There will be no chess meeting held on Labor Day, since the library will be closed. The next round of the Huntsville City Championship will take place on Monday, 9/9. Hope to see you all then!

Please see below from Balagee – if you’re interested in carpooling from Huntsville, please holler and we can try to work out the logistics:

Dear Chess Players, Coaches and Parents,

Yesterday was the last day for Early Registrations. Hope you have already mailed your completed registration forms and check to our address.  All Preregistered players will be informed by Wednesday (8/28) acknowledging the receipt of your entries. I have attached Tournament Flyer in case you need. 
Email entries are accepted and you can pay on site without any late fees. Please email me (contact@chesskidsnation.com) the following details:-

• First Name
  
• Last Name
  
• USCF ID (If playing in RATED section)
  
• Section Playing
• Bye Requested

Thank you so much for all your help and support.
Thanks,Balagee GovindanUS Chess Federation Certified Chess CoachUS Chess Federation Tournament Director
www.ChessKidsNation.com

For a limited time, register for $10 / year here!

Then, take advantage of your new membership with the opportunity to register for the Huntsville City Championship here now (begins on 8/19)!

At the HCC Board Meeting conducted on 6/10/19, it was decided unanimously to change the membership dues for the club from $10 annually to the following payment structure:

1. Annual Membership – $20
2. Family Membership – $30
3. Lifetime Membership – $200 (Seniors over 60 $100)

The increases will take effect following this year’s Huntsville City Championship tournament, scheduled to start on 8/19 and offer more options that we previously had. The increase to the annual membership for an individual aren’t substantial, but we still want to be transparent concerning the justification behind the change.

The intent behind the increase is to allow the club to continue to offer the benefits we’ve incorporated over the past couple of years. We would also like to offer plans comparable to other clubs (i.e. Family, Senior, and Lifetime memberships).

Membership benefits include:

1. Become eligible to vote in elections and official membership meetings.

2. Receive discounted entry fees to club tournaments (i.e. blitz tournament entry fee of $5 instead of $8).

3. Access to our online chess video library with hundreds of hours of chess instruction.  Note, you must have a gmail account to receive access.

4. Eligible to purchase discounted sets/clocks/bags from the clubs at a fraction of the price of online retailers.

5. Eligible to participate in HCC members only tournaments (i.e. the Huntsville City Championship and other multi-week standard rated events).

6. Carpooling to distant tournaments, with occasional lodging and/or meals included for consistent volunteer efforts.

The dues for our club have always been far less expensive than other organizations in similarly sized metropolitan areas and our individualized benefits are arguably better, in spite of the lack of a similar scholastic pool to aid with fundraising efforts.

We do not want membership dues to be a cost prohibitive factor in bringing more folks to the game of chess. As a basis for comparison, dues are $10 per month in Kansas City and anywhere from $45-65 in Nashville per year for a scholastic or regular membership.

We hope that you’ll find these changes reasonable and we’re always willing to chat in person, over the phone, or via email at huntsvillechessclub@gmail.com. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Huntsville City Championship Only 1 Week Away!

The 2019 Huntsville City Championship G70;d5 tournament will be held from 8/19-9/23 (5 weeks with no round scheduled Labor Day, 9/2). The entry fee for the tournament will be $10. HCC and USCF membership will be required to participate. All rounds will begin promptly at 6pm and take place during our Monday weekly meetings at the library.

Please register below and email huntsvillechessclub@gmail.com if you need to request a bye for any round except for round 5 on 9/23. You can receive a bye for more than one round, if necessary. The champion will receive a plaque as well as a $50 prepaid Visa gift card.

Click here to register for the HCC.

Click here to register for the USCF.

Pictures from last week

It was a great week at the chess club last Monday. The display case (to your left as you enter the library) was put together by Chris and David Hayes and David gave a great lecture on AlphaZero in the auditorium. Willie Sandifer provided great A/V capability for the event.

Chris Bond Memorial Tournament

Tomasz offered to carpool to Montgomery for the tournament and finished with 2.5/4.0 in the Reserve section. Joel Friedman tied for the U1800 prize in the Premiere section.

Alabama State Championship and Scholastic Tournament

The 2019 Alabama State Championship will be held in the Bruno Conference Center in Birmingham, AL from August 31st-September 1st. This tournament will be held in conjunction with a scholastic event. Register now to avoid late fees! Click here for additional information.