November 2007 Scholastic Side

  We are one week away from the Iowa Grades championships at Valley West High School in West Des Moines on November 10th. I am hoping for a great turnout and hope you will consider taking your child to play and perhaps even playing in the free parents section. Since last spring, there has seemed to be a tendency for other organizers to hold unrated events the week before the tournaments I direct. This week’s grades championships will help determine whether these tournaments are boosting attendance or keeping people away from the IASCA scholastic and beginner tournaments. In the spirit of cooperation, I have offered the tournament directors of this past week’s tournament’s coupons for $3 off the entry fee to the Iowa Grades. The IASCA scholastic tournaments are completely non-profit and offer the most prizes of any scholastic and beginner tournaments. Any extra money made goes to a stipend for the High School and Girls champions to attend their National Championships.

  The Iowa Individual Scholastic Championships will be held on December 1st at Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids. There will be sections for grades K-3, K-6, and K-9 with over 30 trophies available. I will also be having a parents section at this tournament and hope you will be able to attend. I am still looking for sites for the Iowa High School Individual, High School Team, and Elementary Team championships. If you know of a place that would be willing to hold these events, please contact me.

  The new IASCA website has brought many welcome changes, but one item many parents have asked me about is the lack of pictures. As a stopgap, I put the pictures from the September 1st Cedar Rapids RBO on the web space that yahoo provides me. Jack Ralls from Buffalo Center, a past Iowa Grades Champion, has started an ‘Iowa Group’ on www.chess.com As a test, I have loaded the pictures from the Cedar Rapids RBO on their site and pending your feedback, will continue to post past and future event pictures there. The web site lacks the on line play of other web sites, but does contain a forum, instruction, and a blog site for members. Thanks for sharing the site, Jack!! I hope you will consider checking out www.chess.com