Constitution By-Laws and Memoranda – Wanstead and Woodford Chess Club

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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:

natives and residents of Wanstead or Woodford; and
any other persons at the discretion of the Executive,

…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 Executive shall have power to cancel any membership or to reject any application for membership. Where the Executive 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 Executive 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 Executive 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

1. The management of the Club shall be vested in an Executive Committee (the “Executive”) consisting of the following (“Officers”):
  President;
  Chair;
  Secretary;
  Treasurer;
  Designated Safeguarding Lead; and
  An elected representative of the Chess Committee.
  
  The quorum for Executive meetings shall be four Executive members including at least one of the President, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The Executive may invite others to attend its meetings as it wishes.
2. There shall be a Chess Committee for the purposes of running the chess activities of the Club, consisting of the following:
  
  ♦ Ex officio the members of the Executive;
  
  The following elected members:
  
  ♦ Tournament Secretary;
  ♦ Webmaster;
  ♦ Publicity Officer;
  ♦ Junior Organiser;
  ♦ Three other members;
  together with…
  
  ♦ A Team Captains’ representative (at the option of the elected Team Captains);
  
  …and the following appointees by the Executive:
  
  ♦ Fixtures Secretary;
  ♦ Safeguarding Officer;
  
  Five elected members to form a quorum, including at least two members of the Executive. The members of the Chess Committee shall report to the Executive.
  
  The Chess Committee shall be a purely advisory body for the running of the chess activities of the Club and shall carry no executive function. This Committee shall meet at least once a year and submit its recommendations to the Executive for consideration.

At all meetings, the Chair shall have a casting vote.

The Executive shall have authority to:

fill all casual vacancies in their number and co-opt to the Executive and the Chess Committee as required;
appoint a Safeguarding Officer – who shall report to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and to the Executive as required – and such additional deputies and assistants as it sees fit (each of whom shall report to the Officer for whom they deputise or whom they assist) together with representatives to external bodies to which the Club affiliates.

The Executive 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 Executive or by the members in general meeting.

All or any of the members of the Executive may participate in a meeting of the Executive 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.

Members of the Executive and elected members of the Chess Committee 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 shall include:

Approval of the minutes of the previous AGM;
Treasurer’s report and the presentation of an independently examined statement of accounts;
Retirement and election of the Executive and members of the Chess Committee
Election of team captains;
Appoinment of Independent Examiner.

(b) Special General Meetings

A SGM shall be held at any time by direction of the Executive 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:

to amend the Constitution; or
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.

INTERPRETATION AND ALTERATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

In the event of any situation arising upon which this Constitution is silent, the decision of the Executive 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 10 June 2025

By-Laws and Memoranda

Note: For the avoidance of doubt is stated that the By-Laws and Memoranda shown here are appended to the Constitution for information purposes and DO NOT form part of the Constitution.

BY-LAWS

There shall be no smoking or vaping in the playing rooms of the Club.
Unless otherwise decided by the Executive, 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

MEMORANDA

Memorandum 1 dated 10 June 2025

The means by which it is intended that the management of the Club should be effected, within the terms of the above Constitution, is as follows:

The AGM decides each Season’s programme;
The Executive should meet straight after the AGM for action planning, to deal with positions unfilled at the AGM or referred by the AGM and to appoint the Fixtures Secretary and Safeguarding Officer.
The Chess Committee needs to meet after that in early September to implement the decided programme ready for the new Season. This is the key meeting of the season;
The Officers on the Chess Committee report as they do now to the AGM. That covers the season just gone;
Also, briefly after the Chess Committee meetings the Executive should meet to address matters arising from the Chess Committee, to take Any Other Business including to fix a date for a mid-season meeting if required;
The Executive should meet in May as has been the case under the previous Constitution to prepare for the AGM.

This Memorandum may be amended by replacing it in its entirety by the issue of a subsequent Memorandum dealing with the same topic.