Constitution and By-Laws

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WANSTEAD & WOODFORD CHESS CLUB

CONSTITUTION


1. NAME

The club shall be known as Wanstead & Woodford Chess Club (the “Club”).

2. OBJECT

The object of the Club shall be to provide facilities for the playing of Chess and its derivatives.

3. MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Club shall be open to:

  1. natives and residents of Wanstead or Woodford;
  2. any other persons at the discretion of the Committee,

on indication of willingness to accept and abide by the Club’s Constitution on payment of the Club’s annual subscription.

In taking up membership Club members agree that they have read, agree with, and will abide by the Club’s Safeguarding policies and Privacy Notice.

The Committee shall have power to cancel any membership or to reject any application for membership. Where the Committee has cancelled a membership or rejected a membership application the member or prospective member will have the right of appeal to the next general meeting.

4. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BOARD FEES

Annual subscriptions and board fees shall be as decided by the members in general meeting.

Subscriptions shall be payable upon joining the Club and then, without demand, on 1 September in each year. Subject to the provisions of Section 3. “Membership”, a member who has paid the due subscription shall be entitled to the benefits of membership until the following 31 August.

The Committee may approve a deduction to the annual subscription for new members joining after the commencement of the season, for old age pensioners or any other cases as the Committee sees fit.

A member whose subscription is three months in arrears shall be liable, subject to fourteen days’ notice, to forfeiture of membership.

5. MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB

The management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee (the “Committee”) consisting of:

  1. the following (“Officers”):
    President;
    Chairman;
    Secretary;
    Treasurer;
    Match Captain;
    Assistant Match Captain;
    Tournament Secretary;
    Webmaster;
    Publicity Officer;
    Designated Safeguarding Lead; and
  2. three other Club members.

The quorum for Committee meetings shall be five Committee members including at least one of the President, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. At all meetings, the Chairman will have a casting vote.

The Committee shall have authority to:

  1. fill all casual vacancies in their number;
  2. appoint additional Team Captains as it sees fit, to run the Club’s teams in the competitions entered (Team Captains shall report to the Match Captain);
  3. appoint, as it sees fit, a Fixtures Secretary, a Junior Organiser, and a Minutes Secretary (each of whom shall report to the Committee); and
  4. appoint a Safeguarding Officer who shall report to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and to the Committee as required.

The Committee shall also have authority to make, vary, and revoke by-laws to regulate the internal affairs of the Club and the conduct of the members. All by-laws must be consistent with the Constitution and shall be binding on the members until revoked by the Committee or by the members in general meeting.

All or any of the members of the Committee may participate in a meeting of the Committee by means of a conference telephone or any communication equipment which allows all persons participating in the meeting to speak to and hear each other. A person participating in this way shall be considered as present in person at the meeting and shall be entitled to vote and be counted in a quorum accordingly. A meeting held in this way is deemed to take place at the place from where the chairman of the meeting participates.

Committee members shall retire at each AGM but shall be eligible for re-election.

6. GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting of the members (“AGM”) shall be held as early as practicable after the end of each season,

The ordinary business of the AGM will include:

  1. Approval of the minutes of the previous AGM;
  2. Treasurer’s report and the presentation of an independently examined statement of accounts;
  3. Retirement and election of the Committee; and
  4. Appointment of Independent Examiner.

(b) Special General Meetings

A general meeting other than an AGM will be a Special General Meeting (“SGM”).

A SGM shall be held at any time by direction of the Committee or within 14 days upon written request to the Secretary signed by not less than five members of the Club.

(c) Notice of General Meetings

Notice of any general meeting shall, together with the Agenda, be sent to all members not less than seven days prior to the holding of such meeting.

(d) Quorum

The quorum for general meetings shall be six members of the Club or the number of members equal to at least half the number of Club members plus one, whichever is the lesser.

(e) Resolutions

A simple majority of those present and entitled to vote shall be sufficient to pass a resolution at a general meeting, except that resolutions:

  1. to amend the Constitution; or
  2. to dissolve the Club,

shall require at least a two-thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.

(f) Virtual meetings

General meetings may be held by video or telephone conference call, or using any other communication equipment, which allows all participants to speak to and hear each other. A member participating in this way shall be considered as present in person at the meeting and shall be entitled to vote and be counted in a quorum accordingly. A meeting held in this way is deemed to take place at the place from where the chairman of the meeting participates.

7. CLUB PROPERTY

All property and effects of the Club shall be vested in the President and Treasurer for the time being as trustees for the Club, but no personal liability shall attach to these Officers for the safe custody thereof.

8. DISSOLUTION

Resolutions proposing the dissolution of the Club will only be put to general meetings specifically convened for that purpose.

In the event of a resolution to dissolve the Club being passed the assets of the Club remaining after meeting all liabilities shall be disposed of as may be decided at such meeting.

9. INTERPRETATION AND ALTERATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

In the event of any situation arising upon which this Constitution is silent, the decision of the Committee shall be sufficient. Any member aggrieved by such a decision may appeal to the next available general meeting.

Any proposed amendment to this Constitution will require approval at a general meeting.

Approved: AGM 7 June 2022


WANSTEAD & WOODFORD CHESS CLUB

BY-LAWS

1. There shall be no smoking or vaping in the playing rooms of the Club.

2. Unless otherwise decided by the Committee, all rated games of chess played in Club competitions shall be played in accordance with the Laws of Chess as published by FIDE.

By resolution of the Committee 8 May 2022