Letter From Carol Meyer, new US Chess Executive Director

I am honored to be the new Executive Director at the US Chess Federation. As I settle in, I want you to know that my door is always open and that I’d like to hear from you. US Chess is your organization and I encourage you to share your ideas with me or with members of our Executive Board. Organizations benefit from member engagement and your voice and involvement matter. With your passion for and dedication to the game, together we can move chess in the United States forward, while honoring its storied past. I assume my new duties at US Chess at a time of unprecedented excellence, as our top Grandmasters reign as gold medalists at the most recent Olympiad and our young players just claimed four World Championship titles at the World Cadet and Youth Championships. I'm also grateful for Jean Hoffman, who improved the federation substantially during her four year stint as ED, and is helping me with this transition. The many benefits of chess are impressive as are the connections we discover through the game. I have worked for different types of nonprofit organizations, yet never imagined I’d see such immediate and strong overlap from my previous world to this one. One such connection was featured in the September issue of Chess Life. The article Aging, Memory and Chess shows how playing chess can improve brain function during the aging process.  I just left the hospice and palliative care community, and the piece resonated with me as a positive perspective on the growing number of older adults living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. I see connections in all that I do and will use them, along with your input, to bring US Chess to a sustainable and exciting future. With appreciation, Carol Meyer