We petition the United States Chess Federation (USCF) to support the sovereign "State" rights of District of Columbia (DC) residents by opposing the injustice and usurpation of said rights by the DC Chess League (DCCL). We need change now! We demand that the USCF remove the DCCL as the official DC State chapter and install the DC State Chess Federation as the official State chapter. Please sign and share with others!

The DCCL was established in 1940. In its 80 year history, the DC Chess League is the only USCF affiliate to be designated as the DC State chapter under the USCF. The USCF recognizes DC as a state. USCF State chapters conduct the state championships to determine who the state champions are in the open, senior, amateur, scholastic, etc., categories.

The duties and responsibilities of a USCF State Chapter are designed to foster an atmosphere that provides access to “the study and knowledge of the scientific game of chess; fosters “the development of players and to help those who seek to become masters”; encourages “the formation of chess groups, clubs and associations.”

The DCCL is operated by a seven-member Executive Board, and only one of these members, Ralph Mikell, is a DC resident. (Mikell is also the only DC resident who has ever been a member of the DCCL Executive Board.) Mikell has served as the Puppet President of the DCCL for the past 33 years and in doing so has not inclusively reached out to the DC chess community to infuse fresh voices and provide diversity of thought.

The DCCL has never conducted any chess activities in Wards 7 and 8 (East of the River) in DC!

The DCCL has operated in an abject fashion throughout its 80-year history to this very day. The DCCL has not ever complied with its own Constitution and By-Laws. Article XI, (of the DCCL Constitution) states that, “The delegates and voting members representing DC shall be chosen by popular vote of all adult DC members of the USCF. The Board of Directors of the DCCL shall be responsible for the conduct of these elections.”

There has never been a DCCL election in which only “adult DC members of the USCF” have participated. The DCCL elections have always included USCF members from Maryland, and Virginia. As a result of the DCCL’s skewed elections, in 80 years, there has never been an ED of the DCCL from DC!

From 2015 - 2021, the Executive Director (ED) of the DCCL was Andrew Rea, a resident of Virginia. While ED of the DCCL, Rea was simultaneously the Vice President of the Virginia Chess Federation. 

On February 10th, 2021, Mikell conducted a secret DCCL election where he (Mikell) personally called Maryland and Virginia members of the USCF, begging them to vote in the secret election. Only two DC USCF members (including Mikell) voted in the sham “election” via Zoom, and only nine total votes were cast. As a result of electoral fraud, Megan Chen, (an Illinois member of the USCF), was “elected” as the new ED of the DCCL.

The DCCL conducts no state championships. In fact, Mikell (while under oath in deposition) admitted that the DCCL abdicates all their duties to the Maryland chess affiliate, the US Chess Center. Mikell has been board treasurer of the US Chess Center since 1992.

The US Chess Center is run by Attorney David Mehler. While under oath in deposition, Mehler was asked by Attorney Donald Temple if he knew of any black children in DC who are good chess players. Mehler admitted his racism by stating with a smile, "There are no good black chess players in DC." Mehler said this despite making over 3 million dollars claiming to have taught chess to over 30,000 "especially" inner city DC children.  

Mehler has also been accused of indecent behavior with children!!

Also while under oath in deposition, Mehler admitted to collusion in manipulating the USCF rating system so his daughter and son could win USCF rated tournaments. Mehler testified that he had “arranged” for his children to defeat the #27th ranked chess player in the world, Grandmaster Vladimir Epishin, in a tournament called “Sarah’s Triangle”. He (Mehler) also admitted that he had previously “arranged” for Grandmaster Alex Sherzer to be defeated by his daughter.

The DC Chess League (DCCL) has also looked to Virginia-based USCF affiliates, such as DMV Chess and others, to assist them in their USCF obligations.

DC is the only state in the US where USCF members from other states run the official USCF “state” chapter. DC is also the only state in the US where affiliates from other states conduct their (DC) state championships. The decades of allowing residents Maryland and Virginia to trample on the sovereign rights of DC residents means that children, adults, and seniors have been denied equal access to chess--whereas in Virginia, children get to represent the US in international competition every year, and in Maryland, almost every year a 12- or 13- year-old child wins a full scholarship to the University of Maryland at Baltimore County.

Please help us end this ongoing nightmare by signing our petition!