Bylaws

Bylaws of the Texas Chess Association, Inc.
(updated Nov 14, 2006)


Article I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be: The Texas Chess Association, commonly known as the TCA or the Association.

Article II: PURPOSE

The purpose for which the Texas Chess Association is organized shall be exclusively educational and instructional, namely to promote the game of chess, tournaments among its members and specifically to:

1. develop chess clubs throughout Texas;

2. coordinate with schools, colleges, hospitals, military bases, community centers, and other groups and institutions in teaching chess, conducting tournaments and other activities;

3. cooperate with the United States Chess Federation as its designated Texas affiliate, and with other state or international chess organizations in projects beneficial to chess promotion;

4. disseminate information through its publications and representatives;

5. select Texas delegates and voting members to represent Texas chess at the United States Chess Federation meetings;

6. pledge that no part of its funds shall inure to the benefit of any individual, except that trophies or prizes awarded in the course of its educational and promotional programs shall not be so construed, and that the TCA shall be operated on a non-profit basis and neither the principal nor income of its funds may ever be used to influence legislation; and

7. limit the TCA to exclusively educational and instructional purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.


Article III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Voting Membership Categories

A. Regular: Any Texas resident may become a Regular Member of the Association upon payment of $10.00 for one year.

B. Regular Non-subscriber: Any Texas resident may become a Regular Non-subscribing Member of the Association upon payment of $5.00 for one year. This class of membership does not receive Texas Knights but may participate in TCA tournaments and vote in TCA elections, and does not exclude juniors aged 18 or under.

C. Student: Any Texas resident with a valid college ID may become a Student Member of the Association upon payment of $7.50 for one year.

D. Junior: Any Texas resident 18 years of age and under may become a Junior Member of the Association upon payment of $7.50 dues per year.

E. Junior Tournament: Any Texas resident 18 years of age and under may become a Junior Tournament Member of the Association upon payment of $1.00. This class of membership does not receive Texas Knights and carries no voting privileges, but may participate in one TCA sponsored tournament. College players in a TCA Scholastic Event with a Collegiate Section may participate as Junior Tournament Members upon payment of the $1.00 fee.

F. Family: A household consisting of husband and/or wife, including children (if any) age 18 or under, being Texas residents, may take out a Family Membership upon payment of $15.00 for one year. They shall receive one subscription to Texas Knights, and all shall be considered TCA members eligible to participate in TCA events.

G. Life: Any person may become a Life Member of the Association upon payment of $200.00 or by ten annual payments of $20.00 each. Life Membership shall be twenty times the amount of dues specified for Regular Members. If paid over a ten year period, Life Member annual dues shall be twice the current amount of Regular Member dues.

H. Patron: Any member may become a Patron Member of the Association upon payment of $25.00 or more dues per year. Said Member shall receive Texas Knights by first class mail, have his name displayed in the Texas Knights "Hall of Honor" and be known as a generous supporter of Texas chess.

I. Blind Membership. A blind person may become a Special Member of the Association upon payment of $2.00 for one year without the magazine, or $5.00 for one year with the magazine.

J. Family Patron: Any family member may become a Family Patron Member of the Association upon payment of $30.00 or more dues per year. Said Member shall receive Texas Knights by first class mail, have their family name displayed in the Texas Knights "Hall of Honor" and be known as a generous supporter of Texas chess.



Section 2. Non-voting Membership Categories

K. Non-resident: Any person residing in a state other than Texas may become a Non-resident Member at the corresponding dues rate established for members who are Texas residents.

L. Club: Any U.S. club or organization that wishes to affiliate itself with the Association may do so for an annual affiliation fee of $25.00. Any foreign club or organization may affiliate itself with the Association for an annual affiliation fee of $40.00. The club or organization will not have voting privileges but will receive Texas Knights and one free quarter page advertisement per year in Texas Knights.

M. Scholastic Club: Any scholastic organization including colleges, junior colleges, community colleges, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, youth centers, youth hostels, etc., may affiliate itself with the Association for an annual affiliation fee of $10.00. The club or organization will not have voting privileges but will receive Texas Knights and one free quarter page advertisement per year in Texas Knights.

N. Foreign Member: Any person residing in Canada or Mexico may join TCA at $12.50 a year. Any person residing in any country other than Canada, Mexico, or the United States may join TCA at $17.50 a year.


Section 3. Renewals:

Membership renewals shall be dated from the previous expiration date, if renewed within 30 days following expiration, or for a year from the date of renewal if necessary to ensure that the renewing member is scheduled to receive six issues of Texas Knights before the new expiration date.


Section 4. Rights and Privileges of Members

A. Each member (unless a non-subscribing member) shall be entitled to receive Texas Knights or other TCA publications.

B. All Voting Members except for Junior Tournament Members are entitled to vote at meetings of the general membership and participate in all activities and tournaments sponsored by the Association, except that such events may require an entry fee. All Voting Members may hold office in the Association if duly elected or appointed.


Section 5. Verification of current membership status: If a person advises an Association Board Member that his dues have been paid and can produce a receipt, check, canceled check or other proof of payment, the person (or family) shall be listed on the website list of current members. In the absence of proof of payment, the Secretary or the Treasurer or a majority of the Board of Directors may decide to honor or deny the player’s request.


Section 6. The Officers of the Association may authorize memberships at a discounted rate for disabled persons or senior citizens on applications stating a specific reason for this type of membership.


Article IV: BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Section 1. Composition:

The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall be elected by the membership; eight Regional Directors representing each region of Texas (as specified in Appendix I), who shall each be appointed by the President; the Editor of Texas Knights, who shall be appointed by the President; and the immediate past President. The President shall be Chairman of the Board.


Section 2. Meetings of the Board:

A meeting of the Board of Directors may be held on Saturday preceding Labor Day at the location of The Southwest Open upon call of the President or the Chairman of the Board. Special meetings may similarly be called at any major tournament sponsored by the Association. Advance motions must be received at least three weeks prior to any meeting, and shall be posted to the TCA Website no later than two weeks prior to the same meeting.

Section 3. Quorum and Voting for Meetings of the Board:

A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting shall be five (5) of the Board members, including at least three (3) of the elected officers of the Association. A majority vote of the directors present shall be sufficient to transact business.


Section 4. Transaction of Business by Mail Ballot, Telephone, or Electronically:

In lieu of meetings, the Board of Directors may vote by mail, telephone, or electronically (for example, by e-mail) on any matter of business relating to the Association.


Section 5. Powers and Duties:

The Board of Directors shall have general management and supervision of the affairs of the Association. All appointments and actions of the President shall be subject to review and approval by the Board of Directors.


Article V: OFFICERS

Section 1. Titles:

The Officers of the Association are: the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor of Texas Knights, and eight regional Directors. These officers shall perform duties as prescribed by these Bylaws and the parliamentary authority adopted by the Association.


Section 2. Nominations:

Nominations for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be submitted to the Editor of Texas Knights by the deadline for the July/August issue of Texas Knights. Nominees must be members in good standing of the Association as well as residents of the state of Texas. If there are no nominees for an office, the President-Elect may appoint any Resident Member to fill that office. If no appointment has been made after thirty days, the Board of Directors shall select an appointee.


Section 3. Elections

A. Election of the officers of the Association, as well as tournament bids on official TCA events, shall be by mail ballot.

B. A ballot shall be prepared by the Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, listing the nomination for each officer post. Sufficient copies of the ballot shall be published in order that each voting member in good standing may vote. The Secretary may mail a copy of the ballot to each voting member in good standing, or have a copy of the ballot included with the July/August issue of Texas Knights. A pre-addressed envelope shall be included with the ballot.

C. The President shall appoint a special committee to tally the votes. This committee shall be made up of at least one Board member and one voting member. The ballots shall be opened and tallied during a public meeting during the Southwest Open. The nominee having a plurality shall be declared the winner of each office. The committee chairperson will present the election results to the President prior to or during the first part of the Annual Meeting. The committee chairperson will announce the election results at the appropriate time during the Annual Meeting.


Section 4. Term

The terms of the Directors and Officers shall begin at the Annual Membership Meeting after the close of old business in the order of business items, and continue for approximately one year until the next Annual Membership Meeting.


Section 5. Duties and Responsibilities of Officers


A. President

1. The President shall preside at all annual or special meetings of the membership, and shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors.

2. The President shall call special meetings of the Board of Directors; appoint committees, and committee chairmen; appoint the Editor of Texas Knights; appoint the eight Regional Directors representing each Region of Texas (as outlined in Appendix I); appoint officers for positions in which there are no nominees; appoint members to fill any vacancy in any office for the unexpired term; appoint the nominate candidates for the USCF SOMOV election, and appoint the Director of Postal Chess, Scholastic Committee Chair, Ethics Committee Chair, Procurement Director, and Webmaster. and appoint the Directors of Postal Chess and Junior Chess. All Presidential appointments must be submitted to the Board of Directors and are subject to their approval.

3. The President shall carry out all requirements of these Bylaws, represent the Association officially on occasion, report annually on the Association to the Members, and shall have the authority to act as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association.

4. The President may authorize up to five hundred dollars ($500) in total annual discretionary spending, or five percent (5%) of the bank account, whichever is less, without approval from the Board of Directors or the membership. The expenditure must be reported to the Webmaster within five working days.

B. Vice-President

1. During the absence or incapacitation of the President, the Vice-President shall assume and discharge all duties and responsibilities of that office.

2. The Vice-President shall act as the coordinator of all chess tournaments in Texas, and shall operate the USCF tournament clearinghouse for Texas. As tournament clearinghouse coordinator, the Vice-President shall undertake full responsibility for notifying organizers in their areas of possible conflicts and to help organizers schedule non-conflicting tournaments. Close liaison shall be maintained between the Vice-President and all Texas organizers and with tournament clearinghouse coordinators in surrounding areas.

3. The Vice-President shall regularly advise the Editor of Texas Knights of all scheduled Texas tournaments. The Vice-President shall also receive official tournament results, prize handouts, and crosstables of tournaments from Texas organizers to forward to the Editor of Texas Knights.

4. The Vice-President shall be the chairperson of the membership committee, working towards adding more TCA members and USCF members in Texas.

5. In the event of a committee chairperson or Director vacating his position, the Vice-President shall take over the duties of the vacant position until a replacement is formally appointed.


C. Secretary

1. The Secretary shall be the recording officer of the Association and the custodian of its records.

2. The Secretary shall maintain a current list of all members in good standing and complete minutes of the annual Membership Meeting, special meetings and Board of Director meetings.

3. The Secretary shall transcribe all minutes of Association meetings into a permanent minute book, which may be read at the Annual Membership Meeting, and shall maintain the official historical records of the Association, including the names of the Directors and Officers, the names of major tournament winners, and the records of any other action or event deemed noteworthy. The Secretary shall make summaries of minutes and other Association activities to the Editor of Texas Knights and the webmaster within thirty (30) days after the meeting.

4. The Secretary shall maintain the affiliation of the Texas Chess Association with the United States Chess Federation.


D. Treasurer

1. The Treasurer shall be the officer entrusted with the custody of Association funds.

2. The Treasurer shall handle the receipt of all dues and other funds received by the Association; may distribute membership cards to members in good standing upon request; and may forward the current membership list to any Board member upon request.

3. The Treasurer shall provide the Officers with quarterly financial statements listing income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and net worth, and shall report the financial status of the Association each year at the Annual Membership Meeting. The Treasurer shall forward the quarterly financial statements to the Webmaster for posting on the TCA website. The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on September 1 and end on August 31.

4. Any single expenditure in excess of $250 that has not been approved by the TCA membership shall immediately be reported to the Board of Directors, except for expenditures for the cost of publishing Texas Knights, unless a single expenditure exceeds $1000.

5. All funds of the Association shall be deposited in a national bank, in a checking account and a savings account. Funds not required for the regular maintenance of the Association shall be allocated to a separate savings account.


E. Editor of Texas Knights

1. The Editor shall periodically publish and distribute copies of Texas Knights as authorized by the Board of Directors. Issues shall show the appropriate volume and issue number, and month of distribution. The volume numbers shall be advanced after each Annual Membership Meeting.

2. The content of Texas Knights shall emphasize news material of tournament activity, games, problems, future tournament announcements, articles and items of general chess interest.

3. The content of Texas Knights shall avoid any material of a controversial nature or criticism of any person, club, or region. Editorial opinion shall be clearly identified in separate articles, and shall have the consent of the President prior to publication. However, if the author is the President, the consent of the Board of Directors is required with the President abstaining from voting. A decision of the President may be appealed to the Board of Directors. For campaign statements the decision must be unanimous with those Board Members who are nominees in the election abstaining.

4. The Editor may appoint a staff to assist in the preparation of Texas Knights, but may not delegate responsibility for the content of the publication.

5. The Editor shall publish the financial statement provided by the Treasurer at the annual membership meeting in the next issue of Texas Knights.



F. Regional Directors

1. Regional Directors shall be appointed by the President to each geographical area of Texas (as specified in Appendix).

2. Regional Directors shall be responsible for coordination of Association activities within each region, promoting Association Memberships, and sending a continuing flow of chess news material to the Editor of Texas Knights.

3. Regional Directors shall have a Web site for their region.

4. The Regional Directors shall act as the main liaison between the Association and the members.


Section 6. Duties and Responsibilities of Non-Officers

A. Director of Procurement: The Director of Procurement shall handle the purchase of chess sets for the TCA scholastic support program, and for other TCA approved projects.

B. Webmaster: The Webmaster shall maintain a website for the Association. The TCA officers may authorize certain designated Webmasters to charge an extra $1.00 per TCA memberships, other than Non-subscribing and where the payment is accepted on a secure Web server that accepts credit card purchases, as a handling fee. The website shall be updated as soon as possible with financial data and minutes provided by Board members.


Article VI: MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS


Section 1. Annual Membership Meeting


A. The annual membership meeting shall be held before each Labor Day prior to the first Sunday round of Southwest Open. The Tournament Director or local sponsoring committee shall make available a free period of approximately two hours.

B. Order of Business: The Order of Business may be as follows:

1. Reading of the minutes of previous meeting by the Secretary.
2. Financial report by the Treasurer.
3. President's Report
4. Old Business
5. New Business

C. Quorum for Annual Membership Meeting: A quorum shall consist of the voting Members present at the time of the meeting.

D. Voting at the Annual Membership Meeting

1. For the amendment of these Bylaws, an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the voting Members shall be required. Motions to amend these Bylaws have to be submitted for publication in the July/August issue of Texas Knights and submitted to the Webmaster at the same time.

2. For the transaction of other business, a majority vote of the voting Members shall be required.


Section 2. Annual Junior Chess Meeting

A. The annual junior chess meeting shall be held during the Texas Scholastic Championship. The tournament director or organizer shall plan for this meeting to take approximately ninety minutes. The agenda shall focus on issues unique to Texas Junior Chess.

B. The Order of Business and quorum rules for the junior chess meeting shall be the same as that for the Annual Membership Meeting.

C. Voting Rules at the Junior Chess Meeting:

1. Amendments of Bylaws that relate directly to Junior Chess may only be approved by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the voting Members. Discussion of other proposed Bylaws changes may be held and a straw poll may be taken, but all other Bylaws changes shall be voted on at the Annual Meeting.

2. Transaction of other business on issues that relate directly to Junior Chess may be approved by a majority vote of the voting Members.

3. All bylaws changes that do not directly relate to junior chess shall be voted on at the Annual Membership Meeting. Such bylaws changes may be discussed at the Annual Junior Chess meeting, and non-binding votes may be taken.


Section 3. Special Membership Meetings

A. The President shall call special membership meetings to coincide with any major Association tournament, and notice of any special membership meeting shall be published in Texas Knights at least thirty days prior to the meeting, if:

1.The Board of Directors has authorized a special membership meeting; or

2. At least twenty-five voting Members have petitioned for a special membership meeting. The petition shall state the specific object of the meeting and the matters to be considered.


B. The quorum and voting at special membership meetings shall be the same as prescribed for the Annual Membership meeting.


Section 4. Emergency Membership Meetings.

A. The President may call Emergency Membership Meetings when deemed necessary. No notice to the Membership will be necessary, but a quorum will still be required if business is to be transacted. Any motions of a non-legal nature passed at an Emergency Membership Meeting will be submitted for publication in Texas Knights prior to the deadline of the next issue.

B. The quorum and voting at Emergency Membership Meetings shall be at least three elected officers and at least one other Board Member.


Article VII: COMMITTEES

Section 1. Auditing Committee

A. The President or the Board of Directors may appoint an Auditing Committee composed of three voting Members.

B. The President or Board of Directors shall designate one member of the Auditing Committee as Chairman.

C. The Committee shall have the duty to examine the financial records of the Treasurer and make any other investigations
requested by the President or Board of Directors.

D. A voting Member may move for the immediate nomination and election of three voting Members to an Auditing Committee with specific instructions as to their duties and responsibilities at the annual membership meeting. The Chairperson will then be elected by the membership.


Section 2. Scholastic Committee

A. The Scholastic Committee shall be a standing committee consisting of eight Resident Members appointed by the President.

B. A reasonable effort should be made to find a member from each region. Having more than two members from the same region should be avoided if at all possible.


Section 3. Ethics Committee

A. The Ethics Committee shall be a standing committee consisting of four voting Members appointed by the President.

Section 4. Bylaws Committee

A. The Bylaws Committee shall be a standing committee consisting of three to five voting Members appointed by the President, except for the Chairman, who will be the Immediate Past-President.

B. The primary responsibilities of this committee will be:

1. to review the Bylaws periodically and recommend changes, which the President will report to the TCA membership;
2. to act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors with regard to the interpretation and application of the Bylaws; and
3. work with the Secretary and Webmaster to assure that any Bylaw changes are promptly updated on the TCA Website.


Article VIII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.


Article IX: TOURNAMENTS

Section 1. Regular TCA Tournaments

A. Southwest Open: This tournament shall be held the Friday (optional re-entry round), Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend, and shall be open to all members without restriction. This is a Major Event.

B. Texas Open: This tournament shall be open to all members without restriction, and shall not conflict with any other Association or National event held within the state of Texas.

C. Texas State Chess Championship: This tournament shall be held simultaneously with the Texas Amateur Championship in May. This tournament shall be restricted to players with a United States Chess Federation rating of at least 2000, with exception made for the Texas High School Champion or co-Champions. Any player with a Fide rating of at least 2000 may also play in this tournament. Only a Texas resident may win the title of Texas State Champion, or any other state title listed below. This is a Major Event.

D. Texas Amateur Championship: This event will be held simultaneously with the Texas State Championship in May. This tournament shall be restricted to players with a USCF rating of below 2000. Only a Texas resident may win the title of Texas Amateur Champion. This is a Major Event.

E. Texas Scholastic Championship: This tournament shall be a four-section individual event with team prizes. These sections may be subdivided with the approval of the Scholastic Committee. The Primary section will include kindergarten through third grade. The Elementary section will include kindergarten through sixth grade. The Middle School section will include fifth through ninth grade. Fifth and sixth graders in a middle school are not allowed to play down into the Elementary section. Ninth graders will be allowed to play up into the High School section and play for the school they would be attending upon entering the tenth grade. The High School section will include ninth through twelfth grades. Ninth graders in high school will not be allowed to play down into the Middle School section. Home schooled and private schooled students will be delineated as follows: Primary K-3, Elementary K-5; Middle 6-8; High School 9-12. The winner of the High School section will qualify to represent Texas in the Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Champions. A scholastic team shall consist of any four students from the same school, and may be designated at the conclusion of the tournament to include the top scorers from that school. Team scores in the Primary section apply only toward Primary team prizes, and may not be transferred to the Elementary team competition. Only Texas residents or students enrolled in secondary or primary schools (including home schools) in Texas may play in this event. Students not assigned a grade in school will be assigned a grade at the tournament based on their age as of September 1 of that school year as follows: six years old is assigned first grade, seven years old is assigned second grade, and so on through grade twelve. This is a Major Event.

F. Texas Postal Championship: This tournament shall be held each year by the Director of Postal Chess. TCA membership shall be required for Texas residents, who must keep membership current throughout any Texas Postal event.

G. Texas Team Championship: This event should be held in January or February as a four round Swiss, and restricted to four boards. A team may not have more than five players. The lowest rated player shall be the alternate. The highest rated player shall be assigned to play Board One, and the other players shall be assigned to boards in descending order by rating. The Average Rating shall be less than 2200 based on the supplement in effect for the tournament. The December supplement shall be used if the tournament when tournament is held in January or February.

H. Texas Armed Forces Championship: This shall be open to all active duty service people stationed in Texas, as well as retired, reserve and National Guard service people.

I. Texas Senior Championship: This tournament shall be open to players aged 50 (as of the first day of the tournament) and over, and may be held concurrently with the Texas Scholastic Championship.

J. Texas Action Championship: This tournament shall be held yearly, and open to all players. The time control shall be game/30.

K. Texas Junior Open: This tournament shall be open to all players meeting the United States Chess Federation’s definition of a “Junior”. This tournament will be held in the fall so as not to conflict with other major scholastic events.

L. Texas Junior Team Championship: This will be a four round event, restricted to four-board teams with no more than five players per team. The lowest rated player will be the alternate. Board One will be the highest rated player, and the other players will be assigned boards in descending order of rating.

M. Regional Scholastic Championships. These shall be held in each of the Regions of the Association, and shall precede the Texas Scholastic Championship within the school year. These shall be organized according to the same guidelines as the Texas Scholastic. These shall be open only to students residing in or attending school in the same region as the tournament. [Notes: (1) A TCA region that does not hold a regional forfeits its priority in the next bidding cycle for the Texas Scholastic Championships and for the Texas Grade Championships. (2) If a regional draws less than 150 players the previous year (or is not held), then the next year the regional can be held as an open event. It will be up to the organizer to decide whether out of region players can win trophies.]

N. Texas Quick Championship: This tournament shall be held yearly, and open to all players. The time control may range from game/10 to game/29, in accordance with the USCF rules defining Quick Chess.

O. Texas Collegiate Championship. This tournament shall be held in the fall, and shall be open to students enrolled full-time or part-time in colleges or universities in Texas.

P. Texas Grade Championships. This event shall be held in the fall concurrently with the Texas Collegiate Championship, with a separate tournament for each grade K-12. There shall be individual and team trophies. A team shall consist of any three players from the same school, and may be designated at the conclusion of the tournament to include the top scorers from that school. Sections may be combined if deemed necessary, but trophies shall be awarded for all grades represented. This is a Major Event.

Q. Texas Women’s Championship. This tournament shall be open to all female players.

R. Texas Girls Championship. Only Texas female residents or students enrolled in secondary or primary schools (including home schools) in Texas may play in this event. This event shall be held in the fall prior to the Texas Grade Championships. There shall be individual and team trophies. A team shall consist of any four players from the same school, and may be designated at the conclusion of the tournament to include the top scorers from that school.

S. Texas Junior Invitational. [Information pending]

T. Texas Girls Regional Scholastic Championship. These shall be held in each of the Regions of the Association any time during the school year. These shall be organized according to the same guidelines as the Texas Girls Championship. These shall be open only to female students residing in or attending school in the same region as the tournament. A TCA region that does not hold a girls regional forfeits its priority in the next bidding cycle for the Texas Girls Championship. If a regional draws less than 50 players the previous year (or is not held), then the next year the regional can be held as an open event. It will be up to the organizer to decide whether out of region players can win trophies.



Section 2. Policies of the Conduct of Tournaments

A. At an early stage of any TCA tournament, the sponsor shall post a listing of prizes, whether cash, trophies, chess books, or other merchandise.

B. If a money prize fund is guaranteed, no financial statement is required at any time. If the money prize fund is based on a number of players, it is required to post a financial statement during the tournament. This statement shall include the number of based on players and the new prizes.

C. There shall be no smoking in the playing room during a round of play at Regular TCA tournaments.

D. Senior citizens aged 65 and over may enter any Regular TCA tournament at the advance entry fee rate, up until the end of the pre-announced registration time. This rule is for Regular TCA tournaments that do not have a special Senior entry fee. TCA encourages tournament organizers to have a discounted senior entry fee.

E. A player must be a member in good standing of the Association in order to play in any Regular TCA tournament.

F. If an Association Officer is unable to collect Association dues and give receipts, the tournament organizer will assume these duties. The organizer will also submit all collected dues and data to the Treasurer within two weeks after the end of the tournament.

G. An organizer of a TCA event may choose to charge an extra $1.00 per TCA membership, that includes a magazine subscription, as a handling fee. This extra charge must be stated in pre-tournament publicity.


Section 3. Submission of Tournament Bids

A. Nominations for Regular TCA Tournaments shall be submitted to the President by the June 1. Regular TCA tournament bids are due for the next tournament year. A tournament year is defined as the following January to December from the General membership meeting in September. If there are no nominations for a tournament (or tournaments), the Board of Directors shall solicit proposals for overdue tournament(s). The TCA Board of Directors can solicit bids for scholastic majors if there is no bid turned in two years ahead. On the non-scholastic majors, the TCA board of directors may choose to either wait until the one year deadline to see if a bid is submitted, or the TCA Board of Directors may vote to have TCA organize the event(s). If the Board of Directors cannot find organizer(s) willing to handle the overdue Major Event(s), they will organize the event(s). If a Regular TCA Tournament does not get timely bids for two years, then the Board of Directors can give future options when bids are submitted to the Board. A notice should be placed on the website within two weeks after the bidding deadline so that organizers who are currently working on a bid, can submit their bids. No decision should be made until at least one month after the bidding deadline.

B. Nominations for TCA Tournaments identified as a “Major Event” can be submitted up to two (2) years in advance.

C. For every successful nomination of a tournament more than one year in advance (that is, receiving the most votes in the annual election), the affiliate will provide a refundable deposit of $50.00 to TCA within 30-90 days of being notified that their affiliate’s bid won the nomination. TCA will refund the affiliate’s deposit within 30 days after the conclusion of the event.

D. One affiliate cannot host a single specific “Major Event” two years in a row unless there is no other comparable bid for the tournament. Cities within the same county should not host a single specific “Major Event” two years in a row unless there is no other comparable bid for the tournament (e.g., cities within the same county should not host the Southwest Open two years in a row, but can host the Texas Junior Championship, the Southwest Open and the Texas State Chess Championship in the same year.)

E. A “Priority Rotation Schedule” will begin in 1995 for TCA Tournaments. This rotation schedule will give a higher priority to a city making a comparable bid and, in some cases, this higher priority can result in an automatic award of the tournament to a bidding city. That is, the city which has had a longer time since hosting a tournament may be awarded the tournament without a vote if their bid is reasonably comparable to other bids made for that tournament. If there are multiple cities (or affiliates within the same city) who have somewhat equal lengths of time since hosting the tournament, only those cities’ (or affiliates’) bids will be included on the ballot in the July-August issue of Texas Knights.

F. The final approving authority for the comparability of bids and “somewhat equal lengths of time” for awarding a tournament to a bidding city shall be the Board of Directors, or in the case of major scholastic events, the Scholastic Committee. They should consider the following factors: geographic location, drawing power of the area, finances, organizers’ experience, size of the playing site, hotel contracts and other relevant criteria.

G. The award of a bid is binding once it is made.

H. For all approved regional tournaments, in the event of competing bids, the eight Texas regions shall use the established system of bid rotation as stated in Article IX, Section 3.E. The Regional Director (or bid committee) shall make the awarding decision. Any appeals should be made to the TCA Board (or Scholastic Committee). Any bid guidelines for specific tournaments shall be posted on each regional web page.

I. In the case of an opportunity arising, the TCA may choose to run any of its events and/or accept a bid more than two years in advance and may organize the major tournament. The TCA may choose to hire an affiliate to run this event.


Section 4. Membership Requirements for TCA tournaments

Entrants in TCA tournaments must be members in TCA or, if from out of state, members in their respective state organizations.


Article X: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Submission of Amendments

A. Any voting Member or Officer may present a proposed amendment to these Bylaws at any annual Membership Meeting or special meeting.

B. Amendments shall be presented in written form.

C. For adoption, a two-thirds vote of voting Members present and voting is required.


Section 2. Date of Effect

A. An amendment to the Bylaws will normally take effect on January 1 of the following calendar year.

B. In an emergency or unusual circumstances, the amendment may be declared to take immediate effect, upon a vote of two-thirds of the voting Members present and voting. A separate motion must be made, seconded, and passed for this procedure to occur.


APPENDIX: Regions of the TCA

REGION I (Panhandle):
Armstrong, Bailey, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Collingsworth, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Donley, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Garza, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell, Hemphill, Hockley, Hutchinson, Kent, King, Knox, Lamb, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Reagan, Roberts, Sherman, Stonewall, Swisher, Terry, Wheeler, Yoakum.


REGION II (North Central):
Baylor, Bell, Bosque, Clay, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Denton, Erath, Falls, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Lampasas, McLennan, Mills, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackelford, Somervell, Tarrant, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, Young.

REGION III (Northeast):
Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Collin, Dallas, Delta, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Limestone, Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Rusk, Sabome, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Wood.

REGION IV (West):
Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Loving, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Val Verde, Ward, Winkler.

REGION V (Southeast):
Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Orange, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, Wharton.

REGION VI (South Central):
Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Burleson, Burnett, Caldwell, Colorado, Comal, De Witt, Edwards, Fayette, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Lavaca, Lee, Llano, Medina, Milam, Real, Travis, Uvalde, Washington, Williamson, Wilson.

REGION VII (Gulf/Valley):
Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Dimmit, Duval, Goliad, Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kennedy, Kleburg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Webb, Zapata, Zavala.

REGION VIII (Valley):
Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy.

REGION IX (West Central):
Andrews, Archer, Borden, Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crane, Crockett, Dawson, Eastland, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard, Irion, Jones, Kimble, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Midland, Mitchell, Nolan, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Stephens, Sterling, Sutton, Taylor, Tom Green, Upton.