Leland: Let me address a few points:   Thad Rogers has been running the NC Open for us the past few years and I've never heard a complaint.  He gets no compensation from our organization. It is up to him to make/lose money. All I care about is a well-run tournament. Thad may live in Ga., but he runs the LPO, the past NC Class and has sold equipment and provided trophies to the State Scholastic in recent years. He is also a Life Member of the NCCA. (Evidently, my complaints don't count, because I have voiced my opinion about this for years both to you and your predecessor! According to my understanding of the NCCA constitution, the President is required to allow NC organizers to "bid" on the tournament first; if no bids are received, then other arrangements can be made... to arbitrarily give the event to an out-of-state director is unfair. After all, the only responsibilities that Rogers had was to make arrangements with a hotel (organizers generally trade room nights for the free use of the ballrooms) and place an ad in the Chess Life magazine. All of the other Directing responsibilities including taking entries, pairings, TD decisions and floor management is bestowed upon NC Directors, who volunteer or are paid very little for an entire hectic weekend of work. Coupled with his reputation for rarely, if ever, giving a discount, Rogers concentrates his efforts on selling chess books and equipment and counting money. The result is that he makes thousands in profits! LF) The history of the NCCA running the tournament has been spotty. In 2003, the NCCA ran the NC Closed and it drew 50 players. 50!!! Is that the "handsome profit" you were talking about? That's also a good argument for keeping the tournament open. About 20 percent of the players at a normal NC Open come from out-of-state. (There is no good argument for keeping it "open." My recollection of the 2003 event was that the date got kicked around so many times it adversely affected the attendence. It is hardly fair to compare that tournament with this year's event. If one were to do simple math, based on the figures published in the October issue of the Chess Life magazine, if 165 players paid the early registration fee of $69, that would equal a total of $11,385 in revenue. Subtract the $8,000 guaranteed prize and the organizer grosses a profit of $3,135 which is 3.5 times greater than the 1st Prize winner - if he finishes clear 1st! or 30% of the revenues.  Now, if only half, or 83, of the players showed up and all paid the early registration fee of $69, that would equal $5,727 in revenue and a gross profit of $1,727. Of course, the final number will be somewhere in between; and in reality, most people pay at the site, and some re-enter, which means the profits would be even greater. Not to mention the sale of books and equipment for which, I understand, he pays the NCCA no commission?! It is my understanding that Rogers pays other organizations a commission for the right to sell equipment at their events?! Like I said, a "handsome profit!" Hey! More power to Tad... This is America! He can make all the profit he wants. But, NCCA members should have a right to know what kind of return they are getting on their money. LF)   There is an Open Section and an Under 2000 (plus others). Check out our web site, the info is correct. Two scholastic sections were included in the USCF ad last year. That number wasn't subtracted this year. Minor mistake. (Again, according to the October issue of Chess Life magazine, there are "9 Sections which include an Under 2200 Section!? But, your NCCA website indicates there is an Open Section which includes the Under 2200 players?! I am amazed that to this date that has not been corrected or explained on your website? In my experience, whatever is published in the National magazine's TLA's is the format that must be followed. Therefore, expect some mis-informed Experts to demand to play in an Under 2200 Section... this thing is headed for a train wreck. LF) I'm confused why you are so upset about the prize structure in the Open Section. It is much richer than other sections - advertised at almost $3000 versus $1,150 in the Under 2000. It's usually the largest section at the tournament. The top two NC finishers get an invite to the NC Invitational. Feel free to join the action. (Again, you had neglected players with ratings 2000-2099 and subsequently added the $100 prize. But, when one closely observes the ad on your website, it appears as if the Under 2200 section, which pays exactly as much as the rest of the sections, is simply placed on the wrong line? You and Rogers don't seem to be on the same page? LF) For the past three years, the business meeting has taken longer than 10 minutes. Some people like to show up and have their say. I, for one, can get up early to hear what's on people's minds. (Dude, you gotta' do more than just "hear...") And just as I would not ask for an accounting of the monies for the Charlotte Chess Club, I will not ask a tournament organizer his breakdown. If you believe that players have been short-changed, or if anyone did not receive his money as advertised, let me know. No one has mentioned those problems to me. Randy Wheeless Pres., NC Chess Association (Let's not compare apples with oranges. I have organized chess tournaments for over 30 years. My rule has always been to give back at least 75% of the entries for 3 rounders, and more for larger events. Unlike Rogers, who seems to refuse to disclose this information, I ALWAYS PUBLISH THE EXACT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT EACH WINNER RECEIVES...{including the $800+ I lost on the Carolina's Challenge last year.} Furthermore, in the past, every time I organized the North Carolina championship, we gave back most of the money in prizes; and the remainder, if any, went to the treasury of the NCCA! Randy, I do not deny that you have spent a lot of time and effort on running the organization and providing the website. And, for the most part, you have done a pretty good job. The downside is the criticism one must endure. Every member has a right to his opinion; mine is based on 30+ years of experience but you have rarely ever asked for my counsel. First of all, find the NCCA constitution and read it, then publish it for all to see! I'm sure changes may have been made that we all don't know about. - In order to preserve the purity of our state championship, I make a motion that the 2008 North Carolina Championship be a "Closed" event organized by a North Carolina Director. Respectfully, NM Leland Fuerstman