EDITORIAL

Response to Caught in the Okie Cross Hairs

By: Frank Berry, OCF Secty-Treas

Arkansas Chess Association News – April 2005 pg 8

The article printed in your Jan 05 ACA News overall painted a somewhat basic background on the split in Oklahoma but contained some inaccuracies that should be noted.

First: The OCF is the Oklahoma Chess Foundation not the Federation.

Second: In your 3^rd paragraph you stated that while in Oklahoma to register is the first time Arkies became aware they would have to pay OCF dues and receive the very regular 48 page quarterly bulletin known as the OCQ. In fact we have always stated on the Chess Life TLAs "OCF required." Tragically, we are not the official state chapter affiliate otherwise we would be glad to reciprocate memberships. We want to send the OCQ to out of state players so that they can be regularly notified of our upcoming events and take full benefit of our over-generous tournaments. I suspect Arkies, Jayhawks and Texans want to play players from out of their immediate region and are also aware that many of our events offer opportunities to obtain a FIDE rating norm. OCF's events regularly attract players from all over the USA.

Third: We don't want to destroy the OCA (present USCF State Chapter Affiliate). We're after the handful of selfish individuals who criminally stole it away from us - - the vast majority of chess-playing adults who decided to sleep in that fateful June 2003 Sunday morning. It is that handful who now control the OCA that have reduced it from 280 members to 110, reduced the Patron members from 80 to 30 and no longer publish a regular bulletin thereby violating their own bylaws.

Fourth: In your 5`^h paragraph you say we encourage players to play in our events "exclusively or risk being blackballed (ACA italics) from future events". Nothing could be further from the truth. If we even considered this threat USCF would suspend the OCF affiliate and all our TD certifications on the spot. It is highly illegal to turn away current USCF players from any event they are qualified to enter. We would never think of such a thing. I don't know where Ozzie came up with the word "blackballed." This is just poor editorial journalism.

Finally, we welcome all Arkansas and Oklahoma players at our events per terms of the TLAs and we have recently been making a conscious effort not to pair Arkies together nor players from the same chess club, etc.