Constitution

ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization shall be the West Virginia Chess Association, known as the WVCA and incorporated under the laws of West Virginia as a non-profit corporation.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
Its purpose shall be to promote acquaintance, understanding, and fellowship among chess players of West Virginia. It will also conduct state Chess Championships as well as any other chess events the membership of the Board of Governors select.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS

  1. Membership shall consist of all interested in the game of chess.
  2. There shall be the following classes of membership:
    1. Regular: One year membership for those 21 years of age or older at the beginning of the term.
    2. Junior: One year membership for those under age 21 at the beginning of the term.
    3. Family: One year membership for multiple family members in one household.
    4. Life: Membership for the life of the member.
    5. Honorary Life: A life membership granted by the members at a Business Meeting.
  3. All memberships include full voting privileges.
  4. Membership dues are payable in advance. Membership can begin at any time during the Fiscal Year.
  5. The Fiscal year shall begin at the annual Business Meeting and shall end on the day before the next annual Business Meeting.
  6. Residence outside the state is not a bar to membership; however, it is a bar to holding the title of State Champion. Military personnel and college students who are home on annual leave or summer vacation are eligible for the title so long as prior to their enlistment or enrollment they were residents of the state.
  7. There shall be an annual business meeting held, preferably during the State Championship, for the purpose of electing officers and transacting association business. Members are entitled to vote in person.
  8. The quorum for the annual business meeting shall be 10 percent of the current membership, excluding Junior Members.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS AND OTHER POSITIONS

  1. Officers of this association shall be the President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer duly elected at the annual business meeting. All terms are for one year with the exception of the Secretary-Treasurer who retains office for 3 years.
  2. Only members that are residents of the West Virginia and over the age of 17 shall be eligible to hold office or Board memberships. Committee positions can be filled by any member with no requirement on age.
  3. The President shall preside at all business meetings. He will appoint committees. He will act as chairman during any meeting of the Board of Directors. He will call special meetings as need arises according to the procedures contained within.
  4. The Vice-President:
    1. Shall preside in the absence of the President or act as his designate when requested of him.
    2. Shall assume the office if the President if the President resigns or dies, is removed from office for misconduct, or is prevented from executing the duties of that office as a result of disability.
  5. The Secretary-Treasurer:
    1. Shall collect the dues and monies owed the association. He will pay all accounts of indebtedness that have been certified for payment by the other board members or himself. He will submit a financial report of the association at the annual business meeting.
    2. Shall keep on file, the minutes of the association’s business meetings.
    3. Shall record minutes of all meetings (Business, Board, and Special).
    4. Shall handle correspondence for the association.
  6. There are a few positions that shall be selected by the board. These positions shall be WVCA Archivist, Webmaster, Grand Prix Coordinator, Scholastic Coordinator, and the Senior Coordinator. These positions can be held by any active member, elected officers not excluded.
    1. The archivist shall keep the WVCA archives, which includes almost all of the WVCA Bulletins, photos and other publications. The archivist shall work closely with the Webmaster to help disseminate some of the historic information contained within. This position length should be for an indefinite period of time.
    2. The Webmaster shall be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the WVCA Website, which includes continued registration of the WVCA domain name: wvchess.org.
    3. The Grand Prix Coordinator shall run the West Virginia Grand Prix cycle. The Coordinator shall designate Grand Prix events according to the guidelines set in the WVCA Bylaws and tabulate points accordingly. The Coordinator shall be responsible for the prize allocation. This position should be for a full cycle of the Grand Prix.
    4. The Scholastic Coordinator will organize the WV Scholastic Championship every year.
    5. The Senior Coordinator will organize a WV Senior Championship every year.

ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer.
  2. The Board of Directors shall be charged with the responsibility of running the association meetings. In addition, the Board of Directors shall have authority to:
    1. Act on issues concerning the WVCA. If an issue comes before the Board, in lieu of consensus among the members, a vote shall be taken. The results of the vote are to be given to the Secretary-Treasurer, who will record them and then submit them to the Webmaster for publication.
    2. Purchase any items it deems necessary if the value of the items does not exceed $25. Purchase of any items above this limit would require membership approval at a business meeting. The (1) sponsorship of the State Championship and the WVCA Grand Prix and (2) maintenance of the WVCA Website are the only exceptions to this prohibition.
    3. Warn, suspend, or expel any member for conduct unbecoming a member or harmful to the purposes of the Association. No member may be expelled except by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors present at a special meeting. Before any member is suspended or expelled, written notice of the charges against him, and of the time and place of the meeting of the board at which they are to be considered, shall be mailed to him at his last known address at least twenty days before the meeting. He shall be given an opportunity to defend and the decision of the Board shall be final.
    4. Removal of any officer with a two-third vote of the Board of Directors. This shall be done in accordance with provision (c).
    5. Perform any and all other acts necessary for the operation of the WVCA not specifically denied by this Constitution and its Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI: RULES
All applicable United States Chess Federation (USCF) rules and current laws of chess shall govern the play at all WVCA tournaments and the issuing of prizes.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS

  1. The Constitution shall be amended by a two-thirds vote by the membership at the annual business meeting. There must be enough members to satisfy a quorum present in order to amend the Constitution.
  2. The Bylaws shall be amended by the following procedure:
    1. An amendment to the Bylaws must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the membership at the annual business meeting of the WVCA.
    2. There must be enough members to satisfy a quorum present in order to amend the bylaws.

ARTICLE VIII: TRUSTEES
Two trustees are to be elected who will be authorized to sign checks and withdraw funds from WVCA accounts in emergency situations. The term of each trustee is five years. If a trustee must vacate his position before his term expires, a new trustee shall be elected for the rest of the unexpired term at the next business meeting. Trustees must maintain WVCA membership throughout their term.

ARTICLE IX: SPECIAL MEETINGS

  1. Special meetings of the WVCA Board may be called by the President as the need arises with the written agreement of the other members of the Board of Directors. All members of the Board of Directors must be notified of the time and place of the meeting in writing at least one week prior to the meeting. The notice of the meeting will clearly set out an agenda for the meeting. No action will be taken at the said meeting that is not related to an idea on said agenda.
  2. The Secretary-Treasurer shall take Minutes at all meetings. Copies of the minutes shall be furnished to the Webmaster for public distribution to the membership of the organization.

Revised: September 9, 2023