Pre-incorporation: The Dark Ages

Chess-wise, Rutherford County, Tennessee was a wasteland in 1992. It was a savage time, when life was cheap and the wins on time were cheaper. It was in the chaos of that harsh chess frontier that a lone Spaniard rose to tame the wild landscape. He had a vision of a community chess club in the European tradition; one that would bring the sophistication and elegance of chess to levels not seen in the South since the days of Paul Morphy. In lieu of that vision, we settled for the Rutherford County Chess Club.

Getting back to reality, during the years between 1992 and 2005, the Rutherford County Chess Club was an unincorporated association of individuals. Richard Silk and Robert Guthrie co-founded the club with a handful of others, and they were our first two pre-incorporation Presidents. Many of our current corporate members made up the core of the club during those years. Without their efforts, and the support of a small group of local chess enthusiasts, the chess scene in Murfreesboro would not exist. By 2004, we had grown large enough to require a more formal structure, so we incorporated in January 2005. By incorporating, our intent was to provide structural stability as our membership changed over time, and to expand our focus to include education, multiple tournaments, and other chess events.

For most of that time, Robert Guthrie functioned as our de facto President and Treasurer. William Witherspoon and Rory Williams took turns as Vice President over the years, while Norbert Thiemann and Stefanie Patterson administered the website in its various incarnations. Robert Guthrie and Stefanie Patterson collectively handled the Secretarial duties leading up to incorporation.

Corporate History
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
1992-2004