Date: May 5, 2018

Location: Albany High School

There was no formal Board meeting. Received $200 check donation from Iyengar Family for TRM 126 sponsorship. Received $9 cash for one membership voucher sold and $1 donation. Treasurer will be depositing $210 ($200 check and $10 cash).

Tournament went very well. New officers were announced at the award ceremony: .President–Santhosh Abraham, Vice President–Christine Zhao, Secretary–Mary Ann Sorrentino, Treasurer – Mahadevan Balasubramaniam, and Web Activities – Smita Iyengar.

Date: April 14, 2018

Location: Martin Luther King Magnet Elementary School

Attendees: Sreenivas Alampalli, Christine Zhao, Mahadevan Balasubramaniam, Mary Ann Sorrentino, Smita Iyengar, Balaji Mahadevan

Minutes: Meeting started by Sreenivas Alampalli at 4:00 pm.

-Business:

1. The tournament went very well. MLK did a nice job supporting the tournament and thanks to CCC for sponsoring. Thanks to all the volunteers.
2. Got $270 cash donation from Mr. William Montross. He will be listed as the sponsor for the picnic. We sold 5 membership vouchers today and also got $200 check donation from Christine Zhao for next tournament sponsorship. The checks and cash were given to Mahadevan for depositing in the bank. About 60-70 vouchers left.
3. A slate of new officers was proposed for the School Year 2018-2019 (Effective June 2018): President–Santhosh Abraham, Vice President–Christine Zhao, Secretary–Mary Ann Sorrentino, and Treasurer – Mahadevan Balasubramaniam. Smita Iyengar also joined the team and will assist with web activities.
4. Discussed activities that new officers should do soon. This includes checking last year’s calendar, finding list of schools/sponsors, and contacting them ahead of time to plan for next year. By picnic, a tentative program should be ready for printing in the year end brochure.
5. Action item: Make an appointment soon to start training by Sandeep and Sreenivas so that new officers will be ready for the next year.

Meeting adjourned at 4:20 pm.

Date: February 3, 2018

Location: Wood Road Elementary School

There was no Board meeting. Received $400 check donation from CCC, $200 check donation from Fan family, and $200 check donation from Tether Family. Received $9 check and $91 cash (7 vouchers and $37 for adult membership renewal).

Date: January 13, 2018

Location: Albany High School

There was no Board meeting. Received $400 check donation from Leisner Family and $5 check from John Femia. We sold 8 vouchers.

Date: December 2, 2017

Location: Central Park Middle School

There was no Board meeting. Received $200 cash donation from EGCC to sponsor tournament. We sold 12 vouchers.

Date: November 4, 2017

Location: Giffen Elementary School

Attendees: Brother John McManus and Sreenivas Alampalli

Minutes: Meeting started by Brother John at 3:45 pm

-Business:

1. Giffen Elementary School was a great venue for the tournament. Herman Calderon and his team were great hosts.
2. About 120 players in this tournament. There were about 10 no shows of the advance registrants.
3. We sold 4 vouchers ($36 cash received).
4. We received $200 check donation from Monsur family (Nirvana Monsur), $200 check donation from Sorrentino family (Benjamin Sorrentino), and $400 check donation from Alampalli family (Sandeep Alampalli) to sponsor tournaments. We also received $3 donation – $1 each from three players that bought vouchers.
5. Should enforce stopping onsite registration at 9:30 AM to play in Round 1. Anyone coming beyond that time can start from Round 2.

Meeting adjourned by Brother John at 3:50pm.

Date: October 14, 2017

Location: Bethlehem Middle School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sreenivas Alampalli, Christine Zhao, Mahadevan Balasubramaniam

Minutes: Meeting started by Brother John at 4:00 pm.

• June minutes were unanimously approved and uploaded.

-Business:

1. Site is awesome; the facility, the cooperation from Mike Klugman and his team, the players and weather are extraordinary.
2. About 140 players in this tournament. There were 10 no shows of the advance registrants.
3. Areas to improve: the no shows for 1^st round and the hassle to get 2^nd round ready need to be improved. Brother John suggests put pairing up around 9:45am to start the 1^st round on time as possible as we can. Sreenivas needs help to direct the crowd and answer questions so that he can focus on registration without distraction/interruption. Christine offers to come around 9 AM to help out.
4. We sold about 20 vouchers and renewed one adult membership.
5. We received $200 check donation from Li family (Erica Li), $200 cash donation from Fan family (Jerry Fan), and $200 check donation from Whyte Family (Killian Whyte) to sponsor tournaments. We also received $5 donation from John Femia. EGCC also plans to sponsor with $200. Still room to donate for 4 tournaments. Potential sponsor from CCC, Christine will follow up.
6. Sandeep plans to step down as President after this school year and would like others to step-in. Questions from Brother John about who is running the TRM next year and who will be trained. Brother John suggested start training people now to get ready for next year. Brother John will bring in two computes next time to speed up the process and train people as well. Training options were discussed.
7. Onsite volunteers are great. When announcing volunteers, we will make sure they are really appreciated. We do need more volunteers to help out.
8. Next tournament in three weeks.

Motion to adjourn by Brother John. Meeting adjourned at 4:20pm.

Date: June 17, 2017

Location: Albany High School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Christine Zhao, Sreenivas Alampalli, Sharada Alampalli, Ken Evans and Ernest Johnson

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep Alampalli at 4:00 pm.

• May minutes were unanimously approved.

-New Business:

1. The attendance of TRM117 was great. We have a total of 165 players.
2. The 2017-18 tournament calendar is out and published on the website. Karen Merker’s Annual MLK Tournament is dropped because the school is closed. Hence, that day is open (it is the Martin Luther King Day) for another tournament.
3. Dunne Memorial Chess Tournament is scheduled for Nov 18, 2017, the Saturday before the Thanksgiving. Brother John suggested Johnson check with them and let the board know if there is any problem. Sreenivas suggested using the same format as TRMs (i.e. sections and terms). Johnson confirmed that he will just do it in the same way as other TRM tournaments.

-Old Business:

1. Donations: $20 for the June 21, 2017 picnic. (Brother John used for food purchase.)
2. Unused vouchers – Sreenivas will check if any of the regular Right Move attendees’ UCSF membership needs to be renewed.
3. The Officers for 2016-17 are approved and their term officially began in June.
4. Sandeep sent the 2017-18 schedule to all the school contacts and received reconfirmation from all of them.
5. The preparation of picnic has been fantastic and we have a terrific sign-up list, bringing items to help promote good will and family fun.
6. One of the regular Right Move attendees suggested: if it is possible have the picnic on weekends in the future so that people who work during weekdays can also join. The board discussed it. A motion was made to see if CBA will be available on Saturdays at 11am-3pm and Brother John will approach CBA about this. This discussion will further be brought up in the picnic to get more feedback and input.
7. Sreenivas had a discussion to have Blitz tournament in the picnic. Details about the Blitz will be sent in the email blast Sandeep will send out shortly with picnic details.

Motion to adjourn by Brother John, seconded by Sandeep Alampalli. Meeting adjourned 4:15pm.

Date: May 13, 2017

Location: LaSalle School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Sharada Alampalli, Kilian Whyte, and Laurie Miroff.

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep at 3:50 pm.

Reports:

1. Today’s tournament was moved from ACCS to LaSalle. We thank LaSalle for hosting.
2. Taxes were prepared on time and all forms were submitted.
3. Trophies for next year will be ordered this month.
4. Plates for the plaques that will be handed out at the picnic on June 21 will be ordered after the June tournament.

New Business:

1. Next year’s slate of officers has been set: President: Sandeep Alampalli, Vice President: Santhosh Abraham, Secretary: Dr. Christine Zhao, Treasurer: Mahadevan Balasubramaniam
2. Thank you to all the volunteers at today’s tournament.
3. We received $400 from today’s tournament (TRM 116) sponsor, Gumustop family
4. We received $200 from Kilaru family for sponsorship of next month’s tournament (TRM 117).
5. We received $200 from Alampalli family for sponsorship of next month’s tournament (TRM 117)
6. We sold 4 USCF vouchers today ($36).
7. We received $54 from the sale of pizza at today’s tournament, thanks to Satya Kilaru.
8. We are trying to find people who would like to be a Tournament Director. If you are interested, please ask Brother John, Sandeep, or Sreenivas.

Motion to adjourn by Sandeep Alampalli, Seconded by Brother John. Meeting adjourned 4:09 pm.

 

Make the Right Move        Date: December 3, 2016

Location: Martin Luther King Magnet Elementary School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Sharada Alampalli, Kilian Whyte, and Laurie Miroff.

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep, 3:50 pm.

Reports:

1. Today we received $100 from the Albany Area Chess Club for tournament sponsorship. We also received a $5 donation from John Femia.
2. Sandeep has not yet received clarification from NYS Chess Association on if he will be the NYS USCF delegate in 2017 or not.
3. Need to get started on setting up the calendar for tournaments for the 2017-18 year.
4. We are still looking for a Secretary for the Board. Board position responsibilities are posted on the web site (http://www.chesstrm.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/OfficersResponsibilities.pdf)
5. Response for volunteers is great and growing; tournaments are running very well. We are also getting more new players.

New Business:

1. Tournament ran smoothly today and we thank MLK for hosting.
2. Thank you to all of the volunteers at today’s tournament.
3. We sold 7 USCF vouchers today.
4. The May 6^th tournament at ACCS may be moved to May 13th. Need to confirm with host.
5. Moving to new locations for tournaments this year is working out and we are open to adding more new locations next year.
6. Harris Tournament in Newburgh in honor of Harris family went well. They plan to make a $200 gift to MTRM.
7. In January we will be looking for 10-12 Scholastic Players who would like to go to the Saratoga Tournament. The tournament fees will be waived for these players. The choice of players is based on financial need.

Motion to adjourn by Sandeep Alampalli, Seconded by Sreenivas Alampalli. Meeting adjourned 4:10 pm.

Date: November 5, 2016

Location: Giffen Elementary School, Albany, NY

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Joe Whyte, Christine Whyte, and Killian Whyte

Minutes: Meeting started on November 5, 2016 by Sandeep Alampalli at 4:00 pm.

• Old Business: None

• New Business:

1. Tournament ran smoothly today with about 125 attending. We thank Giffen Elementary School for hosting. A special thanks to Herman Calderon for all of his help today.
2. We received $200 from the Whyte family; $200 from Mr. Fox of NYC, and $10 donation from Linda Zhang.
3. We sold 10 USCF vouchers today. All Board members will learn to process vouchers.  This training will take place following the December tournament as no WiFi access was available at site today.
4. Motion to adjourn was made by Sreenivas Alampalli and seconded by Sandeep Alampalli. Meeting adjourned 4:10 pm.

Date: October 8, 2016

Location: Bethlehem Central Middle School, 332 Kendall Ave., Delmar.

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Mahadevan Balasubramaniam, and Laurie Miroff.

Minutes: Meeting started on October 8, 2016 by Sandeep Alampalli at 4:00 pm.

• Old Business:

1. Trophies, vouchers, MTRM USCF, and computer upgrade costs were deducted from the account
2. All tournament venues are set for the year.

• New Business:

1. Tournament ran smoothly today and we thank BCMS for hosting. A special thanks to Mike Klugman for all of his help today.
2. Today we received $200 from the Rafferty family; $200 from Citiair; $200 from the Ojha family for tournament sponsorship. We also received a $5 donation from John Femia.
3. We sold approximately 15 USCF vouchers today. All Board members will learn to process vouchers.  This training will take place following the November tournament.
4. We have numerous people to thank for volunteering at the tournaments.  We will call on you more in the future.  We really need all your support.
5. Brother John briefly mentioned that Ernie Johnson would like to hold a tournament in Newburgh in honor of two chessplaying friends from there.  Site seems available and we await word on possible dates to add to our calendar.
6. The new program Team trophies for 10 or more points, with certificates for teams earning less than 10, worked well. This is our first time giving trophies to teams with 10 or more points.
7. MOTION: Sandeep proposed that the AWE section players be unrated or rated below 1000 only. Brother John suggested that all can still play in the AWE section, but medals would only go to those rated under 1000 or unrated. This was unanimously passed by voice vote of those present.
8. We are in the process of searching for a Secretary for the 2016-17 year.
9. Motion to adjourn was made by Sandeep Alampalli and  seconded by Sreenivas Alampalli. Meeting adjourned 4:10 pm.

Location: Albany Marriott, Wolf Road

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Santhosh Abraham, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Laurie Miroff, Michael Mockler, and Ken Evans

Minutes: Meeting started by Brother John, 4:00 pm.

• Old Business:

1. At past meetings, a proposal was made that we only present the top 5 teams with plaques and the other 5 teams receive a certificate. Sandeep proposed that, instead, we give all 10 teams a nice certificate. This was seconded by Brother John and unanimously approved. Today, Brother John suggested that all teams who score more than 10 points in a tournament receive a trophy instead of limiting to the top 5, but that possibly no team might score 10 or more points and only certificates would be presented.  Please note:  teams who do not score more than 10 points will receive a certificate. This was unanimously approved by the Board.

• New Business:

1. As President, Sandeep has defined a list of staff responsibilities for MTRM Board Members.  Approved, these responsibilities will be posted on the MTRM website.
2. Brother John will place the trophy order for the 2016-17 chess year in the next week..
3. TLAs set for the next couple of TRM tournaments have been paid  (Already sent in. Joan Debois of USCF will contact brjohn@juno.com for payment.)
4. $200 was received for vouchers from last year.
5. Following tournament sponsorship funds were received: $400 from the Alampalli family; $200 from Owiview Tax and Accountant; $200 from Ken Evans.

Motion to adjourn by Sreenivas Alampalli. Seconded by Laurie Miroff. Meeting adjourned 4:45 pm.

Make the Right Move : June 4, 2016   Meeting of the Committee of the Corporation of the Board

Location: La Salle School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Sharada Alampalli, Laurie Miroff, Walter Mockler, and Mahadevan Balasubramaniam.

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep Alampalli, 3:42 pm.

• May 2016 minutes were unanimously approved.

• Old Business:

1. $200 was received by the East Greenbush Chess Community for their sponsorship of the tournament at the NYS Library.
2. Sandeep Alampalli will be the president, Dr. Laurie Miroff will be the Vice President, Santhosh Abraham will be the Secretary and Mahadevan Balasubramaniam will be the Treasurer for the 2016-17 School Year.
3. All of the locations for next year’s tournaments have been confirmed, except the NYS Library. Sandeep is waiting to hear back from them. It was decided to contact Central Park Middle School to see if they will have a tournament at their Middle School. This will be in place of the NYS Library tournament.
4. At the May meeting Sandeep, MTRM President, proposed changes to Team Structure beginning next school. These include: 1. Only scholastic players can be part of the team. 2. Players stay with the same team during the entire school year unless they change the school. They have to choose in the first tournament if they want to be part of a School or a Chess Club. 3. If two teams get the same number of points, first tie-break will be based on the number of players from the same team. This motion by Sandeep was seconded by Brother John and unanimously approved.
5. At the last meeting a proposal was made that we only present the top 5 teams with plaques and the other 5 teams receive a certificate. Sandeep proposed that, instead, we give all 10 teams a nice certificate. This was seconded by Brother John and unanimously approved.
6. It was confirmed that if it is your first, second, or third tournament and you have 2 points, you will receive a medal. After 3 tournaments, 2.5 points are needed to get a medal.

• New Business:

1. Today’s tournament went well and we thank all of the volunteers.
2. Mr. Jayesh Patel has said he will donate $100 to MTRM. Mr. Mockler said he will donate $300 to MTRM.
3. Brother John proposed selling vouchers again next year.  This involves sending $2700 to USCF for October – April vouchers for 300.
4. Brother John proposed the beginner sections, which run more quickly, have 5 rounds  when possible provided there are many players in the section. This was seconded by Sandeep and approved. (This changes the medal winners to if it is your first, second, or third tournament you would need  3 points to win a medal.  Those beginners who have played in more than 3 tournaments would need 3.5 points in the five games to get a medal.

Motion to adjourn by Sandeep Alampalli. Seconded by Sreenivas Alampalli. Meeting adjourned 4:06 pm.

Make the Right Move : May 7, 2016   Meeting of the Committee of the Corporation of the Board

Location: Albany Community Charter School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Sharada Alampalli, and Laurie Miroff

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep Alampalli, 3:50 pm.

• March 2016 minutes were unanimously approved.

Old Business

1. All of the vouchers have been sold. There are not funds to purchase vouchers in October.
2. Trophy order for next year needs to be placed soon by Brother John.
3. All sponsored money needs to be collected. We already have a few people interested in sponsoring tournaments next year.
4. Most locations for next year’s tournaments have been confirmed. The remaining locations have been contacted and Sandeep is waiting for confirmation. Brother John will contact LaSalle about holding a tournament next June.  Liz Gialanella will confirm tournament at Albany High School.  Need to confirm Rensselaer Boys & Girls Club for next month’s tournament.
5. Time controls and round times are posted on the MTRM web site for each tournament and are announced at the beginning of each tournament. Occasionally there are changes to time controls and/or round times depending on the venue.

New Business

1. Today’s tournament went well and we thank all of the volunteers, especially our hosts, ACCS.
2. Next year’s Board was proposed: Sandeep Alampalli as President, Laurie Miroff as Vice President, and Santhosh Abraham as Treasurer. Sandeep will be contacting people about the position of Secretary.
3. No donations received today.
4. The End-of-Year Picnic will be held at CBA in June. Brother John will may change the date to the 13^th. Stewarts donates the ice cream. The order needs to be placed around June 1^st. Brother John will contact Stewarts. They would like pictures of people eating their ice cream.
5. Pictures of people during the tournaments are needed.
6. Sandeep, MTRM President, proposed changes to Team Structure beginning next school. These include: 1. Only scholastic players can be part of the team. 2. Players stay with the same team during the entire school year unless they change the school. They have to choose in the first tournament if they want to be part of a School or a Chess Club. 3. If two teams get the same number of points, first tie-break will be based on the number of players from the same team.
7. A proposal was made that we only present the top 5 teams with plaques and the other 5 teams receive a certificate. This will be discussed more at the June meeting.

Motion to adjourn by Sandeep Alampalli. Seconded by Brother John. Meeting adjourned 4:25 pm.

 

Make the Right Move : March 5, 2016   Meeting of the Committee of the Corporation of the Board

Location: Bethlehem Central Middle School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Liz Gialanella, Ken Adams, Sreenivas Alampalli, Laurie Miroff, Rhamel, Bynum.

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep Alampalli, 3:40 pm.

• February 2016 minutes were unanimously approved.

Old Business:

1. The 13 free entry fees for the Scholastic Saratoga Tournament have been confirmed by Steve Immitt.
2. Many thanks to Michael (Walter) Mockler iforl handing out books and magnetic chess sets to the top players. Thank you for your kind gifts in support of chess.
3. There were 72 vouchers left as of the beginning of this day. Eighteen were sold today.
4. Mail Chimp continues to be a huge success. Sandee sends out timely information about the tournaments and getting people to register. Sandeep has been doing an fabulous job!

New Business:

1. Today’s tournament went well.  Much thanks to all of the volunteers, especially our hosts, BCMS, and  especially to Mike Klugman for all of his help.
2. $200 in new sponsorship money today from CitiAir (co-sponsor of today’s tournament) and $200 from the Cerf family (who will be co-sponsor of the NYS Library tournament on April 2. We also received a check for $200 from Dr. Ettouney, sponsor of last month’s tournament.  Many thanks for making all this possible.
3. At present it seems Sandeep will continue as President of MTRM next year. New training and new volunteers are necessary and central to the work of preserving Free Chess for Youth.
4. The Board will hold a special meeting at the end of the tournament in May to help finalize the scholastic year’s Board of team members and responsibilities, all of which begin in October, 2016. WE NEED YOUR HELP.
5. Dates have been published in January for next year’s tournaments from October through June.. Places and dates need to be confirmed.
   1.  Albany Academy – October.
   2. LaSalle Institute -November.
   3. Martin Luther King, Schenectady – December.
   4. Albany HS – January.
   5. Albany HS – February
   6. Wood Road, Ballston Spa – March.
   7. Giffin Elementary – April
   8. Wood Road Elementary, Ballston Spa – May
6. NYS Library tournament is April 2. Need for volunteer helpers is greater than ever. Players must be seated to start at 10:30. Set-up begins at 9:30 which includes tables and chairs on the fourth floor by the carousel.
7. Liability Insurance is paid and up to date.
8. Brother John, Sandeep, and Sreenivas went to look at a location in Colonie offered by Peter Hemmer as a permanent location for MTRM tournaments. St. Agnes Church, purchased in 2001, is undergoing extensive renovations to serve as a facility serving the community of Cohoes. The facility will not be ready for at least 6 months. The owners would like to create a community center. Concerns include that the space is not large enough for MTRM tournaments, but it may be good for special tournaments (e.g., 2-days, 30 people, entry fee). The permanent location also would be inaccessible to many of our first time players who do not travel and have never been to a tournament. They are more likely to show up when the tournament comes to them, especially if it has the support of the community and is well publicized..

Motion to adjourn by Sreenivas Alampalli. Seconded by Sandeep Alampalli. Meeting adjourned 4:05 pm.

Make the Right Move

Date: February 27, 2016

Location: Wood Road Elementary (Ballston Spa) 

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sreenivas Alampalli, Laurie Miroff

Minutes: Meeting started by Brother John, 3:35 pm.

• January 2016 minutes were unanimously approved.

• Old Business:

1. Sponsorship money from the last tournament – check lost in mail; check is being remailed.

• New Business:

1. $180, 20 memberships, from Harold Stenzel collected today.
2. Sent in 13 memberships for Saratoga Tournament. Brother John and Santhosh will be volunteering.  Confirmed free entry fees from Steve Immitt.
3. Bill Little tournament, honoring Bill Little, will be held the same day as MTRM’s tournament at the NYS Library. Bro. John volunteered at the Bill Little Tournament. Sandeep will be there at Siena playing. Sreenivas will also be helping at Bill Little.
4. Library – Need to be sure we have more help than last year. If you are not pre-registered for the first round, $10 fee to play first round.
5. Offer through Peter Hemmer for a permanent site in Colonie for MTRM tournaments, which might include storage space. Brother John will be checking out the site Friday at 5:00 this week. Concern that player numbers will decrease if is not held at different venues around the Capital District.
6. Brother John had a volunteer to take care of the web site in regard to point totals per player each year.
7. Since we are a not-for-profit organization and depend on sponsorship from individuals to pay for trophies, medals, and insurance, etc., we will make this point better known and ask for contributions. We will also start 50/50 raffles.
8. Insurance was changed which will save the organization a lot of money each year.

Motion to adjourn by Brother John. Seconded by Laurie Miroff. Meeting adjourned 3:52 pm.

Make the Right Move #99    Date: December 5, 2015

Location: Niskayuna High School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sreenivas Alampalli, Liz Gialanella, Kassi McTague, Rhamel Bynum, Adam Aleksic, Miguel Cruz, Giovanny Vicento, and Laurie Miroff

Minutes: Meeting started by Liz Gialanella, 2:55 pm.

• November 2015 minutes were unanimously approved.

• Old Business:

1. Finances: $1 donation received. $81 from Harold Stencil.

1. Vouchers: going well with no problems.

• New Business:

4. President proposes schedule of tournaments (nine; first Saturday of month) Jan. Mtg. for calendar year 2016-2017: Oct. 8, Nov. 5, Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 4, Mar 4, Apr 1, May 6, Jun 4. Dates may need to change and tournaments may be added depending on sponsorship and access to locations.

1. MTRM Tournament #100 at Albany HS January 16

Talent Contest at lunch break – musicians, etc. Need to sign up on line. Show will take place in second cafeteria.  Motion: talent contest from 12:25-12:55 on Jan. 16. Motion carried by vocal vote. (Dwayne Bass was nominated to coordinate this activity. Brother John will establish contact to confirm.)

There will also be a Blitz Tournament, Round Robin, with four top players in the area beginning at noon. Phillip Thomas, Zach Calderon, Patrick Chi and Martha Samadashvili will play round 1 at 12:00 with round 2 at 12:15.  Round 3 will take place at 3:15. Games will be recorded and projected as much as possible for all to see, then placed on the web.

Purchase (Bake) Cake to celebrate the #100 tournament.  Alampalli Family volunteered to get the cake

1. Motion: March is Nationals for High School and MTRM March tournament falls during this. Do we need to change the date of the MTRM tournament? Voted not to change the date since not many high school students from the area will be attending Nationals.

1. Motion: award team plaques to only the top 5 or so schools/clubs to save money. Plaques are purchased for the 2015-16 year. We will revisit this motion before purchasing plaques for the 2016-17 year.

Motion to adjourn by Kassi McTague. Seconded by Laurie Miroff. Meeting adjourned 3:20 pm.

Make the Right Move 98    Date: November 21, 2015                Location: LaSalle, Troy

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Joseph Schneider, and Laurie Miroff

Minutes: Meeting started by Brother John, 4:00 pm

Old Business:

• October 2015 minutes were unanimously approved.
• Turnout at La Salle Institute today was great, with many new players adding to total enjoyment. Facilities were splendid and spacious, with many things to do as Basketball games and activities abounded.
• Joseph Schneider generously donated $300 in sponsoring this tournament. A note of thanks will be sent (11/23/15).

• New Business:

Note that USCF dues will increase January 1, 2016.  Vouchers obtained through Make The Right Move will remain $9.00 so the savings are even larger!

The next Make The Right Move tournament will be held on December 5, 2015 at Niskayuna High School.  The tournament will start at 9:00 am.  Participants should arrive by 8:30 am to be ready to start at 9:00.

Brother John moved to adjourn.  Meeting adjourned around 4:05 pm.

Make the Right Move #96  Date: October 10, 2015            Location:  Albany Academy
Attendees: Brother John McManus, Liz Gialanella, Rhamel Bynum, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, and Laurie Miroff
Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep, 3:45 pm
July 29, 2015 minutes were unanimously approved by voice vote.
Old Business:
Financial report:
$600 in tournament sponsorship money was contributed today, along with $5 & $20 donation. This brings the capital District to $1025 towards our goal of $4000. Thanks also to those many people who give of their time, as without your help “Free Chess for Youth” would not be possible
Since there will be more than 9 tournaments this year, MTRM is looking to “convert” contributed trophies from stars of ‘yesteryear‘. Trophies will then be upgraded for these tournaments as necessary with limited cost. Liz asked if people could donate old trophies and we can have them reworked. Brother John noted that we do not have the trophy parts and often this can turn out to be more expensive than purchasing new trophies. Stay tuned to see if some trophy company if available to serve our needs.
Seven vouchers were sold today and approximately 20 in NYC. A total of around 35 have been sold out of the original purchase (300) for this year (about 10%) Liz has followed up on joining our team servicing USCF by learning how to process vouchers on Thurs. at Albany HS.
Saratoga Scholastic Championship at Saratoga: Liz (Dr. G.) will work on a plan similar to that used last year where 5 schools that regularly participate in MTRM tournaments were offered chess scholarships, payment of entry fees for two individuals per school based on need. Transportation to the tournament and supervision at the tournament, etc. is not provided. The tournament is a two-day tournament.
New Business:
Motion made by Sreenivas to give out only medals for the Open section since many adults playing there have many trophy cases already. . Brother John objected, since many over 1400 scholastics would be driven away and especially treasure winning in such noble company.
Motion made by Sreenivas to give out only medals to USCF rated players who choose to play in the AWE section. Motion unanimously approved.
Motion made by Sandeep regarding recognition of service performed by our volunteers. Motion unanimously approved. People who volunteer at the tournaments will now be recognized on the website for their service whether large or small. Most work about 5 hours, from 10:00-3:00. Some set up from 8:30-9:30, etc. Please sign in as volunteers and be recognized!

Liz asked about handing out books instead of medals at tournaments; this has been and continues to be an option for the winner. One suggestion was to have one tournament where books are the only prize. She further asked about selling books as a fundraiser.
Liz Gialanellamoved to adjourn; Sandeep Alampali seconded. Meeting adjourned around 4:08 pm.

Make the Right Move Meeting (Committee of Corporation)
Date: July 29, 2015
Location:LaSalle School, 391 Western Ave., Albany
Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, SreenivasAlampalli, Santhosh Abraham,Laurie Miroff; Absent and excused: Liz Gialanella was unable to find meeting location on campus.
Meeting called to order at 6:00 by Sandeep Alampalli, President
A. No Minutes from last meeting(s) were presented for approval.
B.Old Business:
Reports:
a. Finance – Santhosh
1. Finances form will be kept for each month: $ at start, received, spent, signed off on (NYC/Albany) Calendar year Jan – Dec. Details confidential. Summary published: July $400 in.
2. Volunteer hours and phone #s (Equivalent value $10 / hour contribution) record kept confidential. Volunteer services estimated (8 vol@$10/hr for 5 hrs ea = $400)
3. Copy of Driver’s license & SS # (for check signing account) (Albany-Santhosh & Laurie) (confidential)
4. Vouchers begin Oct ($9 each; total of $2700); Liz will help
5. Official notice for sponsors: Thank you mailed promptly with amount, check #, address (e.g., $200 Check #XXX, Albany Acad., received July 29, 2015)
b. Recruitment & Training – Laurie
1. Needs assessment should be done: # & condition of equipment, projection of people interested in training, etc.
2. Gift of 11 new clocks from Schenectady CC courtesy of Michael Mockler. Clocks will be available at Proctors Blitz tournament on Aug 20 11:30-1:00
c. Website & mail chimp  – Sandeep
1. List of all 200 e-mails on file from mail chimp
2. Send notice 2 weeks and 1 week prior
3. Post individual flyer for each event
4. Update all areas website (e.g., links, good chess sites for kids, create articles, games played)
d. Sites & Dates– Liz
1. Confirm all dates & places for tournaments; 10 MTRM 2015-16 tournaments
2. PAL not yet on calendar
3. TLA due 10th 3 mo. Prior to event
4. Observation by A Gnidica (NYS Library) that we appeared understaffed at event there 2015
e. Other – Kassie McTague, Rhamel Bynum
1. Mary Boykin (Malta Montessori) request for chess teacher; need more info. from her (e.g., meeting times, place, etc.); no one had any suggestions. Her request has been posted on the web.
2. NYS Champ – Albany Marriot Sept 2-4
3. Nils Grotnes – Saratoga Scholastics (comp tech) for Steve Immitt, email: Nils R Grotnes<nils.grotnes@gmail.com>
4. Aug. 20 at Proctors – great prizes
5. Facebook presence must be constantly interesting. Pictures and writings are a must.
6. Brother John is making brochures for MTRM to be ready for NYS Champs at the Marriot on Sept. 2-4. A side for donations, vouchers, calendar essential parts of this booklet.
C. New Business:None
D. Proposals:
1. Sandeep proposed having a chess talk during a half hour lunch break at MTRM tournaments. Bother John said it might not work (no time); suggested setting up a demo. board and going over a game instead.
2. Limit byes to ½ point per tournament. Passed unanimously.
E. Motion to adjourn by Brother John at 7:00; seconded by Sandeep

October to June, 2014-2015

Notice of Board of Director Yearly Meeting – June 7 at 4:00 at Riverbank State Park.

The Right Move Chess Foundation Board met at Riverbank State Park on Sunday, June 7, 2015 for the Annual Board Meeting.  We reviewed and approved  the work of the Committees of the Corporation for Albany and New York City. We reviewed the budget and the work of the Finance Committee.  We approved the tentative calendars for tournaments in each area and expressed much admiration and commendations to the many volunteers who all contribute services freely.

We intend to continue using our website www.therightmove.org and www.chesstrm.org to publish and advertise, keeping our costs at a minimum.  We also intend to offer 300 vouchers at $9 each for scholastic players to join/renew USCF memberships, a substantial saving for many parents and coaches.  With the help of tournament directors we intend to offer a limited number of free entries to the Brooklyn Bridge Scholastic Championships and the State Scholastic Championships in Saratoga Springs.

Lofty goals and worthy challenges!  We have a fantastic crew of parents, teachers, coaches and friends who find us and spread the word, helping chess grow while challenging us to listen and respond to the youth of today.

• Brother John McManus
• Eliot Weiss
• Alejandro Beasley

Minutes of Meeting

June 6, 2015       Rensselaer Boys & Girls Club

Make the Right Move            Date: June 6, 2015

Location: Rensselaer Boys’ and Girls’ Club

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Santhosh Abraham, Liz Gialanella, Joseph Schneider, Kassi McTague, Rhamel Bynum, Miguel Cruz, Giovanny Vincento, Dean Howard, and Laurie Miroff

Minutes: Meeting started by Brother John

• March 7, 2015 minutes were unanimously approved.

• Old Business:

a. Plaques need to be ordered; 250.  Plaques will be 4 x 6 and  3 x 5. Cost (actual) $1169 from Crown Awards for NYC (12 plaques each Oct-June, 9 tournaments) and Albany (10 plaques each Oct-June) + picnic.

1. Top players with 20 or more points receive a plaque at the picnic at CBA on June 6.  Needed 21 plaques.  Team plaques for the year for Albany and NYC included in order above.  Cost Projuction: $1150

b. Picnic 6/17/15 at Christian Brothers Academy (CBA), 12 Airline Dr.      Time 3:00- 7:00   FREE   AWARDS  Honors   Hall of Fame

1. Brother John contacted Stewarts for ice cream and fixin’s.   Brother John will bring hot dogs and hamburgers, watermelon.  Expecting 80-100 people.  People can be creative and bring what they like for fun activities.

c.  The MTRM schedule for next year is posted on the web site, but has not been ratified.  Brother John has to confirm the venues and dates. More people are getting involved and learning how these things can get done.

d. Knowledgeable volunteers are needed to update the website frequently.  Each school should have a representative for posting.

e. Last year all 300 vouchers for USCF were sold at $9. This is a significant saving for teams and families.  MTRM would like to offer this again.  It is much work on organizers, but a worthwhile task. Also, USCF likes when the vouchers are purchased; it is easier for them.  Dr. G  has volunteered to help, but it would be even better if two or three MTRM people are also willing to learn how to process vouchers.

• New Business:

a. NYC chess players needed a student representative to speak for them. Brother John proposed a student rep be chosen for MTRM and Joe Schneider seconded. Kassi McTague, Rhamel Bynum, Miguel Cruz, Giovanny Vincento volunteered and were unanimously accepted.

b. Sunday, June 72015 is the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors.  It will take place at Riverbank State Park at 4:00 after the meeting of the Committee of the Corporation for NYC. Our Board Members are Brother John McManus, Eliot Weiss and Alejandro Beasley.

c. Taxes for The Right Move Chess Foundation, a 501c3 Private Foundation, were filed on time this year.  They are a matter of public record.

d. The NYS Scholastic Tournament at Saratoga was the largest it has ever been and needed to hire a separate facility. Brother John will volunteer again next year, hopefully being able to again grant more Scholastic chessplayers “scholarships” to this event.

Joe Schneider moved to adjourn.  Meeting adjourned around 4 pm.

May 6, 2015 Bethlehem Central Middle School

No notes presented.

April 18, 2015 New York State Library

No formal meeting due to constraints of time, with round 1 starting at 10:30 and cleanup and exit by 4:00.  Next Meeting: Bethlehem Central Middle School, May 1, 2015.

Date: March 7, 2015   Albany Community Charter School

Attendees: Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Liz Gialanella, Joseph Schneider, Kassi McTague, Rhamel Bynum, Ken Evans, and Laurie Miroff

Minutes: Meeting started by Sandeep Alampalli and Brother John

• February 7, 2015 minutes were unanimously approved.

• Old Business:

Brother John offered congratulations to all those who competed and volunteered at last weekend’s tournament in Saratoga.

Approximately 42 vouchers to join/renew USCF membership were sold and the money was given by Sreenivas Alampalli to Brother John. USCF has been asked to extend the deadline as it expires at the end of March.

• Finance Report:

$10 was given to Brother John from Liz Gialanella for chess boards.

$2000 for Make the Right Move insurance; liability and for the Board of Directors

Trophy order placed ($1226). Order extends from April, 2015, through February, 2016, with 1st and 2nd place and many not having third place trophies: Sections must have twelve or more players to get a third place award. Plaques order ($1200) due to be placed end of June for October, 2015.

 

There is approximately $300 in the account (not counting the money received today).

Sponsors for 2015-2016 season need to be pinned down. To fully meet needs each tournament can be co-sponsored by two persons at $200 each. Current committed sponsors include: Alampalli Family, Whyte Family, Sandeep Alampalli, and Joseph Schneider for 1 tournament each, and Dr. Mohammed Ettouney for 2 tournaments.

New Business:

Many people who have registered are not coming to the tournaments, or coming late, creating difficulty in pairing for Round 1. Possible solution: checking in players. Players who do not arrive for check in by 9:40 not be allowed to play round 1. (Implementation does require commitment for a volunteer at the Tournament to do the check-in from 9 AM to 10 AM. Hopefully, this rule can be implemented beginning next school year). **Players would be given ½ point for round 1 if they are on the list and arrive late. Exception: $5 donation to play round 1 if late would get them a pairing, if possible, or a full-point bye. Passed by voice vote.

Meeting adjourned around 5 pm.

Date:	02/07/2015
Location:	Albany High School
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Liz Gialanella, Joseph Schneider, Kassi McTague, and Rhamel Bynum

 

Minutes: Meeting started at 3:50 pm by Sandeep Alampalli and Brother John.

• January 3, 2015 minutes were unanimously approved.
• Sreenivas reported that about 15 USCF vouchers were sold since last month. He also reported that 6 more vouchers were sold during the tournament. Brother John mentioned that there are still about 110 vouchers available.
• Old Business:
• Saratoga Scholastic Scholarship – Liz is finalizing the short list of the 19 scholarship candidates based on various requests from chess Clubs/Schools. Congratulations to all for a job well done, and good luck to these winners.
• Finance Report:
• $63 was received at the tournament for seven vouchers. Money for one will be returned as it was not youth member.
• A check for $200 was received from Dr. Mohammed Ettouney for TRM 91 sponsorship.
• New Business:
• Tentative dates (first Saturday of every month) for School Year 2015-2016 tournaments were presented by Brother John. Committee will review and give their input next month. One or two sponsors have to be identified for each of these tournaments.

 

TRM #	Tentative Date	Site	Sponsor 1	Sponsor 2
95	October 10	Albany Academy
96	November 7
97	December 5
98	January 2
99	February 6
100	March 5
101	April 2
102	May 7
103	June 4

 

Sreenivas proposed a slate of Officers for 2015-2016 school year based on discussions with various interested volunteers. The slate as follows:

 

President: Sandeep Alampalli

Vice-President: Liz Gialanella

Treasurer: Santhosh Abraham

Secretary: Laurie Miroff;

 

The proposal was unanimously approved by all in attendance.

 

Since current Treasurer Mr. Whyte has offered to step down due to other commitments, the proposal was unanimously approved by all in attendance. Santhosh will take over as Treasurer immediately, as approved by the Committee of the Corporation for Albany.

 

• Brother John proposed that effective March 2015 at TRM 92, if there are less than 12 registered in any section, only two trophies (instead of three) will be presented.  The proposal was unanimously approved by all in attendance.

 

• Brother John asks that Sandeep appoint Ms. Samantha Giknis to help with trophies preparation as in previous years, increasing her  helping with ordering and billiing this year. We thank her for all this effort, time and terrific work.

 

• Meeting was adjourned around 4:10 pm.

Date:	01/03/2015
Location:	Albany High School
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Santhosh Abraham, Liz  Gialanella, Mike, Joseph Schneider,  Kassi McTague, Mike Cruz, and Rhamel Bynum

 

Minutes:  Meeting started at 3:25 pm by Sandeep Alampalli and Brother John.

1. December 13^th 2014 minutes approved by the committee and Sreenivas seconded.

Sreenivas reported that we were able to sell 35 USCF vouchers since last month.

Old Business:

• Sandeep and Santhosh are preparing for USCF Club TD program
• Sreenivas is preparing for the Sr. TD Program
• Brother John suggested to start nominating people for Next year’s officers;  training to begin immediately.
• Brother John proposed the name of Dr. Liz for next year’s president’s post
• Saratoga Scholastic Scholarship – Dr. Liz is working on short listing the 10 scholarship candidates from various requests from chess Clubs/Schools.
• Sreenivas expressed the need for more sponsors for the tournaments and fund raising to cover the expenses

4. Finance Report:

$ 3300 – Currently available in Bank

$2000 – Insurance due in February

$1000 – Medals paid for medals in January

$1000 – Holding with Lawyer for incorporation

Karen paid $380 and requested the receipt for this amount.

• Received $125 for new and renewal of memberships

Mail Chimp:

• Sandeep is working on the mail chimp
• Brother John suggested including all the registration emails to our mail chimp and majority of the board members agreed to that. Since they are already registered for RTM tournaments we don’t need additional consent from them.

New Business: Schedule for next year tournaments.

 

Meeting was adjourned around 3:58 pm.

Minutes of Meeting

Date:	12/13/2014
Location:	Bethlehem Middle School
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Liz  Gialanella, Ken Evans, Kassi McTague, Mike Cruz, and Rhamel Bynum

 

Minutes:  Meeting started at 7:30 pm by Sandeep Alampalli and Brother John.

1. Sreenivas reported that three $9 Vouchers were purchased during the Bethlehem Winter Open Tournament. Karen Merker of Mighty Pawns also reserved 20 vouchers of which three were utilized (one during the TRM 89 tournament). This brings to a total of 150 used of the 300 at hand.

2. Liz continues to finalize the details of the players the RightMove would like to sponsor through free registration at NYS Scholastic Tournament that will be held in Saratoga Springs during March 2015.

3. Finance Report: The following were received at the Bethlehem Winter Open Tournament:
   1. Cerf Family : $200 (check)
   2. CCC Chinese School: $200 (check)

4. Upcoming Tournaments: Brother John and Sreenivas will coordinate changes required on the website for NYS Museum tournament. Brother John also mentioned that Sandeep did a good job in sending the tournament announcements from Mailchimp.

5. New Business: We need a web coordinator for maintaining TRM website. Please contact any of the officers if someone is interested.

Meeting was adjourned around 8:00 pm.

 

Minutes of Meeting

Date:	12/06/2014
Location:	MLK School, Schenectady, NY
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Joe Schneider, Liz  Gialanella, Karen Merker, Kassi McTague, Mike Cruz, and Rhamel Bynum

 

Minutes:  Meeting started at 3:30 pm by Sandeep Alampalli and Brother John.

1. Old Business: Sreenivas reported that fourteen $9 Vouchers were purchased during the TRM89 Tournament. Karen also reserved 20 vouchers of which three were utilized (one during the TRM 89tournament). This brings to a total of 116 used of the 300 at hand. Sreenivas and Sandeep also mentioned $9 vouchers availability to few other TDs at a recent tournament.

 

2. Liz (Dr. G) has been finalizing the details of the players The Right Move would invite by sponsoring them with free registration at NYS Scholastic Tournament that will be held in Saratoga Springs during March 2015.

 

3. Much discussion regarding allowing adults to play at rated sections of The Right Move tournaments. This decision will be revisited and reevaluated based on comments received. Best option: allow adults only in Queen and King Sections to help fill out the sections . Open and Awe sections continue to be open to all players. (N.B., Open now only Quick rated, see New Business)

 

4. Rules regarding late registration must be enforced more strictly beginning with the December 13 tournament at Bethlehem Central, i.e., close registration half-an hour before the first round start time and enroll them for second round. Option: Pay $5 to play Round 1.

 

5. Finance Report: The following checks/cash were received at the TRM 89 Tournament: Brother John will send out letters confirming these donations.
   1. Karen Merker: $380 (check)
   2. Carlos Varela: $200 (replacing lost check)
   3. Ken Evans: $100 (check)
   4. Mohammed Ettouney: $200 (check)
   5. Sale of fourteen $9 vouchers: $ 126 (cash)

New Business: Open Section at TRM 89 utilized “G/25, d/3” time control that only affects Quick Ratings. Sreenivas reported that he received positive feedback at the tournament regarding this change.

 

7. Upcoming Tournaments: Brother John discussed the Bethlehem Winter open that will be held on 12/13/2014, the Albany PAL Championship that will held on 2/16/2015, and A Tournament at Elka Park that will held on April 25, 2015. -Meeting was adjourned at 4:00 pm.

Minutes of Meeting

Date:	11/15/2014
Location:	Bethlehem Central MS
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli

 

Minutes:  Meeting started at 3:30 pm and President started the meeting.

1. Brother John noted that minutes from Joe Schneider were not yet posted. They await approval at the next meeting, Dec. 6, at Martin Luther King Magnet School in Schenectady at 3:45-4:00.

2. Old Business: Sreenivas reported that seven $9 Vouchers were purchased during the Bethlehem Fall Classic Tournament held on 11/15/2014. The total is now 90/300.

3. New Business: Based on suggestions by several USCF players rated above 1400 and subsequent discussion, Sandeep Alampalli brought forward the following motion:

Effective immediately, future Right Move tournaments’ Open Sections will use “G/25, d/4” time control so as to be rated only as “Quick” and not also “Regular”. All other sections will continue to use “G/30, d/5” time control and thus subject to dual rating.

The motion passed unanimously, but is still open for futher review. The object is to have more players participate without jeopardizing regular ratings.

4. Sreenivas will post entries on the website for the December tournament and will bring computer with updated files ready for the 10:00 start.

Meeting was adjourned at 3:40 pm. (Notes by Sandeep Alampalli) Next meeting, Dec. 6, at Martin Luther King Magnet School in Schenectady at 3:45-4:00

Date:	11/01/2014
Location:	SUNY Albany
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Joseph Schneider, Christine Whyte and Philip Sells

 

Minutes:  Meeting commenced at 3:50 PM.  President distributed the agenda.

1. Minutes of the last meeting approved. (Unanimous)

2. Old Business: USCF Membership discount vouchers – 2 people from Mighty pawns bought today.  To date we have sold approximately 60 with about 240 still available. 

3. Reports of Committees 

1. Finance: need to locate 2 checks or rewrite for Albany 

1. Communication: Still need letter to Montessori Magnet School (Joseph Whyte) 

4. New Business: Need a suggested list for NY State Scholastic Championship 2015 scholarships to February tournament in Saratoga Springs.  Possible list:  2 for Albany Community Charter, 2 for Albany High School, 2 for East Greenbush, 2 for St. Joseph’s, 2 for Martin Luther King.  One other possible group would be Rensselaer Boys and Girls Club.  (not confirmed for NYS with Steve Emmitt yet) (Liz Gialanella is on this.) 

5. Meeting adjourned at 4:04 PM.  (notes by Joseph Schneider)

Date:	10/18/2014
Location:	Montessori Magnet Charter School
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Sreenivas Alampalli, Joe Schneider, Liz  Gialanella

 

Minutes:  Meeting started at 3:00 pm and President started the meeting with the distribution of agenda.

1. Minutes of the last meetings were distributed and were approved unanimously with the following addendum:

“Officers from the Committees of the Corporation received copies of the By-laws and Amendment proposed for the inclusion in the report to the Attorney General for new Articles of Incorporation (The Right Move). “

2. Old Business: Reports of Committees

• Committee of Finance

• $9 Youth USCF membership Renewal Voucher program: Brother John reported that 52 Vouchers have been purchased. 248 remain.

• All ten numbered TRM tournaments now have tentative sponsorships. The Nevo family gave a $200 check to Brother John on Oct 18 to sponsor TRM 87.

• Committee of Communication

• Sreenivas Alampalli informed that 11 new names have been added to the Mailchimp list based on the sign-up sheet distributed by Santhosh at TRM 86. Seven more parents requested to be added to the mailing list at TRM87. Sreenivas Alampalli agreed to take the lead in updating the names. ( Action completed with names added.)

New Business: NY State Scholastic Championship 2015 – Dr. Liz Gialanella agreed to head the Committee that will decide on choosing 10 chess scholarship recipients for the NYS Scholastic Championship to be held in Saratoga Feb. 28 to March 1, 2015, based on criteria still in process, such as need.  Recipients to be named at the January 2015 tournament (TRM89).

Meeting was adjourned at 3.15 pm.

Right Move Officers Meeting

391 Western Avenue, Albany

 

 

Date:	10/04/2014
Location:	Albany Academy
Attendees:	Brother John McManus, Sandeep Alampalli, Christine Whyte, Kenneth Evans, Santhosh Abraham, Sreenivas Alampalli, Joe Schneider, Bill Matters

 

Minutes: Meeting started at 3.55 pm and President started the meeting with the distribution of agenda.

1. Approval of minutes of the last meeting. (Unanimous)
2. Old Business: USCF Member ship discount vouchers – Brother John explained that these vouchers became effective as of October 1^st 300 vouchers available to join/renew membership at $9.00 each

Reports of Committees

•  Committee of Finance
  • Christine Whyte will sign the Right Move checks with records of transactions reported to Joseph Whyte, treasurer. Brother John McManus will have two-three checks available to pay USCF functions; i.e., TLA’s, rating fees, Crown trophy, etc.
•  Committee of Communication
  • Christine Whyte will head the Committee of Communication. She will handle responsibility for future communications
  • Mail Chimp – The mailing list sign-up sheet for the first three tournaments received a good response from parents on the first tournament. Sreenivas Alampalli agreed to take the lead in updating the name and email addresses collected during the Albany Academy tournament into the mailchimp mailing list.

 

4. New Business: New Sponsorships – Some tournaments still need sponsors for this year. The Varela Family and the Chinese Chess Club have agreed to sponsor Right Move chess tournaments.

 

1. NY State Scholastic Championship 2015 – Searching possibility of offering 10 free chess scholarships to the Feb. 28-Mar 1 State Championship. A nominating process may help determine eligibility and an as yet un-named committee will decide the final 10 players to be named at the January tournament.

 

5. Motion: All tournaments hosted by The Right Move should be used to decide the Player of the Year award, and those players with more than ten events can pick their higher scores. –Motion amended to read that only tournaments with both rated and unrated sections will be considered for the Player of the year award. (For example, Woodcrest and Elka Park would not be considered as they contain only unrated sections, even though rated players may play in the unrated sections at Woodcrest and Elka Park.) Motion was passed unanimously.

 

Meeting was adjourned at 4.15 pm.

Right Move Officers Meeting, 391 Western Avenue, Albany

Sunday, 9/14/2014

Attendees:   Sandeep Alampalli, Brother John McManus, Liz Gialanella, Joseph Whyte, Santhosh Abraham, and Sreenivas Alampalli (Guest)

Minutes:  Meeting started at 4:10 PM. Sandeep started the meeting with distribution of the Agenda.

1 2014-15 Tournament Schedule and sponsorships were discussed. The table below gives confirmed tournament and sponsors. Bethlehem Central MS has added Nov 15 & Dec 13 tournaments starting at 2:00 (4SS, G/30;d0)

Tournament	Date	School	Sponsor ($200 each)
TRM #86	Oct. 4, 2014	Albany Academy	Alampalli Family
TRM #87	Oct. 18, 2014	Montessori MS	Nevo Family
TRM #88	Nov. 1, 2014	SUNY	Dr. Ettouney
TRM #89	Dec. 6, 2014	Martin Luther King MS	Whyte Family
TRM #90	Jan. 3, 2015	Albany HS	Philip Sells
TRM #91	Feb. 7, 2015	Albany HS	Dr. Ettouney
TRM #92	Mar. 7, 2015	Albany Community CS
TRM #93	Apr. 11, 2015	Albany NYS Museum/Library	East Greenbush Chess Club
TRM #94	May 2, 2015	Bethlehem Central MS
TRM #95	June 6, 2015	Rensselaer Boys’ & Girls’ Club
Picnic	TBD	CBA	TBD

Schenectady Chess Club and Albany Chess Club may also be sponsoring  tournaments. Means for getting more sponsorships and reaching out to previous sponsors was discussed.

2 Finances are in good standing. Trophies have been ordered, sorted and stored through March for the 2014-15 school year. Joseph Whyte and Brother John will coordinate financial record maintenance, receipt of donations and reports for IRS. (The Right Move responded to a request from Lesedi Morrison in August and provided 8 chess sets and boards for their upcoming chess program at Henry Johnson Charter School.)

3 Size of sections was discussed. Some sections have small turnouts and had to be combined. Some players only face the same opponents over and over. Possible solution: Allowing adults in King Section: Several players that come to Right Move tournaments inquired about allowing adults into USCF rated sections. After considerable discussion, a motion was made to allow all players irrespective of age to participate in USCF rated sections at the discretion of the TD. The motion was approved unanimously and are effective beginning with the October 4^th Tournament,

4 Thank you notes for sponsors will be sent promptly this year to all sponsors upon receipt of their contribution by Joseph Whyte, Treasurer.

5 Website appearance, updating and maintenance issues were discussed. Suggestions for improving the website were offered. Brother John gave an account of areas that need updating. Volunteers with knowledge or willing to learn how to maintain the web site can seek “permission” to work on areas within the website.

6 MailChimp, an automatic e-mail list, was discussed: The e-mail list still missing many players that routinely come to the tournaments. Hence, it was decided to have a sign-up sheet at the first three tournaments soliciting e-mails of players interested in being added to the mail list. Santhosh will take the lead on this.

7 Youth memberships were discussed. The $9 Youth memberships can be obtained from October through April to the first 300 payees. Those interested can contact Brother John and pay at the tournament site. Checks: The Right Move Chess Foundation

8 Other items:

1. Brother John mentioned that there are opportunities for coaching at various schools ( North Albany, Woodstock Day, Chinese Cultural School in Latham, PAL) near Capital District and elsewhere. Interested persons can contact Brother John.
2. Outreach issues were also discussed.
3. An Open section can be created at any tournament if there is an interest. An 8-player section or larger is suggested for true success.
4. Development of new Tournament Directors was discussed. Santhosh, Sandeep, and Tom Clark were interested. Sreenivas and Brother John will work with them.
5. Flyers for each of the upcoming tournaments were discussed. Sandeep and Kilian Whyte will work on AA Brochure and Liz will come up with ideas for others.
6. Names for individual tournaments are needed. Sponsors have first say but one will be supplied as necessary. Liz suggested: King’s Feast, Queen’s Choice, Bishop’s Honor, etc.

Meeting was adjourned at 5:40 PM

(Prepared by Sreenivas and reviewed by all attendees)  Next Meeting: October 4, 2014 at Albany Academy 3:45-4:00

        Sept 2013 to June 2014

    Capital District (Albany, NY)

New from USCF:  Vouchers for joining USCF 1000 @$7, 300 @$9, 100 @ $11 to renew all under 18 through our group, The Right Move Chess Foundation. Needed: $2700 for 300 memberships to be obtained in a six-moth period.  Includes renewals, especially valuable for HS students. TRM would like to offer this program beginning Oct (concluding in March).

 

May 3, 2014 The Right Move #84

The Right Move Chess Foundation Albany Board Meeting

Meeting Minutes:  3.55 – 4.20pm

Present:	Bro John, Bill Matters, Srinivasan Alampalli, Sandeep Alampalli, Joseph Whyte, Killian Whyte, Christine Whyte, Michael Mockler.
Next meeting:	June 7, Menands School, 19 Wards Lane, Menands. 3:45-4:00 PM.
	Want to help?  Picnic at CBA on Wed., June 18, 2014

I.      Announcements

Martha Samadashvili has been chosen to represent the USA in the upcoming PanAmerican Games in Chess in Mexico during July, 2014.  We are most proud to have her as our representative!

FIDE/USCF rated tournament will be held at the Best Western Hotel on Western Avenue, October 11-12, National Chess Day.  Further details will be announced.  It is expected that the Entry Fee will be $50.

No electronic devices may be used in the tournament room at TRM chess tournaments (cell phones, tablets, related devices).  Signs should be posted clearly indicating this.

Many players fail to register for round one. Rules state: Play round two and get ½ point bye. New change:   Players not on the website list who come to register less than 30 minutes before the start time must pay $2 to register for round 1.  Players are encouraged to register online before the tournament to keep FREE CHESS FOR YOUTH possible.

 II.    Discussion

Officers for the 2014-2015 year to be installed in June 2014:  The following people were nominated and unanimously approved at the meeting:  Sandeep Alampalli (President); Liz Gialanella (Vice President); Joseph Whyte (Treasurer); Santhosh Abraham (Secretary); Zach Calderon (student representative).  Brother John will continue as Executive Director.  Christine Whyte will continue to serve as Board Member.

III.   Roundtable

RPI tournaments for Summer of 2014:  nothing to report

TRM  lawyer for Albany and NYC area is continuing to work on the redrafted 501(c)3 Articles of Incorporation to become effective July, 2014?! (Cost $1500-$3200).

Sponsors for next year:  East Greenbush Chess Club will sponsor the NYS museum tournament again next season.  The Alampalli family will sponsor the Albany Academy tournament.  The Whyte family will sponsor the SUNY tournament.  Dr. Mohammed Ettorney will sponsor the …

April 5, 2014  The Right Move Albany Board Meeting  TRM#83 ACCS

Present:

Brother John Mc Manus, Joseph Whyte, Sreenivas Alampalli, Dr Mohamed Elkhoury, Christine Whyte.  Excused:  Samantha Giknis

Next Meeting

May 3, 2014

I.      Announcements

The Vassar Tournament will be April 12, Platte Ccove Tournament May 12, Newburgh May 31.  There may be a Bethlehem tournament around May 31.

Lawyers fees $1500 – $3300 will be required for 501(c) 3 documentation update:  approved

Received $450 from Sreenivas Alampalli (donated TD Fee)

Received $200 Dr Mohamed Ettorney

June 7 (TRM tournament Menands) is a tentative date for celebrating Martha Samadashvili’s exciting chess journey to the United Arab Emirate in December, 2013, representing the USA in the World Junior Chess tournament. She played 11 games in 11 days with a 7-4 record against the best in the World!

II.    Discussion

The RPI summer tournaments are still under consideration from Philip Sells. Awaiting input…Joseph Whyte was nominated to work on the Picnic brochure for June 18       Christine and Joseph Whyte will help to organize the picnic

III.   Roundtable

Officers nominated so far for next year to take effect in June, 2014:  Liz Gialanella (President), Christine Whyte (Vice president), Samantha Giknis (Secretary), Treasurer (Joseph Whyte), IT (Ron Ladouceur, Sreenivas Alampalli (tournament advisor).

 

Minutes on February 15, 2014 for Board Meeting at Albany HS, TRM # 81

The Right Move, Board Meeting at Albany HS, TRM # 81 (Feb 8, 2014 was changed to February 15, 2014)

The meeting began at 4:20pm for Make The Right Move.

Present at our meeting on February 15, 2014 :   Brother John McManus,
Sreenivas Alampalli, Samantha Giknis and Karen Merker

Billing for insurance, liability and directors,  $2,000.00 / yearly fee.
There was a confirmation that the dates for chess tournaments are presented for next year…Brother John and Christine Whyte will confirm exact dates with each school ASAP to present tentative schedule for next school year.
Tentative dates are agreed for the 2014-2015 season.  (Dates below are taken from our website)
http://www.chesstrm.org/?page_id=2806

10/18/14  TRM 86  Albany Academy          Montessori Magnet School?
11/1/14- TRM 87 SUNY
12/1/14- TRM 88 Martin Luther King Magnet School, Schenectady
1/10/15- TRM 89 Albany High School
2/7/15- TRM 90 Albany High School
3/7/15- TRM 91 Rensselaer Boys’ & Girls’ Club
4/4/15- TRM 92 NYS Library
5/2/15- TRM 93 Albany Community Charter School
6/6/15- TRM 94 Menands

Reminders: NYS Scholastic Chess Championship Tournament in Saratoga Springs at the City Center on March 1st and 2nd.  EF: $50-$75, 2-days.
(Above all students K-12 are invited and this is a paid tournament)  chessaction.com or Continental Chess

Srinivas Alampalli to meet with Brother John on Sunday, 2/16/14 from 2:00-3:30 re: 990 PF filings, CHAR500 and assorted IRS details The Right Move Chess Foundation, Inc.

Nominations for officers for 2014-2015 still needs fulfilling.  It is hoped to name at least 3 persons for each position: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Officers may serve 2 terms.  Currently Christine Whyte (President), Joseph Whyte (Vice President), Samantha Giknis (Secretary) and Paul Wilson (Treasurer) are eligible for another year.

Still no date arranged re: cake to celebrate Martha Samadashvili’s achievements. March 8?   (Mailchimp may be useful here).

Next meeting March 8 at Rensselaer Boys’ & Girls’ Club, 3:30-3:45 (approx).     Meeting ended 4:30.

January 18, 2014 The Right Move, Board Meeting at Albany HS, TRM # 80

Present:	Kenneth Evans, Karen Merker, Philip Sells, Brother John, Christine Whyte
Next meeting:	TRM 81@Albany HS, Feb 8, 2014

I.        Announcements

v      The meeting began at 4pm.  The minutes from the last meeting, Dec 7, 2013, were agreed and adopted.

v      Thanks to Liz and team at Albany HS for hosting a great tournament!

v      Thanks to the Alampalli family, who sponsored this tournament, TRM #80!

v      The following changes to the bylaws were approved:

• Section 1 shall state that the location of the principal office of The Right Move will be in Albany NY
• Section 4 shall state that the organization will serve the children of New York State

v      Tentative dates are agreed for the 2014-2015 season.

• 10/18/14 – TRM 86
• 11/1/14- TRM 87
• 12/1/14- TRM 88
• 1/10/15- TRM 89
• 2/7/15- TRM 90
• 3/7/15- TRM 91
• 4/4/15- TRM 92
• 5/2/15- TRM 93
• 6/6/15- TRM 94

v      Our thanks are extended to Elliott Weiss of the Edward R Murrow School.  He has offered to help with printing and supplying chess game papers.  This will save $429 (mentioned in minutes 12/7/13).

v      Our thanks are extended to Gretchen Georgia-Collins at the College of Saint Rose, for assistance with TRM  IRS  501c (3) tax-exempt status filings and updates.

II.      Discussion

v      A date for the cake presentation to Martha Samadashvili will be agreed, pending confirmation by Martha’s Mom.  She will tell us when Martha will attend.

v      Scholarships:  offers have been extended to interested parties to nominate children to play in NY State Championships in Saratoga Springs. AHS: Richard & George, EG: Nigel & JanKarl, ACCS: Hakim & ?, NYC: Yvonne & Renee, Boubacar.

v      Sections at tournaments:  after considering changes, it was decided to stay with the present format.

v      Trophies:  It was decided to stay with Crown trophies.  Trophies ($6) and plaques ($5) with be purchased for next season.

III.    Roundtable

v      Mr Philip Sells is working on the RPI tournaments for Summer 2014.

The meeting adjourned at 4.18pm

The Right Move Albany, Board Meeting at MLK Magnet School Schenectady                  Meeting Minutes

December 7, 2013

Present:	Brother John, Paul Wilson, Philip Sells, Joseph Whyte, Bill Matters, Christine Whyte
Next meeting:	Jan 18, 2014, Albany HS

I.      Announcements

Meeting began 3.45pm

The minutes from the last meeting were adopted.

Fred Goldhirsch Fundraiser Tournaments to be held.  Dates TBD, possibly March 30/31, 2014.  These will be to raise cash for young players to get USCF membership and to send them to tournaments.  It is proposed that entry will be $30 per person.  Funds to be allocated:  35% to first place, 25% to second place, 40% to The Right Move fund.

• Paul Wilson and the staff and students of Martin Luther King School did an excellent job of hosting the chess tournament!  Great turnout, much enthusiasm

•  New TRM chess game sheets were ordered, 20,000 for $429.

•  It is proposed to get a celebratory cake to salute Martha Samadashvili’s entry into the World Youth Chess Championships in the United Arab Emirates Date TBD.

•  The date for the Rensselaer Boys and Girls’ Club TRM tournament will need to be changed.  It is proposed to move it back from March 1 to March 8, 2014.  To be confirmed.

•  Ten scholarships have been made available for promising youth to attend the NY state championships in Saratoga Springs.

 II.    Discussion

• Philip Sells is working on the Summer Program of RPI Tournaments for 2014

•  Date for Martha’s cake to be decided.

•  It is time to think about buying trophies for 2014-5. (Size, #, divisions, etc.) The previous supplier is Crown.  Christine Whyte to look at suppliers and decide on style vs. cost.

• The Board is considering reorganizing the sections/awarding of trophies for next year

Meeting adjourned at 4.05pm

• Proposal: 2 Fred Goldhirsch (The Right Move) Fundraiser Tournaments EF: $30.

• January 18-19 (MLK Week): Tournament 1

• March 29-30: Tournament 2

1. Registration Fee will be $30.  35% of monies go to 1st, 25% for 2nd in each
   section.  Rest goes to Right Move.

2. 4SS 40/110 SD/60 d5  2 games on Saturday and 2 games on Sunday (9:30 AM &
   2:30 PM each day)

3. Unrated not eligible for 1st Place prize (except in top section). Players
   divided evenly into two sections based on entries.

Nov. 16, Hanner Building LaSalle Campus (CCC), 391 Western Ave., Albany, 12203 Martha Conquers the World benefit tournament sponsored by the East Greenbush Chess Club

Responding to Bill Matters request to help Martha Samadashvili’s participation on the World Youth Junior Championships in the United Arab Emirates as a member of the USA team a two-section, Rated (19 players) and Unrated (18 players), tournament was conducted on Saturday, Nov. 16. The five round unrated section (G25;d0) was won by Martha Samadashvili, who then left to participate in a Connecticut tournament. In the rated (4SS, G45;d0) section Philip Sells (1st) and Peter Henner (2nd) tied with 3.5 points, while third place trophy went to Tian Gao with 3 points for his win over Nigel Galia.

Follow up Discussions:  A. The Intensive Development Plan (IDP) for young (and young at heart) chessplayers offering further participation in higher and more competitive play is taking form.  Working from the two-year successful summer RPI program the latest proposal looks like this (to be discussed at our Dec. 7 Board Meeting in MLK, Schenectady): A two-day 4SS, G/90;d5 will be offered with EF: $20.  Srinivas will consult the calendar and two such sessions will be added to TRM calendar before June 2013, pending approval by our president.  All (any) profits from said tournaments would be used for youth memberships into the USCF.  Accurate records kept/posted on the web. B. The Rules calls for the Vice President to lead meetings when the President is absent.  There is currently no provision for who leads meetings when all are absent.  Removal/renaming officers must be provided for continuity.  Sargeant-at-arms necessary to implement this?  C. Add to tournament Schedule- The newly revised (revisited) Kingston HS chess tournament (since 1974!!) is now scheduled for Feb. 22, 2014 at Miller Middle School, Lake Katrine, NY (near Kingston). See website for details.   D. Many thanks to Ken Evans for $100 donation to The Right Move. E. Brother John will send Srinivas list of email addresses electronically (also to Joseph Whyte for email)  F. Srinivas will install book keeping program for transparancy/record keeping of TRM funds.  G. First Draft Calendar for next scholastic year due in Jan. Proposed changes to sections???  Trophy orders for year made out in Feb-Mar.

Nov. 2, 2013 The Right Move Board Meeting, SUNY campus Assembly Hall B with the Fireside Lounge, Dutch Quad Tricentennial Rd., Albany

Nov. 6, 2013.  Random Floor Meetings During tournament. Srinivas Alampalli and Philip Sells coordinated finishing rounds at the Assembly Hall.  Pros: All went well, awards: trophies and medals. Some confusion after having mixed King/Queen sections due to lack of turnout.  All results posted in a timely manner on the web.  Cons: Tournament suffered from lack of directions “How to get to address/Assembly Hall B.” One group arrived at 10:30 for start of 10:00 Round, incorporated into tournament thanks to great diligence of staff.  Some people turned back after having been unable to locate tournament.  Notes: Francis Agyamong, Student Council President (SUNY), spoke of the important work our chessplayers contribute. Christine Whyte handled  all details while Dwayne Bass had a marvelous group of helpers from Albany Community Charter School handle food on site. The Whyte family sponsored this event.

Follow-up — Brother John has spoken with Steve Immitt responding to Alex Beltre’s suggestion (TD-NYC) on Nov. 3.  Steve verbally agreed (pending approval by his co-sponsors) to grant 10 entries to Jan. 12 tournament at Brooklyn, NYC, Marriot and 10 to Saratoga Springs March 1&2 NYS Scholastic Championships in exchange for work done by our two Senior level TD’s.  Initial offerings to DCCS (Haki Lumpkin & Xavier McCarthy), East Greenbush Chess Club (Galia Family, 2 slots) and AHS (2 slots).  Philip Sells considering plan for Intensive Development Program such as RPI 2012 and 2013.

The Right Move Board Meeting, Montessori Magnet School, 65 Tremont St, Albany

October 19, 2013

Present:	Brother John McManusJoseph WhyteSrinivas AlampalliBill MattersPhilip SellsChristine Whyte
Next meeting:	SUNY, TRM #91, Nov 2, 2013

I.      Announcements

Minutes from the previous meeting were adopted.

Erratum: The sponsor for the National Chess Day tournament at the Albany Academy on Oct 12 was Dr Mohamed Ettouney. 

 

The Right Move Tournament #90 was held today at Montessori Magnet School.  The tournament went well.  Grateful thanks to the Nevo family, who sponsored the event. 

 

Bill Matters and the East Greenbush Chess Club announced the Martha Samadashvili Benefit Tournament, to be held on Saturday, Nov 16, 2013, at the LaSalle School, 391 Western Ave, Albany.  At today’s tournament, $22.50 was collected towards Martha’s trip to the United Arab Emirates for the World Youth Chess Championships, Dec 17 – 29, 2013.

II.    Discussion

• E mailing:  a signup sheet for the collection of email addresses will be drawn up and circulated at future tournaments (CW to do)
• A letter will be drafted for receipt purposes for donations to TRM, to be in a standard format to allow IRS tax deduction for donors.  (Srinvasan to do)
• TRM shirts were distributed to more young players this week.  The remainder will be given to Karen Merker of St Joseph’s Mighty Pawns in Kingston, NY, to distribute to chess playing students there.
• The next tournament will be at SUNY Albany, Campus Center Alumni Hall B.  Signage and directions will be important. Brother John has visited, CW to further research.  There is a link to the campus map from chesstrm.org.

 

 

III.   Roundtable

Sponsorships are in place for the 3013-2014 season.  Dates are as follows:

 

Date	School	Sponsor	Payment Status
October 11, 2013	Albany Academy	Dr. Mohammed Ettouney	Paid $200 by Check on 10/11/2013
October 19, 2013	Montessori Magnet School	Nevo Family	Paid Cash $200 on 10/19/2013
November 2, 2013	University at Albany Campus	Whyte Family
December 7, 2013	Martin Luther King MS	Philip Sells
January 18, 2014	Albany High School	Alampalli Family
February 8, 2014	Albany High School	Karen Merker
March 1, 2014	Rensselaer Boys and Girls Club	Varela Family
April 5, 2014	Albany Community Charter School	Dr. Mohammed Ettouney
May 3, 2014	Albany NYS Museum/Library	East Greenbush Chess Club
June 7, 2014	Menands UFSD	Prakash Raj, Citiair Travel
June 25, 2014	CBA – PICNIC

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4.15pm.

October 12, 2013. National Chess Day Tournament (TRM) at Albany Academy.

Present: Brother John McManus, Christine Whyte, Bill Matters, Philip Sells, Dr. Liz Gialanella. Excused – Paul Wilson (had to leave early)

1. Announcements

1.  Acknowledgement of the celebration of National Chess Day today.
2. Acknowledgement of our Sponsor ($200), Dr. Mohammed Ettourney
3. Shirts with The Right Move logo were given to each youth participant in celebration of our Ten Year Anniversary in the Albany area. Certificates (suitable for framing) were also given to each participant
4. A fund for Martha Samadashvili to attend the World Junior Chess Championships in the United Arab Emirates in December, 2013 raised $107.44.  The “piggy bank” was well fed by parents, participants and spectators, and will be available for future contributions. Bill Matters (East Greenbush Chess Club) has organized a November 16 tournament to be held at the CCC Building of LaSalle School, 391 Western Ave., Albany 12203.
5. All tournament sites have been approved approved except Rensselaer Boys and Girls Club. That is expected soon.

Discussion

Mailchimp emailing list: efforts made to sign up more people have been discouraging. Our last mailchimp reached a grand total of 3 people. While we already have a lot of email addresses more efforts must be made to have people sign up for email on our website.  This will put them automatically on our list.

Roundtable

Discussion of having a fund for paying USCF dues to winners of the unrated section(s) and for helping expenses for the Saratoga NY State Championship continued. (Current thinking centered around needing a set aside marked fund of at least $300, with a qualified administrator to determine (a) who qualifies and (b) what criteria would be used in selecting same. To date there is no such fund nor volunteer to handle this chore.

Author: Christine Whyte, Oct. 13, 2013 (Amended by Brother John McManus)

 

The Right Move Chess – Capital District (Albany, NY) 2012-2013

Officers: Sreenivas Alampalli – President, Dakshinamurthy Puviarasu -Vice President, Paul Wilson – Financial Wizardry, Samantha Giknis – Secretary

#1 Oct. 6 Albany Academy, Albany 3:30-3:45  Present: Sreenivas, Br. John, Joseph Whyte, Samantha.  First tournament completed, medals and trophies awarded, posted on web. Financial report: Received $400 Sponsorships, $100 for 20 chess sets & boards (Albany Comm. CS). Expenditures: Ratings Fee $9.75, CL ad $12. Proposal #1: New players can earn a medal for 2 points, not 2.5. Passed. Proposal #2: Trophy award in each section for most points New Player in Jan & June (Minimum 3 events to be eligible). Passed. NewBusiness – None.

#2 Oct. 20 Woodstock Day School, Woodstock. Meeting started at 4:05. Present: Sreenivas, Br. John, Joe W., Samantha, Ken Evans, Karen Merker, Janis Perri. Minutes accepted after clarifying proposal #1. Second tournament completed, trophies and medals awarded, posted on web. Financial report: Income:$0. Expenditures: Trophies $110.60, Rating Fee $12.25, 200 sets and boards $1156.37. Total: 1279.22. Agenda: Calendar 2013-2014 with 9 tournaments for first Saturday (Oct-June).

#3 Nov.4 Montessori Magnet School, Albany.  Board of Directors Meeting Make The Right Move  Sreenivas Alampalli, President. Brother John McManus, TD. Bill Townsend, Joseph Whyte, Christina Whyte, Bill Townsend    Agenda: 4:00-4:40. Open to all.  Follows trophy presentation. (Adam Ostrander, 2^nd grader in Non-USCF section, spoke passionately against proposal #5, with fear as a factor, as we were about to open our meeting. Many thanks to Adam!)  1. Accept Minutes from TRM 75 on Oct 20 at Woodstock.  2.  Financial Report for TRM67: Expenses: Rating Fee $12.25.  CL $15. Income: $150 Riccardi Elem=15 sets & boards (K Evans)10/20; $2oo Sponsor: Nov. 3 = Nevo IT Consulting; Anon. $20. 3 Tournament #67 Nov. 3 at Montessori completed, rated, placed on web. Trophies & medals awarded. Rating fee $ 9.00  CL $12  4.  Draft – Rules / Constitution entered into minutes. Placed on Web. Comments welcome via email. (Bill Townsend will send constitution adopted by Schenectady)  5. Place nominations / solicit sponsors / TD training / Picnic Planning (Christina Whyte)  6  Web sign-up Aid… work from home (No volunteers yet- BJM will do this.)  7.  Sam’s proposal- Re-open parental participation in scholastic section for discussion: Leave to discretion of Brother John.  e.g.-Scholastic section (Rook) had to be combined with Grades 6-12 because only three players were entered.  8.  New – None.  Next Meeting: Dec. 8 at Martin Luther King Magnet School, Schenectady.

Nov. 10 Kingston High School, Kingston  

Event rated ($13.75), posted on web. Trophies, medals awarded by KHS. 3 renewals $57 Paid to USCF.

Proposal#1: Draft resolution of Rating Improvement Tournaments for summer of 2012 presented, based on Wayne Powers’ plan: 4ss, g/45;d5 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00.  4 sessions (every 3 weeks;EF: $50, 35, 16. package all 4; 15, 10, 5 based on age groups.  Prize: $100 1st, 50 2nd.  Seeking sponsors ($200)  Money raised used towards sending players to Scholastic Championships in Saratoga Springs.     Samadashvilli amendment: 3ss, G/61 for points for scholastic players necessary for norms. 10:00, 12:30,3:00.  Draft placed on web.

Proposal #2: Calendar presented,  draft updated 12/24/12  (open to email comments and meeting of Board.)

• RIT 1 July 1 “Celebrating Ken Evans”
• RIT 2 Aug 2 “Celebrating Herman Calderon”
• RIT 3 Aug 23 “Celebrating Liz Gialanelo”
• RIT 4 Sept 13 “Celebrating Karen Merker”

The Rating Improvement tournaments (above) will have 4 games at G/45;d5 with games at 10, 12, 2 and 4. Prizes $100, 50. Trophies to top 5 scholastic players Under 1600.  One section with accelerated pairings when possible. Registration 9:00-9:30. EF: $15, 10, 5. Package – all four + 3 mo EF  to USCF adults $65.

Schedule for 2013-2014:

• TRM76 Oct 11 Albany Academy
• TRM77 Oct 19 Montessori Magnet School
• TRM78 Nov 2 Martin Luther King Magnet School
• Kingston #41
• TRM79 Dec 7 Woodstock Day School
• TRM80 Jan 11, 2014 Albany HS
• ML King #18, St. Joseph, Kingston
• TRM81 Feb 1 Albany HS
• TRM82 Mar 1 Rensselaer Boys’ and Girls’ Club
• WoodCrest (or The Mount)
• TRM83 Apr 12 Albnay Community CS
• TRM84 May 3 NYS Library (Empire State Plaza
• TRM85 June 7 Menands
• Picnic CBA June

#4 Dec. 8 Martin Luther King Magnet School, 918 Stanley St., Schenectady. Bill Townsend, Sreenivas Alampalli, Sam Giknis, Paul Wilson, Phillip Sells, Brother John. 3:40-4:00.

1. Accept minutes from last meeting.  2.Tournament combined 15 rated players into one Queen section with awards based on three sections.  (Medals to Pawns for playing up!) $9.75 rating fee.  Posted on web with overall results.  3. 2 proposals: RIT and calendar.  Much discussion. Approved.   4. Open USCF section at Albany HS G/61 with games at 9:00, 11:30 and 2:00 if 8 or more in section.

#5 Jan. 12 Albany High School, 600 Washington Ave.  Sreenivas, Sam, Phil, Joe & Christine, Bill, Br John.  Accept minutes. tournament rated, awards given.

#6 Feb. 2 Albany High School, 600 Washington Ave. Sreenivas, Sam, Paul W, Joe & Christine, Phil, Br John. Accept minutes. Tournament rated, awards given. 2 Quickbooks  to Paul. 3 Mailchimp Newsletter 4 Picnic (Christine) 5 Nominations for President (and team): Bill T, Pete H (no), Christine, Joe… 6 Phil to TD RPI Summer tournaments (4) with other TD helpers. 7 New: Woodcrest (Mar 9), Middletown (Mar 23) and Division St. (May 12?) Possible Cooperstown. Probable PAL (May)  End of Chess Corner (Gazette) as cutbacks at Newspaper.

7. Mar 2 Albany Community Charter School, 65 Kronk St. (Sreeni A, Joe & Christine W, Bill M, Phil S, Paul W, Ken E, Br John) 1 Accept minutes. Tournament rated, awards given (except Open), posted on web. 2.  Winners – new players Oct. thru Jan.  3. Pix Promo  ($$), Michele C  4 Presidential progress: Christiane W  5 Financial Transparency results/ Quickbooks to Paul W, ready to open account with transfer of funds , credit card checking account.  ($100 + 75 – sets: Evans) addenda: 3/9 10 sets to Riccardi ($70 Ken E)/  6 Picnic promo  3rd Wed, June 19, 2013at CBA 7 summer RIT (4) Flyers due Apr 13.  8 Mailchimp 9 New

8. Apr 13, NYS Library, Madison Ave., Albany. Ken Evans, Paul Wilson (left early) Samantha Giknis, Brother John 1 Accept minutes. Open awards from Mar presented. Trophies, medals finished. Posted on web. Winners of New player awards from Sept-Jan: 1   2   3 ???  2. RPI flyer presented, accepted as is. Four tournaments G/45;d5 EF: $15, 10, 5. 3 Budget approved for Apr 21 order; $999 medals, 1375 trophies  4. Presidential cabinet and duties confirmed:  Christine Whyte = President, Paul Wilson = financial Wizard, ??  5. Cancel May 19 at Division St, Replace with Cooperstown: Brian Guzy.  6. May 11?? Gloversville Senior Citizen Center. 4SS, G/25. 10:00 AM.

9. May 4, Rensselaer Boys’ & Girls’ Club.