The WCA had a quiet year. Tournament attendance after a couple of growth years, showed some signs of decline. This might be due to the national economic conditions we are in. Our treasury is strong. New organizers and tournament directors continue to emerge but there is continued need for more of them and for mentoring them. If you are one of these new organizers or TD’s, just ask to assist at an event run by a more senior organizer or TD and they’ll be happy to show you the ropes.

The USCF lost $110,000 last fiscal year. This even with two bequests given to the USCF totaling around $400,000. So, as you can see, without the bequests, USCF would have had a huge loss. They did pay down the mortgage on the building by $100,000 but the rest of the bequest money was used to defend the Federation in six lawsuits. Four are related to the 2007 Executive Board election while another was dismissed and the sixth is with their former book and equipment vendor. For a full understanding of the lawsuits that are draining USCF resources please read Executive Director Bill Hall’s explanation on the USCF website and updated occasionally in Chess Life but basically the four related suits deal with the alleged actions of two winning candidates, Susan Polgar and Paul Truong and how they posted fake forum postings and arranged to break into USCF Secretary Randy Hough’s personal e-mail.

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