Greater Charlotte Championship Not So Great After All?! ... Played in Cone Center first day, "...high entry fee, poor lighting, ill-fitting tablecloths, 'short' chairs, very uncomfortable?" moved to Barnhardt location on day 2?! 12-18-09, Charlotte: The recently contested Greater Charlotte Championship had been described as "a way to give something back to the QCCA members..." However, upon closer inspection, "camaraderie" notwithstanding, the event may not have transpired quite as smoothly as has been reported.  Let's back up a few months to the moment when NCCA President Gary Newsom had an epiphany and appointed himself to decide how the chess champion of Charlotte, NC would be determined!? (Though, when one observes their current rosters, after deleting the expired members of the QCCA, the CCC actually has more members! The QCCA has been around for 2 years, the CCC for 38 years!) The answer would be a tournament called the "Greater Charlotte Championship." However, in spite of their lack of long range planning and rejection of input from anyone else, in their haste they decided upon the dates of December 5-6, 2009. The only problem was that the Asheboro Open had already been announced for that very same date many months in advance and already published on the NCCA website?  --- The result was that two chess tournaments within 75 miles of each other took place on the very same weekend? Though Asheboro's numbers were surprisingly up (their EF was only $25 versus $59?) both events clearly detracted from each other. Apparently, many players who had previously participated in Asheboro events played in Charlotte instead. Having virtually no by-laws designed to protect him as an organizer, the Asheboro promoter has continually been subjected to months of intimidation, political bullying and arbitrary decision making by the powers that be. As I have stated many times before, it is absolutely necessary for the NCCA to provide a tournament "clearinghouse" which will spell out the rules and regulations regarding tournament dates and guarantee each organizer equal rights. Though the Asheboro promoter is revered as one of the most respected and successful organizers in North Carolina, he gets little respect from the officers of the NCCA. Recently, it took almost 2 weeks for the NCCA to post his tournaments on their website? In my opinion, it would be irresponsible to imply that the Asheboro promoter caused the numbers at the Greater Charlotte Championship to be low?! What about an Asheboro tournament which had already been scheduled for that same date? Shouldn't they have rights, too? According to a statement by Newsom, "the clearing- house is a non-issue..." Well, for him it should be, considering the fact that he has stepped on the toes of the CCC and Asheboro CC by promoting events on at least 5 occasions whereupon our dates had previously  been posted for months?! Such arbitrary, self serving acts have done little to encourage the efforts of organizers from around the state. Newsom has selfishly displayed a propensity to readily promote his own events while marginalizing the efforts of others. Maybe Newsom should consider the bad design of his own event as the reason for his poor turnout? First of all, choose a date which does not conflict with another closely located event. Second, if you were trying to give something back, why was the entry fee so high? These are tough times for a lot of folks. An entry fee of $59 at the site apparently deterred many Charlotte players from participating. (What about the "reduced entry fees for weekend events" which was promised as one of the benefits of being a QCCA member? Nowhere in their advertising was any discount mentioned). In addition, the Saturday 3 game schedule apparently did not agree with some higher rated players who failed to show. (Playing three high quality, hotly contested games in one day requires way too much energy for some "older" players). And, if the event must be open to all, it certainly should have taken place at a hotel, to prevent the dilemma of having to drive to a separate location. According to their advertisement, a player with a rating of 1800+ was required to play in the Open Section? Anything short of upsetting all of the top Masters, the only prize available to him would be the U2000 prize of $100. And, even if he got by all of the 1900 players and actually did win, he would only net $41 before expenses?! Subtract gas and food and this big winner breaks about even... and with a hotel bill, he would lose money. So, where was the motivation? True, the two Open Section champions did win $375 each, but one of them wasn't even from Charlotte? In fact, only 11 of the players in the Open Section were from Charlotte - and, only about half of the players in the entire tournament? --- (How can they allow non-QCCA members to play at all, when according to their website one of their benifits of membership is the "right to compete in their yearly tournament to determine the champion of the Charlotte area"? It seems unfair to allow a non-member to pay the same Entry Fee as a member?) A far more logical design for this event would provide an Entry Fee of $10 for all QCCA members, the "club supplemented" prize fund should be equitable for all sections (each class paid equally) and the event should take place at a hotel. After all, according to their own report, the QCCA currently has approximately $2,500 in their treasury! If they were truly "trying to give something back," why didn't they use some of that money to offset their high Entry Fee?! According to a disgruntled player who participated in the event, "the Entry Fee was too high... the Cone Center had poor lighting, bulky ill-fitting tablecloths, and "short" chairs which made the Saturday ordeal very uncomfortable..." The following day, they were relocated to the Barnhardt Center... Unfortunately, there was absolutely no mention of the above stated problems nor change of venues included in their published report? Also not included is the exact amount of money that each prize winner won, nor did they post more than one image for the entire event, nor did they elaborate on personal information about the winners, nor provide any games, etc. But, according to their plan, they did pay out $2,400 in cash. Assuming that approximately half of the players paid early entry, the average of the Early EF of $49 and the EF at the door of $59 is approximately $55. Multiply $55 X 62 paid entries = $3,410. Subtract the $2,400 prize fund and you have a balance of $1,010 before expenses. Now, from what I understand, the QCCA paid UNCC little (or "nothing") for the use of their facility?! (And, I doubt they had their required $1,000,000 liability insurance policy in place?) So, other than the rating fee, for exactly what other expenses did the remaining $1,010 pay?  If the Directors were paid, say, $300 and $200 respectively, that would still generate a positive revenue of approximately $500. (Hey, if their Directors are making that much $$, count ME in! LOL) That having been said, it is difficult for anyone to understand how Newsom could make the statement, "the numbers didn't allow us to break even...?" Now, I'm not saying they did or they didn't. But, the only way to prove it is to show us the numbers! For too many years, the same covert attitude has prevailed within the NCCA which prevents any list of individual cash prizes won or balance sheet from any major event to ever be published. That trend needs to change! Stop being so secretive and start telling us the truth. Show everyone an official balance sheet including all "verifiable expenses" and prove that the event lost money! Only then will your faithful followers render the pity which you seem to so desperately seek! In my opinion, the Greater Charlotte Championship was a "bust." It was poorly planned, poorly designed and poorly executed. For many reasons, Newsom's own players turned up their noses to the event. The very idea that the "local" players who qualified must compete in yet another tournament to determine the actual "Charlotte Champion" is ludicrous. (They wouldn't dare charge another expensive entry fee for that, would they? -- the qualifiers include a "provisional player" who has only won 2 USCF rated games in his entire career?!) As far as I am concerned, NM Chris Mabe IS the official 2009 Charlotte Champion. Congratulations, Chris! More NCCA members have recently voiced their opinion about the necessity of having an open and transparent administration. Until the NCCA opens their books to a certified public accountant, the same secret system of operation will continue to prevail. Any individual member of the NCCA should have a right to observe the books and bank account records upon demand. Furthermore, it would not cost the NCCA one cent to allow First Vice President Walter High and an interested observer from Asheboro to peek at the books; now would it? (Allowing such a friendly gesture would certainly ease the minds of many concerned members). Newsom needs to set aside his personal grudges and act in a more friendly, fair and equitable manner. We are all in this thing for the same reason; to promote the Royal Game of Chess. Equal consideration should be given to all chess organizers and clubs around the state. The Charlotte Chess Club still meets at the Skyland Family Restaurant on South Boulevard in Charlotte. Everyone is welcome to join us each Wednesday evening to dine, socialize and play one rated game of chess at 7:45pm.  Long live the CCC! --- Quark XIV Dec. 26!!  EF: $10! - Put on that new Christmas sweater and come on out! Anyway, everybody is off the day after Christmas! - Merry Christmas Gary Newsom; you get Free Entry!) I remain, NM Leland Fuerstman Charlotte Chess Club Independent Affiliate