a delegate in St.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              529
 
 
         1 Paul from any state was given preference over anyone who
 
         2 was not a delegate from St. Paul in a tie break.  The
 
         3 second tie break if the first one fails is that we refer
 
         4 to the 1999 list.  Anyone listed on that list for that
 
         5 state is given preference over anyone listed lower or
 
         6 not listed.  Third tie break is if the first two fail,
 
         7 state officers by rank are listed.
 
         8           Now the reason I chose these is that's what
 
         9 most states do.  When you talk with them, they say, oh,
 
        10 well, Joe Blow uses the usually votes.  That's tie break
 
        11 number one.  Usually votes last year they will say Joe
 
        12 Blow is usually delegates, and I think Jane Blow is
 
        13 usually alternate.  So that's why I take a break too
 
        14 referring to what they did the previous year.  Tie break
 
        15 number three comes in some small states where frequently
 
        16 nobody goes.  They say, well, here is the list of the
 
        17 officers just by the name in sequence.  That was tie
 
        18 break three.  Tie break two was the most common one.  It
 
        19 was used in most of the small states.  The first one I
 
        20 think was used in only two cases.  I think if I remember
 
        21 correctly that Bruce Trainee who is the other one, Ralph
 
        22 Bowman were given that tie break benefit in their ties.
 
        23 I think the third tie break was used only in
 
        24 Massachusetts which was the only large state that did
 
        25 not reply and used only a couple places within their
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              530
 
 
         1 list.
 
         2           This is an objective system, renders the same
 
         3 names in all cases.  Now for the STB's I will explain in
 
         4 Georgia we had a special situation in that for some
 
         5 reason the state association concluded they could not
 
         6 break the tie without breaking their bylaws.  However,
 
         7 the president sent a suggested list; so I put his
 
         8 suggested list in.  And I am going to suggest that the
 
         9 board affirm it.  In Virginia there was no response from
 
        10 the state president, so I asked two other officers,
 
        11 Woody Harris and Mark Johnson, to agree on a list.  They
 
        12 did because it's not officially from the association.  I
 
        13 put it in as a suggested tie break from Virginia, but I
 
        14 believe that this is the best way we can do this with no
 
        15 precedence like everything else in this election.  I
 
        16 will note that in most cases it makes absolutely no
 
        17 difference.  The only time that the ordered list makes a
 
        18 difference is if you have more people from that state
 
        19 showing up in the meeting than you have seats for.  If
 
        20 you don't have that, the ordered list makes no
 
        21 difference at all.
 
        22           Now last year in St. Paul if I remember
 
        23 correctly only five states filled their seats from their
 
        24 elected people from the regular delegates and
 
        25 alternates.  The other 47 states did not.  They either
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              531
 
 
         1 filled them from substitutes or just didn't fill them.
 
         2 And all five of the states that did fill them I believe
 
         3 did break their ties.  So in the other 47 it's unlikely
 
         4 that this will become a matter of concern.  There were
 
         5 two states, West Virginia - and to be honest, I don't
 
         6 recall the other one immediately - that did not break
 
         7 their ties.  And there was a substantive problem because
 
         8 the tie was for the last alternate in the delegate
 
         9 position.  By applying the tie break methods, this did
 
        10 determine the last position.  That was the only
 
        11 substantive thing.
 
        12           I have a motion for this which reads as
 
        13 follows:  In accordance with the provisions of the USCF
 
        14 bylaws articles five, section five, the executive board
 
        15 affirm the election tie breaks as presented on the list
 
        16 distributed to the board at this meeting.
 
        17           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  John, I appreciate all the
 
        18 work that you did in compiling this, the meticulous
 
        19 attention to detail and follow-up calls I am sure which
 
        20 was very time consuming and very impressive.  Joe?
 
        21           MR. IPPOLITO:  And I concur with what you said
 
        22 that, you know, John did spend an inordinate time of
 
        23 work and labor on this.  The only point that I have a
 
        24 conflict with is a reference to Joe Blow.  Can we change
 
        25 that to Sam Blow?
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              532
 
 
         1           MR. MCCRARY:  I will accept that as a friendly
 
         2 amendment.
 
         3           MR. REDMAN:  So further discussion on the
 
         4 motion?  Hearing none, I think we are ready to vote.
 
         5 All in favor, please raise your hands.  It's unanimous.
 
         6 Thank you.  Thanks again, John, for your work.  I notice
 
         7 no board member is on this list.
 
         8           MR. MCCRARY:  We all have our positions on
 
         9 that.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  I had forgotten that George
 
        11 reminded me of some other points.
 
        12           MR. DEFEIS:  These are sort of from left
 
        13 field, but there were two items I did not mention
 
        14 earlier that I should have mentioned.  One we have
 
        15 instituted, though I haven't gotten much comment back on
 
        16 new affiliate incentive program circulated to the board;
 
        17 and it was endorsed there.  We have announced it.  We
 
        18 have mailed it to all 2,200 affiliates as some measure
 
        19 to counter some of the issues relative to the affiliate
 
        20 commission to do something I think a little bit more
 
        21 fiscally prudent and also to provide some incentive for
 
        22 affiliates to continue to be our agents in promoting
 
        23 membership.  So the affiliate incentive program is in
 
        24 place.  It's on the web, and we have done the mailing.
 
        25           Also we reinstated the 2001 Grand Prix, and
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              533
 
 
         1 there was an attachment that indicates what will be
 
         2 published relative to that.  So that was polled.  It is
 
         3 to be funded from external sources.  But the 2001 Grand
 
         4 Prix was in a report that I failed to mention orally.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  I have a comment on that.  I
 
         6 think we should be very grateful as a board to Bill
 
         7 Goichburg for taking some good initiatives there and
 
         8 finding funding for that.  And I think we should
 
         9 especially be grateful to one of our own, Bob Smith, who
 
        10 provided a very generous contribution to make that
 
        11 possible.
 
        12           MR. DEFEIS:  That's all I have.
 
        13           MS. WARREN:  Tim just addressed to George
 
        14 something I thought would be covered and don't see it.
 
        15 What is the status of the life member newsletter?
 
        16           MR. DEFEIS:  I have an article.  I have Tim's
 
        17 article.  I have my article.  I am waiting for Tom
 
        18 Dorsch's article.  Again, it's a modest production.  As
 
        19 you asked for a February date that it will be sent, we
 
        20 will accomplish it in February.  But Tom said he would
 
        21 submit something as chair of the LMA.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  Jim?
 
        23           MR. PECHAC:  To sort of link all these
 
        24 together, I don't know - did we have a statement on the
 
        25 annual report status?
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              534
 
 
         1           MR. DEFEIS:  If I will respond, the 15-year
 
         2 decision on how to present those numbers are there.  I
 
         3 believe we have all the components for the report.
 
         4           MR. LOOMIS:  There's one more thing to go over
 
         5 with Tom.  It will take a day, and then we should be
 
         6 completed.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.
 
         8           MR. DEFEIS:  That's tournament reporting I
 
         9 assume?
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Oh, you had a question that I
 
        11 think we need to address in that you said who finally
 
        12 approves the final version of this; and the answer is I
 
        13 think the board does, the whole board.  So please do
 
        14 send a draft to the entire board; and please everyone
 
        15 respond promptly and kindly to this, and we will get it
 
        16 out.
 
        17           MR. DEFEIS:  We will send a proof to the whole
 
        18 board.
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  You had accepted two motions by
 
        20 objections procedure, and I just said we would just ask
 
        21 this here so it will be approved by the entire board.
 
        22 Everyone will see it.
 
        23           Board procedures.
 
        24           MS. BARRY:  That's me.
 
        25           MR. REDMAN:  Doris?
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              535
 
 
         1           MS. BARRY:  In reviewing the transcript - I
 
         2 didn't bring a copy of it today, but I can give you an
 
         3 example.  One day's transcript was twice the size of
 
         4 this Roberts Rules of Order.  The office has told me
 
         5 that we have exceeded the amount of money that we put
 
         6 aside for the transcript and for the stenographer.  And
 
         7 in reviewing the transcript - and I read through the
 
         8 whole thing - I find that one of the biggest problems is
 
         9 we have not been implementing Roberts Rules of Order as
 
        10 is recommended or as actually we have to according to
 
        11 our own bylaws.  Roberts Rules of Order are meant to
 
        12 keep meetings under control and also to limit the time
 
        13 that people speak.  Another problem is that we as a
 
        14 board have become very dependent upon our president and
 
        15 our chair of the meeting.  Note only does he write the
 
        16 motions, he reads the motions, and he also calls for the
 
        17 votes on the motions.
 
        18           Now that is contrary to what's required in
 
        19 Roberts Rules of Order.  There should be a division of
 
        20 the different responsibilities.  I am not bringing this
 
        21 up in any way to criticize Tim because I am sure he
 
        22 stepped into a vacuum that existed there.  But I think
 
        23 as a board we have to be more responsible and aware of
 
        24 the time that we are talking during meetings.  Are we
 
        25 spending too much time?  Is someone answering then
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              536
 
 
         1 answering everyone else individually?  Is that what we
 
         2 want to do?  We do have to cover - we do have to give
 
         3 equal time to everyone to discuss matters, but I think
 
         4 that as a board we have to be more understanding of the
 
         5 perception that we give when people if they do read the
 
         6 transcripts.
 
         7           So I thought of several ways of discussing a
 
         8 division of this so that perhaps it would take less
 
         9 time, would be more in accordance with Roberts Rules of
 
        10 Order and also give the chairman a little leeway about
 
        11 what his responsibilities are.  So the chairman, of
 
        12 course, can make a motion.  If he is going to, he can
 
        13 speak to that motion.  But he is not supposed to keep
 
        14 the gavel after that if he makes comments about the
 
        15 motions.
 
        16           So in that case, in New Jersey, for example,
 
        17 we have the vice president who actually runs the
 
        18 meetings.  He is supposed to be impartial and doesn't
 
        19 speak to the motions, and basically that works out very
 
        20 well.  But our bylaws do not call for that type of
 
        21 arrangement.  So we can develop some kind of a system
 
        22 that will meet the requirements and still give the
 
        23 appearance to anyone everything is being done
 
        24 objectively.  I thought that with the responsibilities
 
        25 that if John as the vice president could agree to write
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              537
 
 
         1 the motions, would that be acceptable?
 
         2           MR. MCCRARY:  Well, why don't you guys do your
 
         3 suggestions; then we will discuss it.
 
         4           MS. BARRY:  Okay.  That John write the
 
         5 motions, I read the motions.  The secretary from all of
 
         6 my experience on the board usually calls for the vote on
 
         7 different matters.  Those are the three suggestions that
 
         8 I have there.
 
         9           Now in the cases where discussion comes up
 
        10 about different items, if the president who has the
 
        11 chair is going to respond to someone else, then he has
 
        12 to take his turn and he actually should give up the
 
        13 gavel during that period of time.  I'd also recommend
 
        14 that someone on the board whether it would be John - and
 
        15 since he is the compliance officer, I thought that it
 
        16 might be natural for him to do it - that we study the
 
        17 Roberts Rules of Order and that we see that the meetings
 
        18 are run that way.  I think that will solve our problems
 
        19 as far as the time is concerned, and it will also solve
 
        20 our problem going over our budget for the stenographic
 
        21 service.  And please, I want him to know that this is
 
        22 not a personal thing.  I am just trying to improve it.
 
        23 When I read the transcript, it's kind of overwhelming
 
        24 about what the situation is.  So I thought other people
 
        25 have made remarks to me, and I thought it was something
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              538
 
 
         1 that I should bring up for the board's attention.
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  John?
 
         3           MR. MCCRARY:  First of all, I partly agree, I
 
         4 partly disagree.  I would point out on the positive side
 
         5 it's only 3:23.  We are almost through a very complex
 
         6 agenda.  I think we have been very efficient this
 
         7 weekend.  So I guess my first thought is if it wasn't
 
         8 broke, don't fix it.  I do feel that you are correct
 
         9 that we need a clear procedure that is not deviated
 
        10 from, however.  Tim had instituted a procedure where he
 
        11 wrote his name in as a speaker and so on.  I found that
 
        12 to be acceptable.  I do feel - I did note that there are
 
        13 times when it was back and forth between the president
 
        14 and the board members.  I do feel probably we should
 
        15 curtail that.  I agree with that.  It's very easy to get
 
        16 into that.  I have chaired many meetings, and it's very
 
        17 easy for me to get into that.  But I agree with you that
 
        18 we probably should stick to a strict speaker order.  I
 
        19 will be glad to with you research Roberts Rules of Order
 
        20 Newly Revised by the next meeting and make more
 
        21 recommendations.  You do have the current edition which
 
        22 is hard to come by.
 
        23           MS. BARRY:  It's the ninth edition.  Is that
 
        24 the correct one?
 
        25           MR. MCCRARY:  That's the correct one.  It's
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              539
 
 
         1 hard to find in book stores, very hard to find.  Even
 
         2 Myra Lieberman kept trying to find it.  It's hard to
 
         3 find.  And as you know, it's very complex.
 
         4           MR. DEFEIS:  It's behind Chess Life.
 
         5           MS. BARRY:  No, no.  It's my effort to try to
 
         6 reduce the cost of what we are spending for meetings.
 
         7 Any one of you can look, read through just one day of
 
         8 the past transcript, and you will understand what I am
 
         9 saying.  I offer it as a suggestion.  It's up to the
 
        10 board to do that.  I do think that we should have - we
 
        11 shouldn't expect the chairman to do all these things, to
 
        12 write the motions, read the motions and then call for
 
        13 the votes.  I think that those duties should be
 
        14 separated.  So I'm amenable to whatever suggestions you
 
        15 may want to make about it.  But we do have to tighten -
 
        16 let's say we should be more disciplined is what I am
 
        17 saying.
 
        18           MR. MCCRARY:  Actually, I don't want to seem
 
        19 like a stickler; but I actually had the floor at that
 
        20 point.
 
        21           MS. BARRY:  Oh, sorry.
 
        22           MR. MCCRARY:  See, it is easy to slip into
 
        23 this.
 
        24           MS. BARRY:  I thought you were finished.  I
 
        25 don't know.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              540
 
 
         1           MR. MCCRARY:  No.  I would be very agreeable
 
         2 to trying to read through Roberts Rules Newly Revised
 
         3 and perhaps e-mail with you prior to the April meeting
 
         4 and perhaps make some recommendations because I see some
 
         5 argument on both sides of this.  And so now I think a
 
         6 congenial resolution could be reached.
 
         7           MS. BARRY:  Oh, yes.  I am just looking to try
 
         8 to save some money.
 
         9           MR. REDMAN:  Jeff?
 
        10           MR. LOOMIS:  Just as a point of information
 
        11 about what Doris says is we do pay a per-page fee for
 
        12 the transcript which varies depending on which
 
        13 stenographic service we are using.  But to back up what
 
        14 Doris says, there is a per-page fee.  And the more side
 
        15 comments that are offered add to the cost substantially.
 
        16           MR. DEFEIS:  It's not just time that you pay
 
        17 for.
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  The costs of governance in this
 
        19 organization are not excessive.  The costs of an
 
        20 incomplete governance process where there is not full
 
        21 discussion in an attempt to reach a consensus about
 
        22 sensitive items can be devastating.  I think that while
 
        23 we should certainly be conscious of the stenographic
 
        24 costs, I think that they are small in comparison to the
 
        25 potential costs of a bad decision.  And so I don't think
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              541
 
 
         1 cost should be our overriding concern here.  We should
 
         2 be conscious of it, and I expect that this will be
 
         3 re-solicited in August by the delegates to see whether
 
         4 they want to continue this when they see what it has
 
         5 cost to provide the transcript.  That's one point.  I am
 
         6 certainly open to suggestions.  And you know, I do have
 
         7 my little list system here.  I keep running out of pages
 
         8 to put it on.
 
         9           But you know, it's true that I do speak a fair
 
        10 amount.  But that really is not because I am president
 
        11 because if you recall last year I spoke a fair amount
 
        12 also.  And it is true that I write a number of the
 
        13 motions.  That did not start with my position as
 
        14 president.  Last year I wrote a fair number of the
 
        15 motions as well.  I am very interested in finishing
 
        16 agendas, and I have had a lot of experience chairing
 
        17 meetings.  And the style I use is recognized as a not
 
        18 strict Roberts Rules, but it's called the informal
 
        19 Roberts Rules method.  So this is well-known.  All
 
        20 right?
 
        21           And I have had conversations with Mike Nolan
 
        22 about this; and the reason that I use it is that I think
 
        23 it works much better with the chess group, both the
 
        24 delegates and the board, than a very strict application
 
        25 of every jot and tittle of Roberts Rules.  In other
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              542
 
 
         1 words, I think it encourages better discussion, better
 
         2 meetings.  If the board wants me to run this meeting
 
         3 exactly according to Roberts Rules of Order, I think you
 
         4 might be in for some - we all might be in for some kind
 
         5 of unsettling experiences.  I am willing to consider
 
         6 these suggestions.
 
         7           I don't think the secretary should call the
 
         8 question, call for the vote.  I do think the secretary
 
         9 would - I would be welcome if you read the motions.  I
 
        10 think that's a good idea.
 
        11           MS. BARRY:  Well, it's always been the case in
 
        12 the past Rachel always called for the vote.  And on
 
        13 every motion it's the secretary that did that.  I did
 
        14 that when Bob was the president.
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  Well, what do you mean by that?
 
        16           MS. BARRY:  Read the motion.
 
        17           MR. REDMAN:  Then you read the names.
 
        18           MS. BARRY:  Then you read the names, and we
 
        19 ask for the vote, and we call the vote.  That's all.
 
        20           MR. REDMAN:  That's fine.  I have no problem
 
        21 with that.  I welcome any help.
 
        22           MS. BARRY:  I just don't want it to seem that
 
        23 you have to do everything.  The rest of us don't do
 
        24 anything.
 
        25           MR. REDMAN:  The rest of you do a great deal.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              543
 
 
         1           MS. BARRY:  When it's on record that a vote is
 
         2 taken by, vice president does this.  The three officers
 
         3 are participating and not just one.  And yes, you did do
 
         4 it before; and I understand you have experience.  We
 
         5 have come to lean on you.  You will be leaving, so one
 
         6 of us have to take on the responsibility.  Let us do a
 
         7 little practice.
 
         8           MR. REDMAN:  That's a good point.  Okay.
 
         9 Right.  And I just have one more thing, and then I will
 
        10 --
 
        11           MS. BARRY:  I don't mean to make a joke out of
 
        12 it.  I am sorry.  But it's true.  We do need
 
        13 experience.
 
        14           MR. REDMAN:  I will certainly consider any
 
        15 suggestions like this, and I welcome John and Doris
 
        16 communicating and working together to make suggestions.
 
        17 If I think that my ability to do my job is affected,
 
        18 then I will exercise my appropriate option.
 
        19           MS. BARRY:  Which is what?  We can always
 
        20 bring it to a vote.
 
        21           MR. REDMAN:  John?
 
        22           MR. MCCRARY:  He calls on me right at that
 
        23 moment.  Okay.  No, as I say, I think you have done an
 
        24 excellent job at the meeting.  I do feel that within the
 
        25 constraints of Roberts Rules Newly Revised we can work
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              544
 
 
         1 out some applicable resolutions.  I will note I believe
 
         2 the Roberts Rules does give some flexibility to
 
         3 organizations and to smaller groups, and we can take
 
         4 that into consideration.  For example, that's why we
 
         5 don't second motions.  We are a smaller group.  And
 
         6 these rules can be established.  I think this can be
 
         7 done in a friendly way, but certainly I don't think
 
         8 anyone would be critical of your - I mean, you have done
 
         9 an excellent job this week.  And I would second what
 
        10 Jeff has indicated that we have to be mindful not only
 
        11 of the cost, but I have to remind myself to be mindful
 
        12 of what I say.  Because if I am in a group and I am not
 
        13 being recorded, I may be a little more off the record
 
        14 sometimes.  And we have to remember that we may make a
 
        15 casual remark here that's on the internet and so on.
 
        16 And if that's the case, then just being mindful of that
 
        17 is important.
 
        18           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Communications
 
        19 procedures.  Doris?
 
        20           MS. BARRY:  I covered that pretty much
 
        21 before.  See, we are getting through this because I am
 
        22 taking off all my things.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  I appreciate that.
 
        24           MS. BARRY:  So I am helping.
 
        25           MR. DEFEIS:  I place holders on these
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              545
 
 
         1 motions?
 
         2           MS. BARRY:  No.  Tim didn't understand my
 
         3 reports in progress, so some of these are here twice.
 
         4 So this has been taken care of, and actually this is the
 
         5 define the responsibility of the secretary.  I did this
 
         6 and then the compliance officer, and that was what I was
 
         7 going to suggest about that it would be his
 
         8 responsibility to see that we adhere to the Roberts
 
         9 Rules of Order, not strictly.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Procedure for input from
 
        11 committee chairs.  Did you cover that?
 
        12           MS. BARRY:  I covered that because there has
 
        13 to be communication back and forth.  If they are not
 
        14 working, then we replace them.
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  And standards of conduct for
 
        16 committee members.
 
        17           MS. BARRY:  Same thing.  Oh, no, no.  This was
 
        18 something else.
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Fifty-seven.  Doris?
 
        20           MS. BARRY:  This was the posting on Rec Games
 
        21 Politics by a member of the LMA committee.  Is it
 
        22 appropriate for me to mention a name, or does everyone
 
        23 know who it is?
 
        24           MS. WARREN:  Mr. X.
 
        25           MS. BARRY:  Mr. X.  We should not mention a
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              546
 
 
         1 name.
 
         2           MR. MCCRARY:  I would prefer you not.
 
         3           MS. BARRY:  Maybe this should be in closed
 
         4 session.
 
         5           MR. REDMAN:  We can talk about the general
 
         6 idea, general problem without mentioning the name.
 
         7           MS. BARRY:  Well, I will pass this around.
 
         8           MS. WARREN:  Why don't you read it without the
 
         9 name.
 
        10           MS. BARRY:  I don't want to read this word.  I
 
        11 don't use this word.
 
        12           MS. WARREN:  I will read it because I probably
 
        13 use it.
 
        14           MS. BARRY:  I don't use that word.  I don't
 
        15 allow this in my house, so I am not going to say.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  It's various of the accounting
 
        17 terminology favorable unfavorable, F-U.
 
        18           MS. WARREN:  Can we comment about this?
 
        19           MR. REDMAN:  Yes.
 
        20           MS. BARRY:  Yes.  That's why I brought it up.
 
        21           MS. WARREN:  I think the individual should be
 
        22 asked to clean up his act as a condition of remaining on
 
        23 the said committee.  I think Jim Pechac has already
 
        24 registered his remark - his opinion, and I concur
 
        25 completely.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              547
 
 
         1           MR. REDMAN:  I have a point to make is that I
 
         2 deplore that kind of language.  I think that it's simply
 
         3 lazy to use these expressions.  You can insult someone
 
         4 very creatively.  Look at Shakespeare what he does.  You
 
         5 don't have to just kind of use this kind of gutter talk.
 
         6           MS. WARREN:  Shakespeare did.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  The problem is, of course, it
 
         8 seems to me that if I am correct this man is a member of
 
         9 a committee that is appointed by the delegates.  And my
 
        10 question then is I am not sure that we have anyway
 
        11 except through exhortation to do anything as serious as
 
        12 removing him from the committee.  I think we can
 
        13 certainly ask - who is our liaison to that committee?
 
        14 Jim, is that you?  I think we can certainly ask Jim to
 
        15 express the opinion of the board that this kind of
 
        16 language coming from a member of an important committee
 
        17 does not reflect any credit on the organization and we
 
        18 feel it's highly inappropriate, something like that.
 
        19           Other comments?
 
        20           MR. NIRO:  What about the ethics committee?  I
 
        21 am asking as a member of the ethics committee is this
 
        22 something for us to take up?
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  No, I don't think so.  Yeah, but
 
        24 thanks.  Any other comments?  Helen?
 
        25           MS. WARREN:  I think that there are measures
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              548
 
 
         1 that can be taken short of - I think this falls beyond
 
         2 the bounds of what you'd call First Amendment rights.
 
         3 And I think that depending upon the effectiveness of
 
         4 Jim, the response that Jim gets to his exhortation
 
         5 should be a kind of a sign post to us whether or not we
 
         6 are willing to take future action.  As far as the ethics
 
         7 committee is concerned, I think the ethics committee
 
         8 might be very busy in the next six months.  And this
 
         9 case is probably very - you know, this is just an iota.
 
        10 So let's see what luck Jim has.
 
        11           MS. BARRY:  Well, can we make it a motion in
 
        12 effect that the board instructs the vice president -
 
        13 well, the liaison -- Okay.
 
        14           MR. REDMAN:  We have two more agenda items, by
 
        15 the way, after this.  So before you back up - and they
 
        16 are a short one from George, and then we are going to
 
        17 have a discussion about the Chess Museum Hall of Fame.
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  Short item, if anyone wishes to
 
        19 see the March issue of Chess Life approved, it should be
 
        20 at the printer at this time.  We see that is the March
 
        21 issue.  The other small item I received an e-mail from
 
        22 Yassir Sirawan yesterday on the upcoming Chinese Summit
 
        23 Match of which we are a sanctioning body.  Let me read a
 
        24 couple points.  It sounds like a very exciting event.
 
        25 In conjunction with the Chinese Chess Association, the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              549
 
 
         1 Seattle Chess Foundation is pleased to announce the
 
         2 following item for the summit match.  I indicated that
 
         3 we would write to FIDE.  The daily number two daily
 
         4 lineups will be chosen by the team captains, Nick
 
         5 Defermian and Lynn Fang.  It is expected that the U.S.
 
         6 team board order will respect the December USCF rating
 
         7 list, the basis for the invitation.  The reserve player
 
         8 will be used differently from the usual Olympiad rules.
 
         9 In the Olympiad of a player on the board one is given a
 
        10 rest.  All the players will move up a board.  The
 
        11 reserve players take the lowest board.  In the summit
 
        12 match the reserve player - the three groups overall,
 
        13 women and junior, the reserve player can play on any
 
        14 board thus the summit rules.  By using the summit rules
 
        15 the players essentially need only prepare for two
 
        16 players, their normal opponents and the potential of
 
        17 playing the reserve player.  Thus, the reserve player
 
        18 will have the most difficult task being prepared
 
        19 essentially to play on the board in their group.  The
 
        20 web site addresses is Seattle Chess Foundation.  If
 
        21 anyone wishes to have their bios and photos, they will
 
        22 be posted there.  And they have arranged for a dinner
 
        23 with the Washington state governor.  We are very pleased
 
        24 to announce that Washington State Governor Gary Lock has
 
        25 invited both teams to the state capital in Olympia sixty
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              550
 
 
         1 minutes from Seattle telling to dinner the kudos to both
 
         2 Scott Okee and Eric Anderson for their efforts in this
 
         3 endeavor.  A curious footnote is that Gary Lock is the
 
         4 first and only ethnically Chinese governor.  I think
 
         5 that's enough.  But it sounds like a very exciting
 
         6 events that the Seattle Chess Foundation has planned.
 
         7           MR. REDMAN:  Doris?
 
         8           MS. BARRY:  The executive board requests the
 
         9 liaison to the LMA committee to transmit their
 
        10 disapproval of the improper language of one committee
 
        11 member on Rec Games Chess Politics.
 
        12           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  Further discussion on the
 
        13 motion?
 
        14           MR. MCCRARY:  Just as a suggestion, perhaps we
 
        15 should use the term profane instead of improper.
 
        16           MS. BARRY:  Okay.  I was trying not to be too
 
        17 severe.
 
        18           MR. SMITH:  Too profane?
 
        19           MR. MCCRARY:  There are a lot of things that
 
        20 are improper on that.
 
        21           MS. BARRY:  That's true.  Profane is a good
 
        22 word.  Thank you, John.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  Are we ready to vote?  You want
 
        24 to?
 
        25           MS. BARRY:  I will call the vote?  You are
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              551
 
 
         1 putting me in charge now?
 
         2           MR. REDMAN:  No, no.  I said are we ready to
 
         3 vote.  We are ready to vote.  Take it away, Doris.
 
         4           MS. BARRY:  Okay.  Helen Warren?
 
         5           MS. WARREN:  Yes.
 
         6           MS. BARRY:  Bob Smith?
 
         7           MR. SMITH:  Yes.
 
         8           MS. BARRY:  Doris Barry.
 
         9           Tim Redman.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Yes.
 
        11           MS. BARRY:  John McCrary?
 
        12           MR. MCCRARY:  Yes.
 
        13           MS. BARRY:  Joe Ippolito?
 
        14           MR. IPPOLITO:  Yes.
 
        15           MS. BARRY:  Okay.  Seven to zero.  Thank you.
 
        16           MS. WARREN:  You didn't call his name.
 
        17           MS. BARRY:  Are you abstaining, Jim?
 
        18           MR. PECHAC:  No.  I will say yes.
 
        19           MS. BARRY:  I thought he would.
 
        20           MS. WARREN:  Mr. Chair, on the Seattle
 
        21 business, has there been any refinement of the date for
 
        22 the U.S. Championship as was previously announced on
 
        23 September 1st over the Labor Day weekend?  Has there
 
        24 been any change in that communication?
 
        25           MR. DEFEIS:  The latest I hear is that it
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              552
 
 
         1 would be in January 2002 because of limits beginning
 
         2 2001 still called the 2001 championship, but I will
 
         3 correspond with Yassir.  I did just about a week ago and
 
         4 was still up in the air, but if there's any message
 
         5 relative to that.
 
         6           MR. REDMAN:  I have also corresponded with
 
         7 Yassir about that urging him to use the first week in
 
         8 January as standard day.  I would like to point out that
 
         9 the Pan American Intercollegiate is always held between
 
        10 the 27th and the 30th of December and that I really
 
        11 would like that he not conflict with that because we are
 
        12 trying to reestablish that tournament.  And as a further
 
        13 incentive for his not conflicting with it, if it's held
 
        14 subsequent to the Pan American I think almost certainly
 
        15 the University of Texas at Dallas will send a number of
 
        16 players to this to compete in the early section.  So
 
        17 please urge him to remember the Pan Am.  Another point
 
        18 on the U.S. Championship, I did ask and urge Yassir that
 
        19 the consistent method of using the December rating list
 
        20 to select the U.S. team be adopted as a rule.  And I
 
        21 explained to him that in my background that the biggest
 
        22 problems we had were perceptions that the method of
 
        23 selections would change to favor one or another.  And he
 
        24 agreed with that point.  And I got an e-mail from him
 
        25 saying he agreed to do this in the future, do we have an
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              553
 
 
         1 interest in that because we are sanctioning it.  And we
 
         2 are sanctioning it.  We are calling it the U.S.A.
 
         3 Match.  And we want to make sure that the same rules are
 
         4 used every year.
 
         5           We now have one more item on the agenda which
 
         6 is a discussion of the Chess Museum and Hall of Fame.
 
         7 John?
 
         8           MR. MCCRARY:  Let me introduce the matter, and
 
         9 I might ask the president's permission to allow Frank
 
        10 Niro to speak on this also.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  Absolutely.
 
        12           MR. MCCRARY:  I think most of you saw the
 
        13 museum yesterday.  I first saw it about two years ago
 
        14 when Sid and I were standing in an empty field.  So
 
        15 clearly a lot has occurred in just two years.  My
 
        16 feeling is that the market for this museum -
 
        17 hypothetically it's going to have no admission charge,
 
        18 so I am using the term market meaning consumer demands
 
        19 will consist of two areas.  First I believe that it will
 
        20 attract minimally some hundreds of what I have seen in
 
        21 the low thousands of visitors in a year, most of them
 
        22 being casual players.  I say that because I have been in
 
        23 the museum standing there talking to Shane, and people
 
        24 have come up at the door while I am talking.  They have
 
        25 come up to the door.  He put an article about it in the
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              554
 
 
         1 AAA magazine, and that's elicited a number of
 
         2 inquiries.  So the market is there to reach a lot of
 
         3 casual players.  I don't think it's going to be a
 
         4 Smithsonian.  On the other hand, I think it's going to
 
         5 attract far more traffic than any past chess museum has
 
         6 done.  And so for that reason one of the thrusts of the
 
         7 museum will be to make it something that appeals not
 
         8 only to organized players but also to casual players.
 
         9 Secondly, I do feel that in time - and I know this will
 
        10 take some years - it will become better known around the
 
        11 world primarily among more active and organized
 
        12 players.  And there's some possibility will arise at
 
        13 that time because it is unique in the world as far as I
 
        14 know.  Essentially there's nothing like this.
 
        15 Obviously, the challenge of putting this together is
 
        16 tremendous.  They are making a video right now which
 
        17 will be finished in about two weeks.  It's been done by
 
        18 a professional company.  We are beginning to collect
 
        19 additional artifact beyond what we already have.  A
 
        20 number of the artifacts are in storage now until we can
 
        21 figure out what to do with them.  I mean, the museum is
 
        22 run officially by a group of four which was elected by
 
        23 the trustees.  And you correct me if I am wrong.  But
 
        24 this committee of four is me and you, Steve Doyle and
 
        25 Shane Samole; is that correct?
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              555
 
 
         1           MR. NIRO:  My recollection, John, is that
 
         2 originally there were six included Al Lawrence who has
 
         3 since resigned from that committee and also Frank
 
         4 Camarata, but I may be wrong about that.
 
         5           MR. MCCRARY:  The problem is there were two
 
         6 different committees.  One you are talking about was an
 
         7 informal group that was never constituted.
 
         8           MR. NIRO:  The one that was voted by the Chess
 
         9 Trust, you are right, was those four.  And the other two
 
        10 were invited to participate.
 
        11           MR. MCCRARY:  There's no control over the
 
        12 funds and artifacts with the provision that Shane has
 
        13 veto power.  I think we decided last night that we want
 
        14 broader focus.  There's some question that some people
 
        15 advising on the museum not on the committee wanted to
 
        16 have a more narrow focus, only top players.  But we want
 
        17 exhibits from everything that pertains to chess like a
 
        18 general museum.  I have no illusions about the time it
 
        19 would take to get this done, the challenges required to
 
        20 do it.  Just because there are a few people working on
 
        21 it now doesn't mean that the input and the suggestions
 
        22 of anyone else aren't welcome because they are.  People
 
        23 who constituted the informal committee were those who
 
        24 showed up and volunteered and were glad to add to that.
 
        25 But I am convinced that the market is there.  I have
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              556
 
 
         1 seen these people come up to the door.  I know of the
 
         2 newspapers, the TV stations that have already come in;
 
         3 and I have seen letters coming from people who read the
 
         4 AAA magazine.  That's where the potential is.  Now
 
         5 that's just by way of general production.  Before we get
 
         6 into discussion, could I perhaps ask Frank to comment
 
         7 and then --
 
         8           MR. NIRO:  I will pass for the moment.  I will
 
         9 make comments that are germane as we go along.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  Jim?
 
        11           MR. PECHAC:  I mean, I attended it and saw a
 
        12 lot of it.  I believe he mentioned there was a video
 
        13 also either in the process of preparation or --
 
        14           MR. MCCRARY:  That's correct.
 
        15           MR. PECHAC:  Do we know what the distribution
 
        16 on that is going to be, or is it going to be like a VCR
 
        17 tape?  Is that the idea?
 
        18           MR. MCCRARY:  The intention is actually to
 
        19 show it in the museum in the theater.
 
        20           MR. PECHAC:  But what I am thinking for is if
 
        21 we are looking for input one way of handling that is
 
        22 possibly providing the chess community with some idea of
 
        23 what's happening.  And you know, it's the first time I
 
        24 had seen that, where it exactly was and what they
 
        25 exactly wanted to do.  And it's not the type of thing
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              557
 
 
         1 that you automatically understand.  I certainly don't go
 
         2 through something like that every time.  And there are
 
         3 very exacting standards I am sure to that process and
 
         4 architecturally it's very intensive to the process
 
         5 because you have to see what that's going to look like
 
         6 without it happening.  They have the lines on the floor
 
         7 showing the impression of what's going to occur, and
 
         8 those are - I guess what I am leading to is that very
 
         9 well-intentioned recommendations may get thrown in the
 
        10 trash.  And maybe they have to be because the person
 
        11 maybe doesn't completely understand what's being asked
 
        12 of them to send in, and you don't want to cause that
 
        13 process to occur would be my thought.
 
        14           MR. MCCRARY:  The video is not actually on the
 
        15 nature of the museum.  It's a general video for the
 
        16 public on chess.  But as far as people offering
 
        17 artifact, that will have to go through the committee.
 
        18 Sending it to Shane I think would be best, and let him
 
        19 distribute it.  We did have some discussion of artifacts
 
        20 that were offered.  Some were acceptable; some were not.
 
        21           MR. REDMAN:  I had my name down next.  My
 
        22 sense in discussion with Shane is that he needs our help
 
        23 in raising the money necessary to complete the
 
        24 exhibitions and to have them be absolutely first rate,
 
        25 state-of-the-art.  I happen to know that this was Sid
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              558
 
 
         1 Samole's vision for the museum as well, but my job I was
 
         2 on the trust when they had the plans started.  And Sid
 
         3 was very interested in a state-of-the-art museum display
 
         4 technology which is not surprising.  But in a way what I
 
         5 sensed from the meeting yesterday and the great
 
         6 availability both of Myron, Sid's brother, of Shane, of
 
         7 Mark who is the guy from Chameleon who is doing the
 
         8 professional, the video production things, is that Shane
 
         9 it seems to me was reminding us that this was our
 
        10 museum.  This was a museum of the chess communities and
 
        11 of the U.S. Chess Federation and charitable trust in
 
        12 particular and that he had done a lot to support it, but
 
        13 he needed money to finish it and that he didn't want to
 
        14 get it going until he had had something he would be
 
        15 proud of showing off.  So I think part of our discussion
 
        16  - I'd like part of our discussion today in the next few
 
        17 minutes anyway to focus on ideas that we can come up
 
        18 with to help him generate the funds that he needs.
 
        19 Frank?
 
        20           MR. NIRO:  Now I have something to say.
 
        21 Excalibur Electronics has invested so far $500,000 into
 
        22 that facility.  It's not a sunk cost.  It's an
 
        23 investment that they intend to utilize in the future.
 
        24 They have the option although Shane has never expressed
 
        25 it this way, but they do have the option to have a chess
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              559
 
 
         1 museum, do it themselves, have no involvement whatsoever
 
         2 of USCF, raise funds from major corporations, get
 
         3 donations from people who come and visit, get their own
 
         4 501 (c)(3) to do it.  And all the chess players and
 
         5 interested folks who come through there will never have
 
         6 any knowledge or contact the USCF.  Because of his
 
         7 father's commitment and in order to honor that
 
         8 commitment and also to reaffirm his own commitment, he
 
         9 is willing 100 percent to work with the USCF, with the
 
        10 U.S. Chess Trust and those individuals that he has been
 
        11 working with to make this a joint effort along the way.
 
        12           However, he has made it clear that the amount
 
        13 of investment they have put in is near the capacity and
 
        14 the intent of the resources that Excalibur Electronics
 
        15 could devote.  Therefore, from here there needs to be
 
        16 fund-raising done to complete the exhibits, to acquire
 
        17 artifacts and indeed to develop an operating budget.  In
 
        18 order to get the zoning - and this is a very key point -
 
        19 they had to agree or we had to agree if you want to put
 
        20 it in those terms we would not charge admission.  I
 
        21 think the overriding factor for this executive board to
 
        22 consider and certainly one that the Chess Trust board
 
        23 has already considered is that there is a tremendous
 
        24 market as you all know out there of the casual chess
 
        25 player that does not know about USCF, has never joined
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              560
 
 
         1 USCF, who has never known there's USCF to join.  With
 
         2 150,000 cars a day going by and in the worst case dozens
 
         3 of people coming in every day and the best case those
 
         4 people coming in every day who are potentially USCF
 
         5 members, I think it is the clearest, most attractive
 
         6 opportunity for us to get new members down the road and
 
         7 that we ought certainly with full knowledge of our own
 
         8 budget to be involved 100 percent to make that
 
         9 commitment, to let Shane know that we have made that
 
        10 commitment.
 
        11           Now obviously, Chess Trust's resources are
 
        12 limited.  We have about $750,000 in assets now that have
 
        13 been built up over the last 33 years.  And my sense from
 
        14 the trustees of the trust is that's about the minimum
 
        15 threshold that we want to keep moving forward, that as
 
        16 we can raise additional money that we want to spin off
 
        17 the income from that and perhaps some of the additional
 
        18 funds we raise into projects such as we have discussed
 
        19 already at other meetings and then also into the Hall of
 
        20 Fame.  But for my perspective as the treasurer of the
 
        21 trust and the incoming president of the trust, I think
 
        22 this is something we ought to be absolutely behind in
 
        23 principle and that as specific proposals come up about
 
        24 how we might jointly raise funds with corporations how
 
        25 we might help out with the cash flow necessary to
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              561
 
 
         1 acquire some of the things I talked about and how indeed
 
         2 we might foster getting this started and then once it's
 
         3 started how our presence will be there so that there's
 
         4 no chance when anybody who comes in that building that
 
         5 doesn't know USCF goes out of the building without
 
         6 knowing USCF and gets an opportunity let's say to join
 
         7 at a discount or gets asked if they'd like to become a
 
         8 member or is given information about USCF that we don't
 
         9 lose that unique situation that we would be put in down
 
        10 there.  Because I think the World Chess Hall of Fame and
 
        11 Museum is going to be a reality no matter what.  It's
 
        12 built.  They have the tower.  They have the sign.  They
 
        13 have made an investment.  And we have the open
 
        14 invitation, and you heard the commitment from Shane in
 
        15 honor of his father that we are going to be there side
 
        16 by side.
 
        17           Now having said all of that, and I will be
 
        18 brief with the rest, there were some misunderstandings
 
        19 about the other subcommittee among people that are in
 
        20 this room now where four of us did meet in November on
 
        21 our own time at our own expense and tried to develop an
 
        22 initial action plan for how are we going to get this
 
        23 open.  And at the time we were looking at maybe we were
 
        24 going to open it in January.  In February there was an
 
        25 awful lot to be done; so we kind of divided up the work
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              562
 
 
         1 among the group that was there, very few people as it
 
         2 was.  And then we had a few people drop in, one of whom
 
         3 was Don Schultz who also agreed to help out.  But it was
 
         4 never the intent that these folks would do all the
 
         5 work.  So there was a misunderstanding and some reaction
 
         6 that was interpreted negatively by Shane and by the
 
         7 trust trustees and I admit by myself personally.  That
 
         8 was somewhat daunting and made us and I think made Shane
 
         9 step back and wonder why he is doing it this way.  So I
 
        10 would hope that aside from the moral commitment,
 
        11 potential financial commitment that would be yet to be
 
        12 defined in the future that there's also a commitment of
 
        13 support that it's universal and moving collectively
 
        14 ahead and that any negativity or questions, legitimate
 
        15 concerns or communication or opinion while certainly it
 
        16 should flow, be kept in a very professional, positive
 
        17 and maybe where appropriate behind closed doors internal
 
        18 line of discussion.  Because everything as you have
 
        19 discussed in previous agenda items finds its way onto
 
        20 Rec Games Chess Politics, and I think that we shouldn't
 
        21 blow this and there are many - there are some ways that
 
        22 we might do that.
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  I had a question.  We were
 
        24 brought two of the very attractive fund-raising
 
        25 brochures in Istanbul.  And I made sure that Kirsten had
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              563
 
 
         1 gotten one, and I made sure that Dr. Pedro Pererra who
 
         2 is the president for the Americas got one.  Is there a
 
         3 way of getting more of these?  I heard there might have
 
         4 been a shortage, and part of it - it's such a
 
         5 well-designed brochure that a few of us might have some
 
         6 people that are interested that we could peddle this to
 
         7 and get some -- I mean, on the basis, for example,
 
         8 Rodney Thomas is executive at IBM and a chess player
 
         9 obviously.
 
        10           MR. NIRO:  Are you addressing that to me or
 
        11 John?
 
        12           MR. REDMAN:  I am asking you.
 
        13           MR. NIRO:  I think we both know the answer to
 
        14 the question.
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  It would be helpful if there's
 
        16 more.
 
        17           MR. NIRO:  Those booklets were prepared by
 
        18 Mark and his group.  They cost about five dollars each
 
        19 to produce a limited number of them were made.  They
 
        20 were made for a few of Shane's presentations, one of
 
        21 which was to our subcommittee.  And I think one of the
 
        22 ones you got in Istanbul was actually my copy that I
 
        23 gave Don Schultz because he said he was going over
 
        24 there.  So there aren't more of those made.  He used it
 
        25 in approaching Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.  That I
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              564
 
 
         1 think he told you about in the meeting he used it and
 
         2 approaching the Chamber of Commerce, so we can get more
 
         3 made.  There's a cost to having them made.  He doesn't
 
         4 want - I think naturally want them just going on
 
         5 somebody's shelf.
 
         6           The overall activity that they support is
 
         7 Shane's going or maybe alone or maybe in conjunction
 
         8 with George or me or all of us to major corporations and
 
         9 saying to them you could be part of this.  You could get
 
        10 your name on the roof tower.  You could get your name on
 
        11 the side wall.  You could get your name on one of these
 
        12 kiosks, and would you like to contribute.  And that's
 
        13 something that George and I will be discussing further
 
        14 too.
 
        15           MR. REDMAN:  Well, just a suggestion that if
 
        16 you want his involvement with the fund-raising I was
 
        17 given two of these and immediately I decided two most
 
        18 important people that should have them were definitely
 
        19 not me.  If we can get more of these, it's not as though
 
        20 we are going to waste them.
 
        21           MR. MCCRARY:  Can I address the same
 
        22 question?
 
        23           MR. REDMAN:  Yeah, John then Jim.
 
        24           MR. MCCRARY:  He may have indicated something
 
        25 to you; he didn't to me.  But my impression was Shane
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              565
 
 
         1 would probably be delighted to do that.  And Frank, you
 
         2 are meeting with him tomorrow.
 
         3           MR. NIRO:  Yes, I am meeting with him ten
 
         4 o'clock tomorrow morning.  He would like some feedback
 
         5 from this meeting.
 
         6           MR. MCCRARY:  He had only one booklet.  He had
 
         7 only one copy.  I forget which one.  It wasn't the one
 
         8 you were talking about.  He is going to have to make
 
         9 more copies of that because he had only one left.  But
 
        10 my impression of this is he would be glad to do this.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  Jim, then I had another comment
 
        12 on a question.  Jim?
 
        13           MR. PECHAC:  Maybe stepping back a year and a
 
        14 half ago to Tim's suggestion that we read that book on
 
        15 nonprofits, that book very strongly emphasizes the
 
        16 commitment that a board member should have to doing this
 
        17 type of thing.  You obviously have to have something you
 
        18 can work on, a potential customer let's call it.  I have
 
        19 recently talked fairly significantly with the Cleveland
 
        20 Clinic as an example on the development of using chess
 
        21 as an informal way of warming people up to the game as
 
        22 they wait for family members at a hospital and that you
 
        23 see people waiting for six hours.  They could just pick
 
        24 the board up, play around, and they may be revitalized.
 
        25 But more significantly, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              566
 
 
         1 has its name on the OmniMax Theater in downtown
 
         2 Cleveland as an example, so it has an arm in it that
 
         3 puts its logo on these types of things.  And it
 
         4 extremely importantly has a presence in Florida, and it
 
         5 is an extremely important presence in Florida and a
 
         6 strategic presence in Florida in Weston and in Naples.
 
         7 And it would unquestionably give money in my opinion to
 
         8 that development.  It's such a good contact that I don't
 
         9 even know if I want to be the one to do it because I am
 
        10 a rookie or a pawnie at this.  And I will very
 
        11 emphatically mention that had I known we had the
 
        12 process, we could have started working on this.  You got
 
        13 to start on this type of thing and develop.  This is not
 
        14 something that you just - at least from a way I
 
        15 understand fund-raising, you know, there's something to
 
        16 grow here.  So I will place that on the table.  And I
 
        17 would love to work with someone that can professionally
 
        18 or more appropriately address this because I know I can
 
        19 give you the contact of a right person in the
 
        20 organization to look at this.
 
        21           MR. MCCRARY:  I think Frank would be the best
 
        22 choice.  That was appreciated.
 
        23           MR. PECHAC:  We are talking seven digits.
 
        24           MR. NIRO:  You are talking about a Chess Trust
 
        25 activity that's very important to the Chess Trust that
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              567
 
 
         1 George will be involved in in his role as executive
 
         2 secretary I guess he is called to the Chess Trust.  We
 
         3 will certainly coordinate, and that Shane being the CEO
 
         4 of what's a significant corporation as you saw yesterday
 
         5 has also committed his personal time too.  So to have us
 
         6 be able to go with brochures such as George showed and
 
         7 such as we have talked about earlier to major
 
         8 corporations as he has already done with Royal Caribbean
 
         9 and say this is what we have got, I think there's a
 
        10 tremendous opportunity to raise money, not only the
 
        11 other things I said about getting members.
 
        12           MR. PECHAC:  It's the visibility that people
 
        13 driving by seeing the name because that is - you know,
 
        14 that's the return.  That's that advertising that you
 
        15 mentioned.
 
        16           MR. REDMAN:  Okay.  I have me and then Helen.
 
        17 I am going to suggest a motion to get some practical
 
        18 weight to this.  The board requests that the executive
 
        19 director help Shane Samole in presentations to elicit
 
        20 corporate support for the Chess Museum honoring Sid
 
        21 Samole.  Now obviously, George can judge his own time;
 
        22 but I think as much as possible I think we should be
 
        23 involved in those.  And I think it lends a lot of weight
 
        24 and credibility to presentation when you have the
 
        25 executive director of the U.S. Chess Federation there as
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              568
 
 
         1 well to answer questions about chess in the world, and
 
         2 so that's my suggestion.  Helen?
 
         3           MS. WARREN:  Yes.  Frank, to what extent has
 
         4 the City of Miami and the county and the state itself
 
         5 been involved in this pursuit?  Oftentimes city
 
         6 government is very eager to assist in projects like
 
         7 museums and art centers and so on.
 
         8           MR. NIRO:  Well, I can only remember
 
         9 anecdotally what Shane has told us.  And John, you can
 
        10 help me out here.  But I know, for example, he has said
 
        11 that the local equivalent to the Chamber of Commerce - I
 
        12 don't remember if that was the name, but the local trade
 
        13 association for tourists, the Tourist Information Center
 
        14 wants to make the Samole Hall of Fame and Museum a
 
        15 listed major attraction of the Miami area so that any
 
        16 tourists who calls and asks for information about Miami
 
        17 gets this in their package along with the zoo and other
 
        18 museums, that any corporation that's contemplating
 
        19 moving to the area gets information about this.  That
 
        20 shows that this is one of the attractions in the area
 
        21 and that there are other benefits associated with it.
 
        22 One of which he specifically mentioned was that a share
 
        23 of the hotel tax that's collected and then distributed
 
        24 would then go to - potentially go to the museum as a
 
        25 source of revenue support.  And there were other things
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              569
 
 
         1 he said.
 
         2           John, do you remember any of them?
 
         3           MR. MCCRARY:  I think that's an excellent
 
         4 point, Helen.  And I think Frank summarized it pretty
 
         5 well.  There have been contact with the Miami people,
 
         6 and he mentioned some very important person here - I
 
         7 don't recall his name - who is going to be very
 
         8 helpful.  You are right that the general public support
 
         9 is crucial here.
 
        10           MR. REDMAN:  George?
 
        11           MR. DEFEIS:  Yeah, the hotel tax I was going
 
        12 to mention.  Frank, I don't know if you'd like, I am
 
        13 here 'til tomorrow afternoon.  If it's appropriate, it's
 
        14 your decision if you'd like me to attend this meeting
 
        15 with you and Shane tomorrow.
 
        16           MR. NIRO:  I will pick you up at 9:30.  Be
 
        17 ready.
 
        18           MR. DEFEIS:  Also there has been the issue of
 
        19 relocating the artifacts that are in Washington to the
 
        20 museum and probably - I have been in touch with David
 
        21 Mailer who runs the U.S. Chess Center there now.  I
 
        22 think John probably had a more recent contact.  I
 
        23 visited there in November with Frank.  But is there a
 
        24 clear timetable?  I did mention to David that, you know,
 
        25 USCF would do what we could to assist in facilitating
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              570
 
 
         1 that.  I mentioned that one of the issues was that he
 
         2 didn't want an empty room there, so he had to have
 
         3 appropriate displays or whatever else.  And actually I
 
         4 had talked to Shane a little bit.  Maybe we put some
 
         5 Excalibur stuff in there.   He said he'd be willing to
 
         6 help out in that way, and we have some products probably
 
         7 in the basement that are usable yet maybe perhaps not in
 
         8 as much demand as we would like there where there might
 
         9 be some sort of help with David Mailer in giving an
 
        10 appropriate attraction there of some kind.  But John,
 
        11 you may have been in touch.
 
        12           MR. MCCRARY:  I think that's on track.  I
 
        13 talked with David last June, and we formally negotiated
 
        14 with him.  And I say he was very reasonable and very
 
        15 helpful.  And I think there was a little glitch in
 
        16 December, but I spoke with the trust officers and David,
 
        17 and the last word that I got is it's clear and
 
        18 everything's on track.  So I don't think that will be a
 
        19 problem.  One issue that will come up that you might
 
        20 want to discusses tomorrow as Frank indicated, you know,
 
        21 Shane really wants to work in partnership with the USCF
 
        22 and is delighted to publicize USCF.  One of the computer
 
        23 kiosks will have something about USCF that people can
 
        24 punch a button or something and bring it up.  We will
 
        25 have to develop that.  But certainly the membership
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              571
 
 
         1 forms and so on will be there.  I will ask them tomorrow
 
         2 if I can remember if they are going to have something
 
         3 about USCF in this little video that they are making.
 
         4 In return for that, I think he would appreciate it if
 
         5 while we are promoting the trust in Chess Life with
 
         6 little ads and so on that we can also do something for
 
         7 the museum on a reciprocity basis basically.
 
         8           MR. DEFEIS:  Absolutely.  And perhaps have a
 
         9 discount membership.
 
        10           MS. WARREN:  On hand as a steady thing should
 
        11 be a copy of Chess Life to be handed out to members.  I
 
        12 don't know how that could be limited, for family or
 
        13 whatever.  But there you have got the most visible
 
        14 product.  They walk in, they walk out, take a copy of
 
        15 the magazine.
 
        16           MR. MCCRARY:  Very good idea, yes.
 
        17           MR. REDMAN:  Doris?
 
        18           MS. BARRY:  I also suggested this a while ago
 
        19 but that they are installing computers, and I thought
 
        20 that we would have chess on-line so that people would
 
        21 have an opportunity to see how that works and maybe have
 
        22 some forms there that they can sign up.  They can join
 
        23 up to the federation.
 
        24           MR. REDMAN:  I did see his hand go up.
 
        25           MR. NIRO:  I will defer to John.
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              572
 
 
         1           MR. MCCRARY:  He is deferring to me.  I am
 
         2 glad you mentioned that because when we had one of our
 
         3 planning meetings whenever it was, May or November, that
 
         4 was mentioned.  And I think that's very feasible, and I
 
         5 think we should look into that.
 
         6           MR. REDMAN:  Frank?
 
         7           MR. NIRO:  Yes, we have already made a
 
         8 commitment to have one of the kiosks; and we have made a
 
         9 commitment to purchase the computer, the hardware and
 
        10 the software.  And we have the option to put whatever we
 
        11 want on there, whatever links we want on there, whatever
 
        12 exercises we want in there for kids, whatever we find
 
        13 that's attractive, even a registration screen where
 
        14 somebody could join immediately with their credit card.
 
        15 What Shane has asked us to consider, though - and I will
 
        16 just put it on the table; maybe you could review it and
 
        17 discuss it next time - is some kind of special class of
 
        18 membership for people who joined for the first time
 
        19 through the museum where they get a discount.  You know,
 
        20 I will leave it up to you the details but where it's
 
        21 attractive for somebody new to join there.
 
        22           MR. REDMAN:  I think it's appropriate and
 
        23 helpful that George is going to the meeting tomorrow
 
        24 because as executive director he has the authority to
 
        25 automatically just on his own do something for
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              573
 
 
         1 promotional membership.  Okay.  Are we ready to vote on
 
         2 the motion?  I think we are.  Doris?
 
         3           MS. BARRY:  Shall I read it again?
 
         4           MR. REDMAN:  Yes.
 
         5           MS. BARRY:  The board requests that the
 
         6 executive directorship be Shane Samole in presentations
 
         7 to elicit corporate support for the Chess Museum
 
         8 honoring Sid Samole.  Okay.  All in favor?  Seven,
 
         9 zero.
 
        10           MR. NIRO:  Thank you.
 
        11           MR. REDMAN:  I believe that will take us to
 
        12 the end of the meeting fifteen minutes after I wanted to
 
        13 finish.  But thank you all for your cooperation, and I
 
        14 am glad we did this.
 
        15                (Whereupon, the meeting was concluded at
 
        16           4:15 o'clock p.m.)
 
        17
 
        18
 
        19
 
        20
 
        21
 
        22
 
        23
 
        24
 
        25
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700
 
                                                              574
 
 
         1                        CERTIFICATE
 
         2 STATE OF FLORIDA  )
                             )
         3 COUNTY OF DADE    )
 
         4           I, SUSAN C. BAKER, a Registered Professional
           Reporter and Notary Public, certify that I was
         5 authorized to and did stenographically report the
           foregoing meeting; and that the foregoing transcript is
         6 a true record of the meeting.
                     I further certify that I am not a relative,
         7 employee, attorney, or counsel of any of the parties,
           nor am I a relative or employee of any of the parties'
         8 attorneys or counsel connected with the action, nor am I
           financially interested in the action.
         9
                          Dated this 30th day of January, 2001.
        10
 
        11
                               ____________________________
        12                     SUSAN C. BAKER, RPR
                               Court Reporter and Notary Public
        13
 
        14
 
        15
 
        16
 
        17
 
        18
 
        19
 
        20
 
        21
 
        22
 
        23
 
        24
 
        25
 
 
 
                             LAWS REPORTING, INC.
                                (305) 358-2700