Patrons of Arlington Chess Club

Become a Patron of Arlington Chess Club. Our Patrons enable the club to maintain operating capital while still funding our philanthropic efforts.

• Patrons of Arlington Chess Support our Philanthropy - In 2022, the club spent over $1,000 on donations to school chess programs, chess equipment donations to schools, children's chess clubs, library chess clubs, and individuals in need of chess sets. The funds for these programs have come from our chess tournament entries, but our increased facility rentals are cutting into these available funds.
• Patrons of Arlington Chess are Building an Operating Budget - Our tournament facility rentals have quadrupled and must be paid in advance. Reserving space months in advance requires several thousand in operating funds. Currently, the personal funds of board members are used to reserve space. This is not a permanent solution.

Patrons of Arlington Chess Club contribute $100 to the club in their first year as a Patron and $50 in any subsequent year they want to continue as Patrons. Patrons will be recognized by name on our website and will receive a small thank you gift.

Become a Patron Now   Our Current Supporters

Our Finances

This is how we collected and spent funds last year. To be sure you are donating to a financially responsible organization, you can see our last three year's of financial statements.

What Has Changed

First - our success fueled growth. Arlington Chess Club Open grew from 10 players in 2015 to 78 in 2023. We started running a regular scholastic tournament, and its success led to events with over 70 players. Cheap facilities to conduct our tournaments just do not exist. Rent and insurance costs have changed from those early days of no rent for 10 players.

Second - cost of facilities. We have always carried general liability insurance, but two of our low-cost hosts demanded we add Sexual Assault and Abuse insurance. Such policies would have cost the club between $7,000 and $15,000 per year. Our alternative is to rent at facilities that are in the business of hosting events. These facilities cost more than the low-cost facilities but offer better facilities and guarantees of availability.

Third - an explosion of chess. We now operate in nine chess clubs. Each of these clubs require equipment purchase and maintenance. We provide free resources to a many kids who don't have access to chess, and we provide more local teachers with chess sets for their clubs.

Tournament Facility Costs

The greatest stress on our finances is tournament facility rental. Here is a description of the differences we are now facing.

Meeting the Challenge

Our struggle is the lack of an operating budget, but we can still manage our tournaments. We have made several changes to keep our tournaments operating without a loss:

• Raised entry fee for scholastic events.
• Lowered prize fund at Arlington Chess Club Open
• Eliminated a section at the Arlington Chess Club Open
• Lowered the amount of tournament income that goes to philanthropy.
• Lowered the amount of tournament income that goes to corporate expenses.

With an operating budget, we can schedule more events in the future than just one or two and pursue other venues.