President’s Corner

by Chuck Unruh

Someone on an internet message board reminded us that it has been three years since the new OCA set forth a goal of nothing less than Chess Renaissance in Oklahoma. True to our original message, we are glad to report more volunteers, events and growth since our last bulletin. The OCA has a vibrant sustainable business model thanks to the outpouring of Oklahoma chess volunteers both on and off the Policy Board.

Starting the fall scholastic season is our OSCO scholastic affiliate with eight 2006-2007 Grand Prix tournaments. The OSCO team volunteers are well organized and prepared for what can only be described as phenomenal growth. OSCO is also responsible for our State Scholastic Championship and awards the Oklahoma Denker and Polgar titles to our winning juniors. Along with the chance to represent Oklahoma at the National Scholastics level, the winners of the State Polgar and Denker title will receive a financial stipend to offset some travel expenses. The OCA salutes this year’s champions John Cope in the Denker and Rachel Farell in the Polgar event for a job well done. Oklahoma can be proud of both of these students for their outstanding display of their competitive chess and good sportsmanship.

You are now reading the first downloadable only Oklahoma Chess Bulletin for Regular and Youth members. The OCA membership at the last annual meeting approved the new internet friendly publication and set aside the costly printed version, except for Patron Members. Based on our business experience, the OCA is participating in a major national news media change from print to a mix of print and internet. From daily blogs, journal entries and real time reporting by our volunteers, our internet presence will link chess information to the OCA membership. WGM Jennifer Shahade was everywhere at the US Open gathering news and pictures for her new USCF website. Jennifer’s news reports are a good read in a Chessbase style format at www.uschess.org. In a bold statement, this president will go out on a limb and predict a downloadable internet only USCF magazine by 2010.

We are now one year into our new 529 K-12 chess scholarship program. Our sponsor numbers continue to grow and the program anticipates combined scholarships of more than $2,000 awarded at OCA and OSCO tournaments. Many thanks to our program sponsors Jim Gray, Ida Freeman Elementary School Chess Club, Ruh Oil Company, Chess Adventure, Oklahoma Liquid Resources Inc., James Rairden and American Bank of Oklahoma. Please contact Chuck Unruh, chunruh@aol.com , if you would like to help sponsor the 529 scholarships.

The summer was fast getting away from us when members of OSCO organized chess camps at the Tulsa Hardesty Regional Library and Freedom Church in Owasso. The camps were full to the brim with chess playing youngsters. The events received good press in area newspapers and organizers are already making plans for next summer. Our chess camp teaching juniors Jeremiah Henley, David Luscomb, Jordan Schwartz and Charles M. Unruh displayed leadership at these Camps that should invigorate all of us in the long term OSCO/OCA mission. David Luscomb, in his first major simultaneous exhibition, played some serious chess with a perfect score in over twenty boards during the Chess Adventure Camp.

John Dunlap is our State Champion after this summer’s 61st Oklahoma Open. John, a very experienced tournament director and great volunteer, signed on to direct the State Class Championship and OKC Winter Open for the benefit of the OCA membership. Jeff Carter has quietly sponsored several OKC tournaments, but it’s a secret and we won’t tell. The OCA really appreciates Jeff Carter, the independent chess enthusiast, and hopes for a small part of his busy schedule in the next year. In other tournament news, Rod Whitlatch an OSCO/OCA member, friend and volunteer stepped forward as Chief Tournament Director for the Labor Day Memorial Open in Honor of Errol Jensen.

Governance is sometimes a seemingly thankless expenditure of valuable over-the-board time. If you have thin skin, a seat in the sun is best left to others. The last several years have been challenging for our volunteers in the political arena and we appreciate everyone that served the membership. The retiring Policy Board Members are Bill Molton, John Dunlap and Hershel Counts. Newly elected on the Policy Board are Jim Bedenbaugh, Robert Phy and Charles M. Unruh. Please congratulate them and encourage their efforts for the upcoming year has a busy Policy Board agenda. On the national level, our OCA Treasurer, Jim Gray has taken volunteerism to the next step. Besides his duties on our Policy Board, Jim is the new USCF Alternate State Delegate and serves on both the USCF States and Ethics Committees. We could fill the page with his dedication, service and enthusiasm for chess.

In July, Oklahoma scored first in the nation for USCF voter turnout, about 32%. The election for State Delegate and Alternate was hotly contested and very close. The struggle to represent Oklahoma at the USCF is now firmly in the hands of OCA with the election of Chuck Unruh and Jim Gray. Thank you for your vote. Hopefully, we have the ability and wisdom to use this election in the best interest of all Oklahoma Chessplayers.

The Oklahoma Chess Forum with volunteer moderator FM Movses Movsisyan is a relatively new form of chess discussion. One would hardly expect chess volunteers on the Forum under the political section, however, no rock goes unturned and no chess policy goes un-critiqued. Your OCA president views the Forum as an energizing productive force for chess in Oklahoma. “You don’t have to agree with us to do great things for chess” is a good first consideration when reading the political Forum. There is an old lawyer quote about one lawyer in a small town goes broke, but two lawyers in a small town get wealthy (we apologize to any lawyer offended by this). Chess volunteers, Ed Boyle, Mike Weyermiller, Albert Rine, Jim Rairden, Jim Tyner, Bran Whitcomb, Skip Fritz, Mike Swatek and others are setting a high standard for civil political chess discussion. Since some of us in the martial arts are more Kendo (swords) than pens, we yield to better writers on the Forum. The Oklahoma Chess Forum is an independent site where many authors defend/attack and also promote the OCA. We thank FM Movses for his continuing moderator services.

A long term chess volunteer for the USCF is OCA member, Harold Ball. He runs the USCF Oklahoma Tournament Clearinghouse for the benefit of all tournament organizers. State Clearinghouses list the upcoming USCF tournaments in their area. Thanks to Harold from the OCA for years of volunteer service!

Many of our OCA volunteers are in chess education. Numerous sightings of rated chess tournament players sharing their experience and knowledge in our schools and at the chess clubs have occurred within the State. Judson Temple, Charles M. Unruh, Ed Boyle, Albert Rine, Raymond Griffin and many at the La Fuerza Tulsa Java Dave’s Club all help teach or share tournament chess experience to our juniors.

It is well documented that the transition from scholastic chess to adult chess tournament participation is a process measured in very small percentages of the original scholastic chess population. The OCA and the USCF are very interested in tournament chess retention and programs that improve the present retention rates. A five percent retention rate is a fantastic result and most States have estimated rates at less than 2%. OCA tournament players sharing their experience and knowledge have a significant positive influence on active tournament chess membership and the long term junior chess retention rate. The goal of better retention rates will take many volunteers.

Our hat is off to the hard working OCA tournament and club organizers. From doughnuts to rating reports these special volunteers contribute time and effort to the mission. Julie Luscomb, Kay Dalton and Julie Duncan organized and created the successful Chess Adventure Camp. On the other side of town, Susan Henley, Michelle Schwartz and Dean Clark made the second year of the Tulsa Hardesty Regional Library Chess Camp a waiting list only summer event. Susan tells us that unfortunately we did not have room for over forty more students that signed up for the Hardesty Camp. If you wish to organize or volunteer time for a chess club, chess tournament or chess event, talk to John Dunlap, Jim Gray, Mike Swatek, Julie Luscomb, Kay Dalton, Julie Duncan, Albert Rine, Dave Nichols, Rod Whitlatch, Robert McDonough, Ben Shaffer, Bill Molton, Lauren Shaffer, Susan Henley, Dave Scroggins, Michelle Schwartz, Jeff Carter, Charles M. Unruh, Robert Peters or any of the other volunteers at OSCO, OCA and Independent tournaments for advice and their experience. Then contact admin@ochess.org for more information on clubs and organizing events. We welcome your help.

The continuity of OCA once relied on mail and bulletins. With the information age upon us, internet, text messaging and mobile phones are fast replacing the slower older methods of informing the membership. Our volunteer internet gurus organizing and updating the OCA website are Mike Swatek, Leslie Swatek and Jim Bedenbaugh. Mike and Leslie Swatek directly organize and distribute the information for the OCA and OSCO website on a daily basis. The OCA website is our largest single job and a core element of our growth. If you would like to help our internet team, please contact Mike Swatek at admin@swatek.com . The OCA president sincerely thanks Mike and Leslie Swatek for a chess internet website second to none in Oklahoma.

Over the last two years, the OCA leadership has attended almost every OSCO event and we see a reoccurring theme each and every tournament. This theme is one of chess families directly helping with the tournament or patiently supporting their favorite chess junior(s). The importance of family and parents at our tournaments is one key to our success in the future. One example from the 2006 US Open was the Cope and Farell families. Their comments and goodwill for OSCO and OCA reverberated from many sources and even made it to the Susan Polgar website. Another example was in the 2005 Labor Day Memorial Open when a record six father and son/daughter teams entered the tournament. Family chess is a high priority with the current OCA and OSCO team. Thanks go out to the parents that help us when you enter your youths in our tournaments.

The primary mission of the OCA, the USCF State Chapter Affiliate, is defined by our national organization as follows: Each State shall guide the chess activity within the state in a manner that provides representation to all groups of chessplayers within its state. OCA members are fulfilling the duty every day by volunteerism in any one of the several areas of chess education, tournament organization, clubs, internet services or governance. Future OCA growth will require even more volunteers and we encourage chess enthusiasts at every level to help the mission.

Presidents are here one day and gone the next, but our Patron Members are the long term financial support group for the OCA. Even if you are short on volunteer time, we ask your support for the mission by becoming an OCA Patron Member. Since our OCA organizers and officers are all volunteers, 100% of every dollar donated goes to promoting chess in our State and building a better chess future.

Oklahoma Chess is growing owing to volunteer dedicated service of the many. If we missed any group or organization it sure wasn’t because we didn’t appreciate their contribution.

The President’s job got a lot easier this year with all the volunteerism. So, the Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, our team is here until next election. Thank you for the votes and help in a very successful last two years.