Attendance & Obligations

Chess Club members are encouraged to play US Chess Federation (USCF)-rated games at Chess Club each week. In doing so, each member will have a USCF rating. That rating, an 80% attendance requirement, as well as a possible round-robin tournament will be used to determine the top players that make up the chess team that travels to tournaments and county chess matches.

There are additional obligations as well. Chess Club members must pay $5 dues which goes towards the USCF ratings that everyone receives. Also, members must keep a chess notebook with complete record of all rated games using short algebraic notation. Homework will be assigned occasionally. For example, students may have to memorize opening lines of play, solve mate-in-two problems, submit game logs, etc. Members also participate in club fundraisers, which help defray costs of chess supplies and traveling to competitions. It is recommended that every member purchase his/her own tournament-approved chess set and chess clock.

Tournament Play

Five to nine players will be able to travel to county chess league matches and tournaments, with the top five playing matches during league play and up to four others playing exhibition matches. However, more players may attend tournaments if they find their own transportation.

For state tournaments, we may be staying overnight in a hotel. Students may have to pay for some or all of their room expenses (about $50), their USCF membership fees (about $20), and tournament registration (about $30).

Officers

The positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations & Recruitment Director, Equipment Manager, and Team Manager will be appointed by the advisor.

• President - represents the Chess Team in meetings and assemblies, promotes the Chess Team rules and policies, assists the club advisor in all tasks related to running the team.
• Vice President - assists the president with any assigned tasks, helps Equipment Manager maintain the inventory and storage of club equipment, organizes special activities such as team dinners & social events.
• Treasurer - shops for best prices on chess equipment, orders equipment, signs invoices, maints the budget, organizes and leads fundraisers and assists the advisor with tournament registrations.
• Secretary - keeps attendance at meetings, updates the member database, drafts letters and email communications, records competition results in the team archives, types png files, and creates worksheets
• Public Relations & Recruitment Director - submits articles to the school newspaper, the Reading Eagle, the Wyo Five morning announcements and makes posters, web pages, and other promotional materials, organizes recruitment activities such as library round-robins, simul exhibitions, school tournaments, guest lectures from masters, etc.
• Equipment Manager - maintains the inventory, labeling, and storage of club equipment, including boards, pieces, chess clocks, and books, puts equipment away at the end of meetings and competitions.
• Team Manager - helps the advisor keep track of players and performs other tasks to help the coach at competitions including Berks County Chess League matches and tournaments.

Conduct

Members must conduct themselves appropriately in club practices and at competitions. If members play in the library, study halls, or other places in the school, their behavior must be exemplary. We do not want the Chess Club to develop a reputation for being a club of immature, obnoxious, or roughneck hooligans. Furthermore, the game of chess must be respected at Wyomissing as the serious, intellectual sport that it is. Members must also treat each other and opponents from other schools with respect as well. While seventh & eighth graders will be allowed to hold top ladder positions, they must be mature and earn the respect of any older, but less talented, upperclass club members.

Damage to any club equipment, especially chess clocks, will not be tolerated. A member is responsible for purchasing new equipment to replace damaged or missing equipment.

Improper decorum in any chess club venue including the web site chatroom, forum, or mailing list will result in expulsion from the chess club at the discretion of the advisor. No warnings will be given.

The advisor may expel anyone from Chess Club and/or assign detention for inappropriate behavior. Warnings will not always be given either.