It’s been an interesting and eventful five years since I reluctantly stepped up from the ranks of “chess player” into the role of “chess organizer” ( I certainly have a hard time calling myself a chess player any more…have you seen my results lately?!? 
). As is usually the case when a person steps up into a more visible role, he opens himself up to public opinion. I sense that in my case the vast majority of those opinions about me and what I have been involved in accomplishing are favorable. Of course there is always a detractor or two. That’s OK, detractors provide the opportunity to expound on the positive message and reinforce it. They also tend to give the reader an easy comparison as to what “the other side” would be like. Generally that will greatly assist me in making my case.
I have spent five years primarily as a chess volunteer. One thing I have learned is that volunteerism is a great thing. It has been a cornerstone of the chess community for umpteen years. People volunteer for the love of the game. They want to see the game prosper and grow. And they want to be recognized as an integral part of the chess community. That’s all well and good. The reasons I just gave basically cover my own motivation for getting involved in moving chess forward.
But I want to provide an argument here that maybe the way we see chess is really “thinking small” and that while volunteer efforts will continue to be a big part of the chess community, there has been a paradigm shift, and if we want chess to grow, we must adjust the way we think about the “business” of chess. We have to embrace it.
This paradigm shift has evolved over the past few years. In the old days you had a few people running tournaments and maybe a book concession. Top players could win tournaments, give lessons and write books. But that was about all. What has happened in recent years is that there is an explosion of scholastic chess activity. Programs have sprung up in the larger population areas. In my opinion, at this point there are two kinds of schools…those that have a chess program in place and those that will have one.
Folks, this is a good thing for chess. There are many opportunities. On a high level, there is the opportunity if you have the expertise to develop scholastic chess programs. If you don’t have the business acumen (or time) but do have the chess “chops”, you could be an instructor and make a good wage without financial risk. And with more and more new players on the scene, there will be more and more opportunities to put on tournaments, sell books and equipment, sell portraits of the kids playing chess to their parents, etc, etc.
On a personal basis, while most of my efforts over the past five years have been volunteer, I did (along with another of the original founders) take my local chess club private a year ago. It was done more out of necessity than anything else. Peter Giannatos and I, along with Mike Eberhardinger, saw that if the club was going to perpetuate, a small group of folks were going to eternally be stuck with the work. So I made the call to take it private. Peter came along. My dear friend Mike, not wanting to endure the rough and tumble of Charlotte-area chess politics, decided to go back to being a “private chess citizen”. I totally respect his decision. The club was overwhelmingly in favor of the new arrangement. All is good!
So, for a year now I have been involved in private chess enterprise. I have come around to the idea that it is the best way to move chess forward rapidly. As much as the volunteer model sounds good (and as long as you have credible people volunteering, your organization will trudge along with reasonable success) there is a difference in the effort when you are doing things as a private enterprise. Here’s an example of how things can spiral downward in a volunteer situation:
Volunteer thinks: “ Well I’ve got this chess stuff to do, but I have to work late and there are things that need to be done around the house. Chess has to wait. The club will just have to understand.”
Club member thinks: “Well, they didn’t get things done properly at the club last night, but you know, those guys are working on a volunteer basis. I understand that. So I would be a jerk to complain.
Volunteer thinks: We didn’t have a good club meeting last week. No one complained, so I guess all is OK. Maybe I am doing too much. I have plenty more stuff I need to do in life, the chess club will just have to take what it gets.
Do you see the downward spiral?
If that was a privately run chess organization, the operator should feel a lot more responsibility to put out a good product and the member should not feel bad about complaining if in fact he sees something reasonable that needs to be adjusted.
So, how does all this pertain to me moving forward?
I am coming up on four years as a volunteer for the NCCA. During this time I have given many, many hours to the organization. I have spent my own money on gas and hotels in most cases. I’m not complaining, I have for the most part enjoyed it. Not looking for a pat on the back here, just stating the facts as I see them. I also have increased my circle of friends in the chess community many times over. I thank you all for that. I truly love the North Carolina chess community…warts and all!
During my tenure, NC Chess has enjoyed a good burst of growth. Ideas have been turned into realities. Most of the ideas have come from others. Victor Beaman, Tom Hales, Randy Wheeless, Peter Giannatos, David Grimaud, Mike Eberhardinger and especially Walter High have been instrumental in developing these ideas. My own main contribution to this, I think, is that when I get involved in the project, it seems to happen.
I am serving out my last term as NCCA president. During this time, I will as usual have my NCCA hat on when appropriate to best serve the organization. That is what I signed up for and that is what I will do. We are again going to put on a great NC Open this year. Walter and I are already busy with it. The very real possibility of a significant sponsorship is developing. If it becomes a reality…and I think it will…the Open will once again move up several notches in the chess landscape. I will of course administer to the other duties that I have…putting together the Invitational and the Border Battle, assisting at the State Scholastics, helping to put together next year’s State Scholastics (this must be started prior to September) and the other more mundane tasks necessary to successfully complete my job.
Moving forward, look for me to get more involved in chess organization from a private business perspective I am starting work with a partner on a very exciting chess project that will bring more tournament play to the Carolinas. Peter and I will continue to operate Queen City Chess. Also, my instincts tell me that the time is right for a chess center in Charlotte. I will investigate the feasibility of such a center (if I am involved, it will be a first class facility with classroom space, retail space and a tournament hall) and if it is determined to be feasible, I intend to spearhead the project.
With business ventures there are risks that must be borne. Please remember this as you think about the chess culture and the changing paradigm moving forward. For instance, look at our Reverse Angle tournament that was held last Saturday in Charlotte. We came out ahead on that one. But to do that, we guaranteed a prize fund that required us to outdraw what any regularly held one day tournament in North Carolina has drawn lately just to break even! There were great playing conditions and a guaranteed prize fund. Everyone was happy! That’s the way it should be.
Let’s move forward in our thinking here. If people want to put in so much of their personal time and risk personal assets to move chess forward, I suggest that they be encouraged and supported. Chess will grow and all of us will find more opportunity to play and potentially prosper from the game.
I look forward to seeing all of you at Land of the Sky next weekend.
The Business of Chess
It’s been an interesting and eventful five years since I reluctantly stepped up from the ranks of “chess player” into the role of “chess organizer” ( I certainly have a hard time calling myself a chess player any more…have you seen my results lately?!?
). As is usually the case when a person steps up into a more visible role, he opens himself up to public opinion. I sense that in my case the vast majority of those opinions about me and what I have been involved in accomplishing are favorable. Of course there is always a detractor or two. That’s OK, detractors provide the opportunity to expound on the positive message and reinforce it. They also tend to give the reader an easy comparison as to what “the other side” would be like. Generally that will greatly assist me in making my case.
I have spent five years primarily as a chess volunteer. One thing I have learned is that volunteerism is a great thing. It has been a cornerstone of the chess community for umpteen years. People volunteer for the love of the game. They want to see the game prosper and grow. And they want to be recognized as an integral part of the chess community. That’s all well and good. The reasons I just gave basically cover my own motivation for getting involved in moving chess forward.
But I want to provide an argument here that maybe the way we see chess is really “thinking small” and that while volunteer efforts will continue to be a big part of the chess community, there has been a paradigm shift, and if we want chess to grow, we must adjust the way we think about the “business” of chess. We have to embrace it.
This paradigm shift has evolved over the past few years. In the old days you had a few people running tournaments and maybe a book concession. Top players could win tournaments, give lessons and write books. But that was about all. What has happened in recent years is that there is an explosion of scholastic chess activity. Programs have sprung up in the larger population areas. In my opinion, at this point there are two kinds of schools…those that have a chess program in place and those that will have one.
Folks, this is a good thing for chess. There are many opportunities. On a high level, there is the opportunity if you have the expertise to develop scholastic chess programs. If you don’t have the business acumen (or time) but do have the chess “chops”, you could be an instructor and make a good wage without financial risk. And with more and more new players on the scene, there will be more and more opportunities to put on tournaments, sell books and equipment, sell portraits of the kids playing chess to their parents, etc, etc.
On a personal basis, while most of my efforts over the past five years have been volunteer, I did (along with another of the original founders) take my local chess club private a year ago. It was done more out of necessity than anything else. Peter Giannatos and I, along with Mike Eberhardinger, saw that if the club was going to perpetuate, a small group of folks were going to eternally be stuck with the work. So I made the call to take it private. Peter came along. My dear friend Mike, not wanting to endure the rough and tumble of Charlotte-area chess politics, decided to go back to being a “private chess citizen”. I totally respect his decision. The club was overwhelmingly in favor of the new arrangement. All is good!
So, for a year now I have been involved in private chess enterprise. I have come around to the idea that it is the best way to move chess forward rapidly. As much as the volunteer model sounds good (and as long as you have credible people volunteering, your organization will trudge along with reasonable success) there is a difference in the effort when you are doing things as a private enterprise. Here’s an example of how things can spiral downward in a volunteer situation:
Volunteer thinks: “ Well I’ve got this chess stuff to do, but I have to work late and there are things that need to be done around the house. Chess has to wait. The club will just have to understand.”
Club member thinks: “Well, they didn’t get things done properly at the club last night, but you know, those guys are working on a volunteer basis. I understand that. So I would be a jerk to complain.
Volunteer thinks: We didn’t have a good club meeting last week. No one complained, so I guess all is OK. Maybe I am doing too much. I have plenty more stuff I need to do in life, the chess club will just have to take what it gets.
Do you see the downward spiral?
If that was a privately run chess organization, the operator should feel a lot more responsibility to put out a good product and the member should not feel bad about complaining if in fact he sees something reasonable that needs to be adjusted.
So, how does all this pertain to me moving forward?
I am coming up on four years as a volunteer for the NCCA. During this time I have given many, many hours to the organization. I have spent my own money on gas and hotels in most cases. I’m not complaining, I have for the most part enjoyed it. Not looking for a pat on the back here, just stating the facts as I see them. I also have increased my circle of friends in the chess community many times over. I thank you all for that. I truly love the North Carolina chess community…warts and all!
During my tenure, NC Chess has enjoyed a good burst of growth. Ideas have been turned into realities. Most of the ideas have come from others. Victor Beaman, Tom Hales, Randy Wheeless, Peter Giannatos, David Grimaud, Mike Eberhardinger and especially Walter High have been instrumental in developing these ideas. My own main contribution to this, I think, is that when I get involved in the project, it seems to happen.
I am serving out my last term as NCCA president. During this time, I will as usual have my NCCA hat on when appropriate to best serve the organization. That is what I signed up for and that is what I will do. We are again going to put on a great NC Open this year. Walter and I are already busy with it. The very real possibility of a significant sponsorship is developing. If it becomes a reality…and I think it will…the Open will once again move up several notches in the chess landscape. I will of course administer to the other duties that I have…putting together the Invitational and the Border Battle, assisting at the State Scholastics, helping to put together next year’s State Scholastics (this must be started prior to September) and the other more mundane tasks necessary to successfully complete my job.
Moving forward, look for me to get more involved in chess organization from a private business perspective I am starting work with a partner on a very exciting chess project that will bring more tournament play to the Carolinas. Peter and I will continue to operate Queen City Chess. Also, my instincts tell me that the time is right for a chess center in Charlotte. I will investigate the feasibility of such a center (if I am involved, it will be a first class facility with classroom space, retail space and a tournament hall) and if it is determined to be feasible, I intend to spearhead the project.
With business ventures there are risks that must be borne. Please remember this as you think about the chess culture and the changing paradigm moving forward. For instance, look at our Reverse Angle tournament that was held last Saturday in Charlotte. We came out ahead on that one. But to do that, we guaranteed a prize fund that required us to outdraw what any regularly held one day tournament in North Carolina has drawn lately just to break even! There were great playing conditions and a guaranteed prize fund. Everyone was happy! That’s the way it should be.
Let’s move forward in our thinking here. If people want to put in so much of their personal time and risk personal assets to move chess forward, I suggest that they be encouraged and supported. Chess will grow and all of us will find more opportunity to play and potentially prosper from the game.
I look forward to seeing all of you at Land of the Sky next weekend.
Posted in: Commentary, Gary Newsom.
Tagged: business · volunteer