Do you want to be part of the best chess organization in the world? I certainly do. Together we can remodel the USCF into that organization which is service oriented, encourages and rewards activity, and increases chess awareness.

The Portal to the USCF

Our website, for all intents and purposes, is in shambles. The USCF has spent tens of thousands of dollars with little to show for it.

This is the first impression a potential member, media professional, or sponsor has of the USCF. It’s where our affiliates perform a variety of tasks that furthers the mission of the USCF and drives revenue. It’s where our members come to for information and to utilize membership services.

It is imperative that the USCF conduct a nationwide search to hire a professional who is dedicated to program manage the following activities (at a minimum):

• Website reboot;
• Social media immersion;
• Online content management;

Service Orientation

One of the greatest services that the USCF offers aside from ratings, are Chess Life and Chess Life for Kids. USCF can improve its services by:

• Returning the ability to review Chess Life online (and replay/download games) in addition to downloading a PDF file;
• Converting Chess Life for Kids into a pure electronic medium with no hard publication (children are of the digital age);
• Integrating both e-publications with social media (Facebook);

Another important service is to improve the promotion of chess clubs and chess venues across the country to the local communities through a re-vitalized website and social media presence. These organizations are vital for new member acquisition and membership retention.

Increasing Chess Awareness & Activity

Chess awareness & activity must be increased at all levels – from casual players to amateurs to professionals. Awareness will lead to growth. Some of my ideas are as follows:

• Multiple local area chess awareness events, focused on bringing together casual players and introducing them to the USCF chess family;
• Providing Introduction to Chess Learning Packages to promote chess programs in schools, libraries, and other community congregation areas;
• Encouragement through competition, the concept of citizen journalism in local communities to increase awareness;
• Regionalized amateur open qualifiers acting as a feeder into a closed amateur national championship;
• A Grand Prix targeted at adult amateur chess players (over 21 years of age and U2200 USCF);

Conclusion (for now)

We must move forward in how our organization services the chess community. Activity must be encouraged and rewarded, and awareness must be built among causal chess players. Retention of chess players is important, but equally if not more important for prosperous growth, is expanding the USCF into the casual chess community and bring them into the USCF family.

I am asking for your support by voting for me to become a member of the Executive Board. It is a position I will embrace with passion, energy, and results.  My ideas are specific, actionable, and realistic to attain. To learn more about my campaign and further details on my ideas, please visit http://www.youruscf.com.

Do you want to be part of the best chess organization in the world? I certainly do. Together we can transform the USCF into that organization which services all types of chess lovers from kids, to adults, to tournament players, to casual players.

I will address three areas in this months’ statement: Sponsorships, Affiliates, and Membership Types.

Sponsorships

Sponsorships play a key role in initiatives such as the U.S. Championships, Olympiad or World Youth.  Sponsors, especially corporate ones, seek exposure, statistics, and accountability. Exposure can be accomplished through inexpensive communication tools ranging from social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube) to free PR news releases to citizen journalism. Statistics can be gathered through surveys either online or at USCF national events, and of course through the MSA database. Accountability comes through transparent, process controlled tournament execution and timely reporting.

Affiliates

There is a certain sales and marketing model used in many industries that the USCF can leverage to assist with growth – it’s called the channel partner model. The purpose of this model is to be able to reach a wider audience through the use of multiple partners. We have this model currently, it’s called affiliates, but we don’t provide a thorough infrastructure for them to maximize the relationship. Affiliates should be provided with the following (at a minimum):

• Basic marketing material (flyers, postcards, etc.) with positioning information and key statistics;
• Best practices of establishing clubs, organizing events, and getting trained as TD’s;
• Linking to the USCF website for membership registration and tracking to the affiliate;
• Uploading tournament articles with pictures and games for review by the CL and CLO editors to review for publication;
• A community / network for players, organizers and TD’s to easily connect;

By providing a solid infrastructure for our affiliates we widen the reach of the USCF effectively and efficiently.

Membership Types

Modifying membership dues should occur only when actual costs for items such as printing or postage increases. I propose the following for the next 3 years (results analysis at 18 and 36 months):

• Increases in current membership types to reflect real increases in production costs;
• An affordable ‘Benefactor’ membership program to allow for wider participation;
• A rating only membership level with no access to a physical or electronic publication;

Utilizing stable, inclusive, and service demand oriented membership types, the USCF has a better opportunity to increase membership, operating revenues, and continuity of memberships over time.

Conclusion (for now)

I’ve secured sponsors of varying sizes to my chess projects. I’ve worked with local organizers to improve the tournament experience to bring back players and find new ones. I’m currently working on gathering statistics on the chess community and marketing through non-traditional avenues to capture the attention of the ‘casual player’.

I am asking for your support in becoming part of the Executive Board. It is a position I will embrace with passion, energy, and results.  To learn more about my campaign and further details on my ideas, please visit http://www.youruscf.com.

Do you want to be part of the best chess organization in the world?  I certainly do. In order for the USCF to become that organization, change is needed.

We require changes in:  membership communications, business conduct transparency, corporate sponsorship, international integration, and leveraging volunteers. These changes will lead us to increased membership, better processes, and financial stability.

My chess experience is one of player, organizer, and arbiter. I am a USCF Senior TD, International Arbiter, and International Organizer. I was honored as the 2007 USCF Organizer of the Year. I have organized 26 international title tournaments, multiple national and state championships, a Continental and World Championship. Recently I have established a chess center in the Chicago area.

Professionally I am a Senior Product Marketing Manager for Dell. I have taught at various institutions, the last 8 years at Northwestern University.

To learn more about my campaign please visit http://www.youruscf.com

This video release focuses on the high level aspect of communications to the membership community from the USCF and the Executive Board.  As time goes on I will provide more detail.

(Apologies if the video seems a bit dark, I’m still working out some of the minor kinks).

As a sample of the communications that I will champion, I have provided links to the coverage I provided at the FIDE Congress meeting during the Olympiad in 2010 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. While there was official representation from the USCF, at no time did any official USCF representative provide any coverage. I posted these on the USCF Issues Forum and for your convenience I have posted them here.

• FIDE Congress Day 1 Part 1
• FIDE Congress Day 1 Part 2
• FIDE Congress Day 2
• FIDE Congress Day 3
• FIDE Congress – Continental Meetings
• FIDE Congress First Half Impressions
• FIDE Congress Executive Board Meeting
• FIDE General Assembly Day 1 Part 1
• FIDE General Assembly Day 1 Part 2
• FIDE General  Assembly Day 1 Part 3
• FIDE General Assembly Day 2
• FIDE General Assembly Day 3
• FIDE General Assembly Day 4
• FIDE General Assembly US Appointments

As you can see there was a lot to be communicated. I have also attached some comments from respected USCF members who have held or do hold important positions with the USCF or US Chess Trust. See below for them.

• Jim Eade (Jim Eade is a former USCF EB member when it was called the Policy Board and is currently the President of the US Chess Trust) / Mike Atkins (currently a USCF EB member) / Timothy Redman (former USCF President and head of the USCF Life Member Assets Committee)
• Don Schultz (former USCF EB member and FIDE Delegate)

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian, Candidate
2011 USCF Executive Board Elections

Remember that you MUST register. Grab your Chess Life or TLA Newsletter and do it today!

https://secure2.uschess.org/voter-registration.php

I have also updated the My Goals page on my campaign website.

Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to view my campaign website. Over the course of the coming weeks and months, I will be updating this website with the focus of my campaign, the platform that I am running on, and what I hope to accomplish should the USCF membership community elect me to the US Chess Federation Executive Board.

I will take this time to remind, or inform for the first time, members that the 2011 elections will be different from those held in previous years. In the 2011 elections, everyone who is capable of being a voting member (16 years and older) MUST register to vote. If you do not register, you will not receive a ballot and thus your voice in the election and in the future of the USCF will be diminished. Remember – No Vote, No Voice – Register Today by clicking here!

It’s your USCF, always remember that.

Good Chess to All,

Sevan A. Muradian
Candidate in the 2011 USCF Executive Board Elections