Limerick Chess Club AGM was held on Wednesday, 11th September 2013 at 8.00 pm. at the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club, Ennis Road, Limerick
Present were
Pat Hayes (President), Michael Meaney (Chairman), Laurent Talazac (Secretary), Phillip Foenander, Noel Keating, Liam O’Brien, Tim Dineen, and Eamon Canning. Absent with apologies John Cassidy (Treasurer)
The meeting was declared open by the Club Chairman.
Minutes of the previous 2012 AGM were read out by the Secretary.
The Secretary’s Report including a brief summary of the club’s activities during the season 2012-13 was presented. During the presentation an issue was raised about being a present member of the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club; the issue would be discussed further during the motions. An announcement for the start of the season blitz was made at the end of the report.
The Treasurer’s report on the club’s finances was then presented by Phillip Foenander in the absence of the Treasurer.
The Secretary then called for motions to be discussed by members present.
Motions
- 1) Club meeting venue – all members seem to be satisfied with the venue and comfort of the room the chess club is using every Wednesday. The most important issue discussed is that the premises manager required that 7 members of the chess club be members of the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club (Pavilion members), in order to grant permission to the club to play in the function room. Being a Pavilion member means paying an extra €100 fee for the year, with no extra privilege compared to other players of the club (such as the right to play tennis). It was decided that a meeting would be organised between the 7 current members and the club manager to discuss that issue. It was also suggested that the extra fees paid by Pavilion members could be spread over each member’s club subscription. Clarifications should emerge from the meeting with the club manager and members will be informed of the outcome.
- 2) Tom White Cup – after a discussion among all present, it was agreed to keep the Open format. It was suggested that the Tom White Cup could be divided into 2 sections, with a prize for the lower section. Dividing into 2 sections would depend strongly on the number of contestants, and it has not been very successful in the past. It was also highlighted that the problem with lower sections is that not all the matches are played. A monetary prize can be an option.
- 3) Email addresses – it was mentioned that email addresses of club members should be in the contact section of the club website if available, and that coming matches between club members and deadlines should be sent by email too.
- 4) ICU fees – it was highlighted that some club members did not pay the ICU fees last year despite being involved in ICU rated events. It was agreed that ICU fees should be collected together with the club membership fees to avoid this situation, and a new membership form was issued accordingly and presented during the AGM. Members will also be reminded. Participating in the club championship without paying the ICU fees violates Rule 1 of the club competitions, which states that each applicant must be a current member of the Irish Chess Union. A deadline for payment of club membership is already stated in rule 12 of the club rules plus ICU fees, and players could be withdrawn from the club competitions if they are not paid up by the start of round 2.
Nomination and election of Club officers was carried with the following officers voted in:
Chairman – Michael Meaney re-elected
Secretary – Laurent Talazac re-elected
Assistant Secretary – Phillip Foenander nominated and elected to fill the place left vacant by Kensy Joseph, who returned to India.
Membership Officer – John Cassidy re-elected
Assistant Membership Officer (new position) – Noel Keating nominated and elected
PRO officer – Tim Dineen nominated and elected
Assistant PRO officer – Liam O’Brien nominated and elected
Other issues
- a) Announcement was made by the Secretary that the start of the season Blitz will be on 18 September in the Limerick Chess Club premises.
- b) The Limerick Open will be held at the end of October and should take place in the South Court Hotel this year (to be confirmed). It will be organised by John Cassidy.
- c) The Galway Open will be held on 4-6 October this year.
The meeting was then closed by club Chairman Michael Meaney.
Source: Limerick Chess Club archive.