CONSTITUTION OF ISLE OF MAN CHESS ASSOCIATION (13 February 2024)
1. NAME:
The organisation shall be called the “Isle of Man Chess Association” (also known as “Isle of Man Chess Club”) and
referred to hereinafter as “IOMCA”.
2. OBJECTS:
The objects of IOMCA are:
a) To promote the playing of chess among the members and generally to promote the interests of chess within the
Isle of Man.
b) To run an annual contest for the individual championship of the Isle of Man (“The Manx Chess Championship”)
and to hold any such competition as the committee may decide.
c) To represent Isle of Man chess internationally by (for example):
(i) Maintaining IOMCA’s status as an Affiliated Organisation of FIDE (International Chess Federation), with a long
term goal of achieving Federation status with FIDE.
(ii) Appointing an International Rating Officer so that Isle of Man can pre-register FIDE-rated tournaments and
submit results.
(iii) Encouraging IOMCA members to be listed under the Isle of Man flag in the FIDE Ratings Database.
(iv) Entering an Isle of Man team into the FIDE Chess Olympiad.
3. MEMBERS:
There shall be two categories of membership:
A) Full members who are sixteen years of age and above, who have paid the annual subscription agreed at the
Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM may agree a discount for unwaged, full members.
B) Junior members who have paid the junior annual subscription agreed at the AGM.
4. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:
The AGM shall be held not later than 31 October each year.
A report and a statement of account made up to a date within three months of the date of the AGM shall be
presented to the members present at the AGM. A list of equipment (trophies, boards, sets, clocks etc) owned by
IOMCA shall be attached to the accounts.
Only full members shall be entitled to vote.
5. OFFICERS:
At the AGM the officers of IOMCA shall be elected and shall ordinarily hold office until the next AGM.
6. COMMITTEE:
IOMCA shall be managed by a committee consisting of a minimum of 5 officers elected at the AGM. All officers must
also be full members of IOMCA. These officers shall normally be: Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Competitions’
Secretary, International Rating Officer, Press Officer and/or other officers as necessary or to maintain the required
minimum of committee members.
Meetings of the committee shall be summoned by the Chairman or the Secretary, giving at least 14 days’ notice to
all officers.
All members of the committee (including the Chairman) may vote at committee meetings with the Chairman having
the casting vote if required.
Any member of the committee may be duly elected to more than one office but is only entitled to one vote at
committee meetings, other than the Chairman’s casting vote if required.
Any vacancy arising on the committee between AGMs may be filled by the committee by co-option.
All officers of the committee that are listed in the FIDE Ratings Database as representing the Isle of Man (or are
about to change their allegiance to the Isle of Man having submitted the appropriate paperwork) shall automatically
be members of the international subcommittee which shall be responsible for all matters relating to the Isle of
Man’s participation in the Chess Olympiad, other representative team events, and related matters.
The committee shall have the power to appoint any individual or subcommittee for any purpose between AGMs.
Each individual or subcommittee so appointed shall automatically cease to function at the time of each AGM.
For the purposes of conducting committee business, more than half of the officers must be present in order to form
a quorum. Where a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be adjourned to a future date and the secretary shall
notify, in writing, all committee members of the date of the adjourned meeting giving at least 14 days’ notice.
Should there still not be a quorum present at the re-convened meeting then the committee members who have not
attended either meeting will be deemed to have resigned, unless any two of the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary
decide otherwise.
Within 14 days of a committee meeting, the Chairman or Secretary will communicate key decisions to all IOMCA
members.
7. BANK ACCOUNT:
All payments made from the IOMCA bank account must be signed/authorised by two officers of the IOMCA
committee listed on the bank account mandate. Payments can only be made with the consent of at least half of the
committee, including any two of the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary.
Any restricted sponsorship monies received for sending an Isle of Man team to the Chess Olympiad (or any other
FIDE rated event) must be separately identifiable in IOMCA’s accounts. The international subcommittee shall
determine how these funds are spent.
8. GENERAL MEETINGS:
21 days’ notice of all General Meetings shall be given in writing to all IOMCA members.
An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of IOMCA shall be convened by the Secretary within 21 days of receiving
such a request in writing by not less than twenty percent of the membership. Such a request shall state the purpose
of the meeting and no business other than this shall be transacted at the EGM.
Voting rights at any General Meeting of IOMCA shall be restricted to full members only.
9. COMMUNICATION:
Between meetings, e-mail shall be the normal method of communication in all matters.
10. MEMBERSHIP:
Membership of IOMCA is subject to the approval of the committee who may accept or reject any application for
membership without giving any reason for the decision.
11. SUBSCRIPTIONS:
The subscription fees for membership shall be decided at each AGM and must be paid to the Treasurer within one
month of such AGM. In the case of new members, the annual subscription must be tendered with their application
to join and shall be returned to the applicant if the application is refused.
12. DISPUTES:
Any disputes within the Association shall be subject to the decision of the committee which shall be final. If a
complaint involves a committee member, they will have no input into the final decision.
13. THE CONSTITUTION:
This Constitution can be changed only by a General Meeting of the members of IOMCA. At least 21 days notice of
any intended change by the proposer and seconder must be given in writing to the Secretary who shall advise the
members of such proposal not less than 14 days prior to the date of such a General Meeting.
