President's Report

31 October 2006

The year 2006 has been another successful year for The Gap Chess Club. Participation and interest in our tournaments has reached an all-time high. The number of club members now stands at 30 which must be close to a record level of membership

The success of the chess club can be attributed to several factors:

• a strong inclusive social atmosphere on Friday nights
• a structured tournament schedule
• the commitment of the players to attend on Friday nights, and
• the commitment to administration duties by those on the committee.

As has been the case since 2004, the committee has continued to meet informally, consulting via email, or by meeting on a club evening. Care has been taken to ensure that decisions made by the committee have the consensus of all committee members. The committee for 2006 worked very well together and I would like to thank fellow committee members Stuart Wilson, Debbie Jenkins, Mark Taylor and Marty Chadwick for their work, valued input to decisions, and assistance in running the club.

Others outside the committee also contribute enormously to the club and should be acknowledged. Ray Adams often opens up the club and closes it as well. He will usually be seen volunteering to do the unpopular job of cleaning up at the end of night. I would like to thank Ray for his contribution.

Another task that Ray and others perform is the welcoming of new players. I encourage our members, particularly the experienced players, to engage with new arrivals to our club, whether over the chessboard or in conversation. Often the first night experience will determine whether someone comes back and becomes a regular club member. Please take the time to chat with new members and have a few games with them if this is possible.

The CAQ has had an eventful year during 2006. Through this turbulent time The Gap CC worked successfully to maintain a pro-active and cordial relationship with the CAQ. Where possible, we seek to have our input taken into account when key decisions are made by the CAQ. When our club’s committee makes a decision in relation to a CAQ matter, it will be communicated to the club’s CAQ delegate who then on-forwards this advice to the CAQ. Without our association with the CAQ, our tournaments would not be ACF rated, so this is always an imperative in our maintaining our link to the state body.

President's Report (continued)

Publicity is important to gaining new members who ensure the continued health of the club. Anecdotal evidence shows that most of our new members are attracted to the club through the Western Echo chess column and our club website. Marty Chadwick wrote the chess column during most of 2006 and performed the task admirably, as well as maintaining the games pages on the website. Thanks to Marty for his efforts. Further ideas for promoting the club are welcome, particularly if you are prepared to undertake some of the legwork to carry them out!

Stuart Wilson has been a member of The Gap Chess Club since 1981. From 1982 to 2006 he has continuously served on the club’s committee, performing the roles of secretary (1982-1985); vice-president (1986-2006); treasurer (effectively 1993 to 2005); and acting president (July-November 1992). I would like to extend on behalf of the club my thanks for his tireless efforts and fastidiousness in making sure “the job was done right”. Without Stuart it is probable that the club would not exist now on such firm footing. In particular he was solid during the rocky times from 1990 to 1993 when club membership was at an all time low. He also was on hand to take over the reigns when a succession of treasurers resigned mid-term during the 1990s. And during the 2000s when the club membership could not provide a successor, through a sense of duty to the club he continued as treasurer several years beyond when he wanted to retire from this role. On a personal note I would like to thank him for his friendship and companionship. His sense of humour and commonsense has helped enormously when dealing with some of the more eccentric personalities and situations that chess can throw at an administrator.

In conclusion to my report, 2006 has been another successful year for The Gap Chess Club Inc. and I do not anticipate any great changes to the shape and structure of activities at the club during 2007.

Andrew Robinson
President
The Gap Chess Club Inc.