I hope you are all having a fun summer. Our first scholastic chess tournament of the 2006-2007 school year has just been scheduled. It is the 2006 Iowa Grades championships. In this tournament the players compete against within their grade to determine the state champion. The tournament will be on N... [More]
 

We had a very successful tournament in West Des Moines at the Golden Teapot on 2520 Vine Street on May 27th. There was a 4 way tie between Kushan Tyagi, Charles Li, Patrick Lopatto, and Curtis Kozlowski with Kushan taking first place on tie break. Thanks to Ling and Shannon Zhou for hosting the even... [More]
 

The Iowa State Chess Association completed our 2005-2006 scholastic season with the crowning of our High School Closed champion, Ian Beachler of Gilbert , Iowa . Ian, who is also the Iowa ’s 11th grade champion, won a double round-robin tournament against High School Open and 9th Grade champion Da... [More]
 

Thanks to all those who took the time to come to our recent events. The 2006 Junior High Team Championships and the 2006 Grinnell RBO were well attended and I hope everyone had a great time. Congratulations to Coaches Roger Gotschall, Paul Kapke and the Ames Middle School 'A' team, our 2006 Junior ... [More]
 

Thanks to all who attended the High School Team Championships at Prairie High in Cedar Rapids on March 4th. While we had a small turnout, the chess was very competitive with the final standings not decided until the last game. Congratulations to our 3 champion teams: Ankeny High School , Cedar Rap... [More]
 

Thanks to all who attended the 2006 Iowa Individual Scholastic Championships and the 2006 Elementary Team Championships held in the last month. These are the first scholastic tournaments I have directed and I need your feedback. I have posted a message on the Iowa State Chess Association message bo... [More]
 

  Happy New Year!! January marks the start of a series of scholastic tournaments that will take us to April. January 21st is the Individual Scholastic Championships at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City . This tournament is for all Iowa students from grades K-9. February 4th will see the K-6 Eleme... [More]
 

If you or your child is interested in chess, joining the United States Chess Federation (USCF) provides many benefits. The USCF runs the rating system for the US , so almost all tournaments require a USCF membership. Scholastic members get the Chess Life magazine every other month. Every Chess Life... [More]
 

  I remember taking my children to their first tournament in Iowa City in 2001 and have always been grateful for the advice I received from the more experienced chess parents. In this column, I would like to share some of the things I have learned with you.

Preparing your child for tou... [More]