Dear member,

How much should the club subscription be? How many teams should we run this year? These are typical questions to which we hope to find answers at the Annual General Meeting of the club. The meeting should start at 8.00pm on Wednesday 9th September. I hope you and all other members will be there.

The formal agenda will be:

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 10th September 2025.
  3. Matters arising from the minutes.
  4. Chairman’s report.
  5. Secretary and Treasurer’s report.
  6. Match Captains’ reports.
  7. Club Tournament report
  8. Marketing.
  9. Webmaster’s report.
  10. Website in the coming year.
  11. Team league entries in the coming year
  12. Club tournaments in the coming year.
  13. Subscriptions.
  14. Election of officers i.e. chairman, secretary and treasurer, match captains, webmaster, tournament officer and marketing officer.
  15. Any other business.

The enclosed accounts show a small surplus.

After the meeting I will try to collect the subscriptions which you have just voted. The current subscription for a full year is £80, except for those those with an annual income under £12,000, who pay £40. Joiners during the year pay pro-rata.

Last year we ran four teams in the Kent League, but the meeting may decide to run some other number of teams.

It is now time to check whether you need to renew your membership of the English Chess Federation, if you want to play for one of our teams in the Kent League. Bronze membership suffices if you do not want to play in other rated tournaments. As a result of changes made by the English Chess Federation three years ago some people’s membership does not run out at the end of August, but later. The English Chess Federation’s website (membership button) will tell you when. You will need to renew your membership on its expiry, even if it expires after the end of the season.

We will be discussing our website (sidcupchessclub.org.uk). I look forward to hearing your ideas for material to put on it and what you can provide for it. The website is our main marketing tool and there were very few posts last year.

I very much hope to see you and hear your constructive comments on 9th September.

Ian McAllan, Secretary