The bylaws of the chess club include the purpose of the club and the guidelines by which the members should conduct themselves. Annually the club's members elect officers to represent them and the interests of the club. Members may attend officer meetings, and are especially invited to the annual membership meeting held every January to vote for the club's officers. Please therefore find below the latest bylaws and minutes of the club's annual membership meetings.

• Bylaws
• Minutes

BYLAWS

1. Article I (Name)
2. Article II (Purpose)
3. Article III (Organization)
4. Article IV (Duties of Officers)
1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Tournament Director (TD)
6. Publicity Director
7. Sergeant at Arms
5. Article V (Board of Directors)
6. Article VI (Dues)
7. Article VII (Amendments)
8. Article VIII (Procedure)

(Printable copy of the bylaws in Acrobat Reader.)

THE TACOMA CHESS CLUB'S BYLAWS

PREAMBLE

This club shall be a non-for-profit organization established to foster and encourage the game of chess, and provide the means and capabilities to achieve this purpose. The bylaws written below shall govern the conduct, policy, and procedures of this club.

Article I (Name)

The name of this club shall be the Tacoma Chess Club.

Article II (Purpose)

The purpose of the club shall be to:

• Provide the facilities to play chess
• Organize chess tournaments, supporting competition among its own members and other organizations
• Promote the game of chess via education, instruction, and maintaining a library

Article III (Organization)

Duly elected officers shall govern the club. Officers are elected by a majority vote at the annual membership meeting, and serve for a term of one year. The annual membership meeting shall be held on the last Friday of January. The elective officers of the club are the following: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Director, Publicity Director, and Sergeant of Arms. The elective officers shall be known as the Board of Directors (Directors). Director vacancies shall be filled by a majority vote at a subsequent board meeting. The club shall affiliate with The United States Chess Federation (USCF).

Article IV (Duties of Officers)

The duties of the President are as follows:

• Shall call and preside at all meetings
• Shall appoint all committee chairmen
• Shall appoint an auditing committee each year's end
• Shall appoint a Librarian
• Shall appoint a nominating committee at the December Board Meeting who will give his report and a list of nominees at the January Board Meeting
• Shall not be appointed by the Directors to any other post nor assigned duties in addition to those of president

The duties of Vice-President are as follows:

• When the president is absent, he shall perform the duties of president
• Shall perform other duties as assigned by president
• Unless otherwise assigned, shall be a co-signor on the club's checking account

The duties of Secretary are as follows:

• Record the minutes of all meetings
• Receive and answer all club correspondence
• Forward notice to members of all scheduled meetings
• Maintain a roster of members
• Send all tournament information to Northwest Chess (NWC) and the USCF

The duties of Treasurer are as follows:

• Shall collect all dues and deposit them in an authorized bank account with dual signature control
• Unless approved by the Directors and with the exception of the club's rent, he shall not disburse funds greater than $50.00
• Shall provide a quarterly report to the Directors, and upon request a copy of it to club members
• Shall present the club's financial report and propose a budget for the next fiscal year at the annual membership meeting

The duties of the Tournament Director (TD) are as follows:

• Shall direct all tournaments conducted by the club
• Shall implement the types of tournaments approved by the Directors
• Shall appoint assistants as deemed necessary by the Directors
• Shall resolve tournament disputes with the corroboration of an assistant (when there is an assistant)

The duties of the Publicity Director are as follows:

• Promote new membership via advertising and public relation campaigns
• Obtain approval from the Directors for all expenditures

The duties of the Sergeant at Arms are as follows:

• Check membership cards when deemed necessary
• Issue and collect membership cards
• Issue a copy of the bylaws to all new members
• Ensure club behavior is in accordance with the bylaws

Article V (Board of Directors)

The Board of Directors shall--

• Consist of the elected officers as well as those appointed by the President or elected by a majority of the Directors to fill vacancies
• Meet quarterly; sooner if deemed necessary
• Concern itself with the good conduct or lack thereof of the general membership
• Rule against the use of profanity, alcohol and illegal drugs on or around the club's premises
• Concern themselves with those matters that deal with good order, neatness, and cleanliness on the club's premises
• Approve exclusively any agreements, contracts, obligations, exchange of goods, cash or policy, or any action, on behalf of the Tacoma Chess Club, that will significantly affect or alter the services, facilities, or equipment offered by the Tacoma Chess Club

Article VI (Dues)

Membership dues for adults (20+) are $60 for one year or $35 for one-half year or $20 for one-quarter year. Seniors (65+) pay $40 for a year, $25 for a half-year, and $15 for a quarter. Active military personnel are entitled to an annual membership discount and pay $25. Dues for juniors (ages 13-19) are $30 for one year or $20 for one-half year or $10 for one-quarter year. Dues for children (12 and under) are $15 for one year, $10 for a half of a year, or $5 for a quarter year. Discounts for families are as follow for annual memberships only: one spouse pays full dues, the other spouse pays $20; one full adult membership + one child membership = $5 per year each for siblings 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.

Guests may visit the club three times for free. Subsequent visits cost a fee: for adults the cost is $3.00 per visit; seniors, $2.00; and for juniors and children, $1.00.

Article VII (Amendments)

Amendments to the bylaws or alterations to the language thereof shall be made with the consent of a two-thirds majority of the membership present at a scheduled club meeting. Club members shall be notified 30 days in advance of any meeting to amend or alter the bylaws.

Article VIII (Procedure)

Parliamentary procedure shall guide the conduct of all club meetings. The bylaws shall be reviewed annually, and any changes will be made, if deemed necessary, by the Directors and the membership, per Article VII.

Bylaws approved at January 2001 Membership Meeting. Amendment to dues added October 28, 2005, for children.

Printer friendly copy of the bylaws in Acrobat Reader or Word.

Minutes

The minutes below are available for reading with Adobe Acrobat Reader®, and are listed in chronological order.

BYLAWS (157K)
Membership 2008 (117K)
Membership 2007 (22K)
Membership 2006 (312K)
Membership 2005 (253K)
Membership 2004 (53K)
Membership 2003 (63K)
Membership 2002 (106K)
Membership 2001 (143K)

The minutes of the club are available for reading with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If this software is not already installed on your computer, please download it for free from Adobe. (If this link is not current, please visit their website at www.adobe.com and follow the links for downloading Acrobat Reader.)