Posted by Karl Peterson on April 04, 19103 at 19:57:37:
In Reply to: How to Start a Chess Club? posted by Stu Harper on June 13, 19101 at 11:54:50:
You leave a lot of questions unanswered for me. I am the advisor of a Chess club at a High School. The USCF has a guide to starting a club in a scholastic environment that is good. One of the first decisions is if you want to be an affiliate of the USCF or not. If you want to, it will cost you $40 per year and the club will get it's own magazine subscription. The club can also buy equipment in quantity at a discount. USCF membership can be a requirement for membership in the club. Then you can have all your local tourneys rated and your players can play in any of the rated tourneys anywhere in the country. For by-laws, search the internet or talk to an attorney. How much control do you want over the club you propose to form? In my little club, the kids have a say, but I have veto power... Depending on who you are gong after to be your members will have a lot to do with what kind of organization you want to form. Will you have any assets? You need a place to store them if you do. Better is to require people to have thier own torurnament legal equipment, then you do not have that to worry about. Clocks are expensive and needed for many of the types of chess that are enjoyed by many in clubs. Where will you meet? The famous clubs own thier own buildings, the rest of us are dependent on schools or buisnesses with tables who tolerate us. One local club meets in the deli of the local grocery store after the deli is closed - a pretty good win-win for all concerned. Some of the players don't like it - too much noise. Location can be a problem. Is there a local library or recreation center that will give you a room for free on a regular basis?
Starting a club is as easy as reserving a place and publicizing the meeting. Depending on what you want to do with the club or the direction you want the club to take is where all the other questions come into play.
Karl Peterson
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