4. Executive and Officer reports

[Lyle Craver]

Members of the Executive and the Officers please post your reports here.

Please enter your position in the header as given in the Agenda (e.g. 4A, 4B, 4C etc)

[Patricia Gamliel]

4G. I am a member at large who helps the Board in the best of my capacities. I intervene in a wide range of subjects the CFC requires me to. I am hopeful that the CFC will, one day, reach the Charity org. status.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I am currently planning on running again for president of the CFC at the AGM which will likely take place at the end of September. I believe that I still have much to contribute to the CFC and would like to continue to do so. If I ever feel that I am holding the CFC back by putting myself forward, I would step aside but I don’t think we are at that point.

I am pleased to provide you with an update on our recent activities and future initiatives aimed at promoting and enhancing chess in Canada. Our participation in the Candidates Tournament has not only been a significant milestone but has also opened doors to numerous opportunities for growth and collaboration. Beyond the tournament itself, our presence facilitated essential dialogues with FIDE officials and key stakeholders in the Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) and the global chess community.

Much of my time as president is spent dealing with day-to-day details. Occasionally it involves putting out fires that arise or are deliberately set.

Youth chess is one area that we are very interested in pursuing and expanding, and we are proceeding on a number of fronts. There have been some promising outcomes with respect to working with Juniors to Masters Victoria Doknjas and grandmaster Gergely Szabo. Graduates and participants in their programs are a who’s who of Canada’s top young players. Maili-Jade Ouellet, Svitlana Demchenko, Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Anthony Antanasov are just a few who have been part of the program.

We are looking at working with Chesskid.com, a subsidiary of Chess.com. Early discussions have laid the groundwork for a possible strategic partnership aimed at enhancing chess education and participation among youth across Canada. Currently we are working on a possible pilot project in Windsor which could later be expanded across Canada.

FIDE is very interested in Canada reaching more of its potential and there were preliminary discussions around obtaining sponsorship for the CFC. Whether this comes to fruition, we need to reach out to new communities in the chess world of Canada as we are only scratching the surface of what is possible.

The state of chess in Canada is one of promise, potential, and possibility. As we look to the future, let us do so with optimism, determination, and a steadfast commitment to excellence and advancing the cause of chess. We can build a brighter, more prosperous future for chess in Canada and beyond.

[Bob Gillanders]

4M. Executive Director

I am going to be brief, just touch on a few items.

Key revenue numbers for fiscal 2024
Net membership revenue 110k (76k – 2023)
Rating fees 65k (42k – 2023)
Expenses will be higher also, but we will still have a very healthy surplus for the year.

I must thank again the great office team of:
Don Parakin, our webmaster and IT guru.
George Stajov, our JustGo membership expert.
Brian Floyd, invoicing and data analysis.

We are working hard to stay ahead of the growth wave currently underway.

The hour is late. I will save further comment for tomorrow.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

4M. Executive Director

I am going to be brief, just touch on a few items.

Key revenue numbers for fiscal 2024
Net membership revenue 110k (76k – 2023)
Rating fees 65k (42k – 2023)
Expenses will be higher also, but we will still have a very healthy surplus for the year.

I must thank again the great office team of:
Don Parakin, our webmaster and IT guru.
George Stajov, our JustGo membership expert.
Brian Floyd, invoicing and data analysis.

We are working hard to stay ahead of the growth wave currently underway.

The hour is late. I will save further comment for tomorrow.

Interesting that membership is up 30% and yet both net membership revenue are up around 45% and rating fees are up about 50%. How do you define net membership revenue? Why is it net membership revenue and not just membership revenue?

[Bob Gillanders]

Interesting that membership is up 30% and yet both net membership revenue are up around 45% and rating fees are up about 50%. How do you define net membership revenue? Why is it net membership revenue and not just membership revenue?

Vlad, those are good questions.

Membership revenue includes Life memberships. Life memberships are directed to the Chess Foundation. Net membership revenue excludes Life memberships.
Note 5 on the annual financials give a very useful breakdown of membership revenue.

While the membership numbers are up 30%, they do include some inactive Life and Honorary members. But that doesn’t explain the whole difference. These are preliminary numbers, as we are still balancing the books. I will keep your question top of mind.

Rating fees are up more than expected due to a greater percentage of events being FIDE rated.

[Olga Mushtaler]

Hello everyone,
Here are just a few highlights for the report:
▪ wrote to Marc Miller and other immigration officials to help expedite the visa process for the candidates
▪ organized three free-admission Candidates’ side events, hosting GM Benjamin Finegold, IM Danny Rensch (chess.com), and Theopolus Wait (lichess)
▪ organized weekly events for a 2000-member, free-admission chess club, Chess in the Park
Hope you all have a lovely day!

Olga

[Bob Gillanders]

4M. Executive Director (part 2)

Just a few comments I didn't get to last night.

Has everyone seen the posting about the FIDE World Record attempt for most chess games played in a single day?
We have 2 events from Canada officially recognized. Fred was first to take the plunge, and I got an email from FIDE just this morning that a Kitchener event I registered for them was approved. If you want to join the party, watch for the thread on CFC forum.

To follow up from the March 2024 meeting,

I have now had two "just ask Bob" zoom sessions to assist TD's/ organizers to date. More to come.

We are gathering some CFC rating data now on a weekly basis. I need to share this with the rating group first, then we can publish some findings and recommendations hopefully leading to a rating deflation adjustment. Oh, we'll see.

My dream of a new CFC rating program, no progress to report since last meeting, but we will get there.

That's all for now.

[Fred McKim]

Treasurer's Report

As for finances Bob has those answers. In 2024, my job perhaps has some more importance as in the past years there never was any extra money to do any new programs, but that is changing now, When the time comes, sound prioritization of activities will be needed.

While not part of my portfolio, I always have my ear to the ground when it concerns CFC ratings, and now observing what the hikes to to the FIDE ratings mean to the conversions of FIDE to CFC.

I am organizing two tournaments in assistance of FIDE's World Record attempt:

On Saturday morning, July 20 we are playing the Charlottetown Chess Club Rapid Chess Championship OTB
https://mcc.devastation.ca/cccrpdch24.pdf

On Friday evening, July 19 I am holding an online Blitz tournament on LiChess (free entry fee).
https://lichess.org/swiss/H2fNW4N0

[Paul Leblanc]

[B]4.J Chess Foundation of Canada Report
At the end of the FY (30 April, 2024) our investment account held $494,387 plus life memberships sold by the CFC during the FY. I have not yet been informed of the total life memberships sold.
Income earned for the CFC for the FY was 18,170 compared to 15,700 last year.