0180 - Hi Leland, Thanks for your reply to my email.  The fact that you chose to make that email public shows that you are a man of uncommon character. I certainly understand your issues of burnout. Organizing and running a tournament is not easy --there is a lot of work behind the scenes that players never see.  You have an outstanding track record in Charlotte.  I believe things will improve. I was frankly depressed about our record low turnout of 13 players at The Asheboro Open VI. I had to step back and look at the situation like a chess player.  I realized several factors had contributed to our drop in numbers --the worst of which was my choice of Thanksgiving weekend as a date.  DUH! I am hopeful that Asheboro's recent upswing in numbers will be a continuing trend. I don't subscribe to the belief that there are too many chess tournaments in North Carolina. When I was younger, there were not many tournaments in NC at all.  Travel time and expense became a huge obstacle for me, and I am sure other players as well. I believe that as tournaments become more convenient, more players will be attracted to them. I am thrilled to see regular tournaments in Charlotte, Asheboro, and Greenville.  I'm not sure what the plans are for Hendersonville, but I hope that it will be a regular thing.  NC needs a regular tournament in the western part of the state. The largest "geographic hole" for chess in NC is in the Wilmington/Jacksonville area.  If the geographic holes can be filled with tournaments, all of North Carolina chess will benefit. I would hate to see you reduce Charlotte's schedule to every other month.  Perhaps there are some folks who could step up and help reduce your burden.  I notice that Patrick McCartney has been helping you direct recently. In August, I will be playing in the SW Va Open--but unless something unforeseen comes up, I plan to play at Bertucci's 15 on September 16th, 2006. I appreciate your efforts in Charlotte, and will continue to support your tournaments when I can. Regards, Tom Hales