Dear All:

Please find enclosed a copy of the letter of intend between Natrol, Inc
and the US Chess Federation., and a statement from Natrol. This was
the only agreement with this company. I take full responsibility for
this endorsement that was obviously a mistake. No members of the
Executive Board had any knowledge of this agreement.

I can find many excuses to justify my mistake, including that I was
volunteering in the USCF office as a Relocation Coordinator, Chief
Operations Manager for both offices and President of the USCF. The
combination between 70 hours per week work in a volunteer basis and my
health allowed this situation to happen.. I am very sorry about it.

My expenses in connection with my services in the USCF will be
published in the Delegates' Call.

The relocation was done effectively at a much lower cost than
projected. The USCF will be showing a good profit for the previous
fiscal year, the reorganization of the office is improving services for
our members and I continue my support to technological upgrades as well
as other promotional tools that will be develop this fiscal year.

Bill Goichberg and Don Schulz are making a mountain our the Natrol
issue to gain support in the election season. Now, the letter of
intent is available for all of you to see. When I was approach by the
PR company in charge of the Natrol Promotion, I did not do the search
of the company as I should it done. I apologized to the scholastic
community for my mistake.

This issue has been flown out proportion for political reasons. Once
again the Schulz/Goichberg power house has been able to use one issue
to discredit the work of a President who has been working very hard to
advance the USCF.

All the best,

Beatriz Marinello
USCF President





Ms. Beatriz Marinello
President
US Chess Federation
P=2EO. Box 3967
Crossville, TN 38557

LETTER OF INTENT

This letter of intent is entered into between the US Chess Federation
("USCF") and Natrol, Inc. For good and fair consideration, Natrol
agrees to pay the US Chess Federation a sum of five-thousand dollars
($5,000) for sponsorship benefits in connection with Natrol=AE
brainSpeed=99 and its activities at the 2005 National Open June 10 -
12, 2005 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.=20
For these sponsorship dollars USCF agrees to provide expert
consultation, advice and access to Natrol in its production of the
brainSpeed Human Chess Experience on June 11, 2005. USCF and its
signatory event producers agree to provide event space, schedule
slotting, Grand Master procurement, specific game selection, schedule
inclusion, onsite signage opportunities, ongoing chess consultation and
introductions to the chess influencer community. In addition, USCF
agrees to a one-time email blast to its membership in connection with
the event sponsorship. The USCF will also arrange for Natrol to have
a booth for brainSpeed sales opportunities during the event.
Natrol agrees to pay USCF onsite in Las Vegas the previously stipulated
sponsorship amount before the start of the Human Chess Experience event
date of June 11, 2005. Natrol also authorizes the USCF to act as its
agent in procuring the services of two Grand Masters for the Human
Chess Experience at a cost of $300 for each Grand Master. Amount to
be paid by Natrol in separate US check before the start of the event.
This letter of intent provides the full understanding between USCF and
Natrol. We look forward to this event and many more in the future.

Agreed:
Date: __________________ =20
By: __________________
US Chess Federation

Date: __________________
By: ___________________
Elliott Balbert, President &CEO, Natrol, Inc.


Hi, my name is Toni Speyer, and I'm the Vice President of Marketing for

Natrol, the manufacturer of Natrol brainSpeed and a sponsor of the
recent U.S. Chess Federation tournament in Las Vegas.
I would like to help set the record straight on some issues that will
allow you to have a broader set of facts so each of you can form your
own opinion regarding the concerns that have been raised through this
forum.
First, brainSpeed is not a drug, it is a nutritional supplement. Just

as there are nutritional supplements (e.g. vitamins) for the body,
brainSpeed is a nutritional supplement for the brain. Not only was
this product developed based on solid scientific research and safety
studies, it even offers consumers an on-line test so they can see for
themselves if it works.
Second, Natrol is a 25 year old health and wellness company and is
known for the integrity of its formulas as well as its "A" rating
for Good Manufacturing Practices by the National Nutritional Foods
Association. We deeply respect our consumers' safety and well-being,
which is why we've been around for so long. And we put our money
where our mouth is -- every Natrol product comes with a full money-back

guarantee.
We appreciate the lively discussions that our product has inspired, and

invite the Chess community to contact us at 1-800-2-NATROL,
www.natrol.com or www.brainSpeed.com for more information about our
products and our company. Thank you for your time and attention.

wrote:
SNIP

It takes real integrity to admit your mistakes and take responsibility
for your actions. Bravo, Beatriz. Some here could certainly benefit
themselves by following your example.

Regards,

Matt

Beatriz

It would seem to me that saying nothing for weeks about this issue
which has upset many people besides Goichberg/Schultz and only now
apologizing would be for political purposes. Did Shaughnessy object to
a motion for the truth about the Natrol deal to come out? Did she
defend the Natrol deal at the National Open as has been reported?

I have no idea who Goichberg or Schultz are. I have never met them nor
talked to them.
I also don't think any other actions you have taken while in your
office, which are commendable, give you a 'get out of jail free' card
when you make a colossal mistake such as the Natrol deal. You can make
all the excuses you want, but it just makes it sound even more like you
are unfit for the post. Either you don't have the time to commit to the
job, or you are unable to degelate anything.

Did Natrol lie in their advertisement or were those your words that
were quoted? It is a mountain that you made, not anyone else no matter
how you wish to see it. It was YOU who decided that the USCF would
endorse people taking a performance enhancing supplement when the only
thing an organization like the USCF should promote is achieving the
best that you can through your own abilities and hard work.
If you have any honour you would resign your position on the EB. If
Shaughnessy has been supporting the Natrol deal she should as well.

Let me make this perfectly clear. I have no political agenda. If this
had taken place in the middle of December I would still be upset and
calling for you to resign as well as anyone who supported the idea.

Nixon did good things as President as well, so under your logic I guess
we should forget the Watergate thing, yes?

Just to drive home the point, it shouldn't have required searching for
information about Natrol to make the decision. Any idiot could have
seen it was bad right off.

As Joe Torre, manager of the New York Yankees, was recently heard to say, "I
don't know who we are ..."

Does any of this really surprise you, the general chess playing public?

Talented Chess players have been used for code breaking, as pawns in the geo
political war of words between to cultures during global metastasis, and
chess talented children have been given Ritalin on both sides of the
cultural divide for at least sixty years.

One more quote from Pierre Boulet's "Monkey Planet": "IT'S A MAD HOUSE! ...
MAD HOUSE!"

That this oxide in a crucible would be a political issue from the likes of
Goichberg and Schultz is the heigth of hypocrisy, in my opinion, as both of
them well know what has gone on in the last century in our game with
chemical enhancement, and the like. They are counting on the fact that "YOU"
don't know what has gone on. And they are probably right.

Tom Klem

Beatriz has apologized. This is refreshing. No harm was done. Now we
should all just move on.

wrote:
Beatriz has apologized. This is refreshing. No harm was done. Now we
should all just move on.

It seems to me that she has made several "mistakes." I take great
exception to her using USCF letterhead for a campaign mailing. The
Natrol thing is unbelieveable, expecially for one who professes to
support kid chess and makes at least part of her living from them. I
have also wondered why she needed to live in NYC and commute to New
Windsor when she was "working" at the office. This included a $300/mo.
charge for parking in NYC. Necessary? In addition, the commute had to
be tiring, hence the dumb decisions. Her heart may be in the right
place, but her head sure ain't!

wrote:
Beatriz has apologized. This is refreshing. No harm was done. Now we
should all just move on.

It seems to me that she has made several "mistakes." I take great
exception to her using USCF letterhead for a campaign mailing. The
Natrol thing is unbelieveable, expecially for one who professes to
support kid chess and makes at least part of her living from them. I
have also wondered why she needed to live in NYC and commute to New
Windsor when she was "working" at the office. This included a $300/mo.
charge for parking in NYC. Necessary? In addition, the commute had to
be tiring, hence the dumb decisions. Her heart may be in the right
place, but her head sure ain't!

Beatriz has or had a pet food business while she was in Miami. Maybe
USCF could sell that stuff to the kiddies. Put a little seasoning in
it, stuff it in a taco ... and before you can say bow wow, she and the
USCF will be making millions.

Old Haasie

The kids are smarter than you give them credit for.......... which is
not to say some of the ChessMoms and ChessDads wouldn't buy some of the
special tacos if they thought it might help their kids reach Master by
the age of 13.

kiddon