2014 Illinois K-8 Championship Registration Continuing For 3-Day Schaumburg Extravaganza

A week remains before the 2014 Illinois K-8 Championship kicks off in Schaumburg. Registrations are approaching 600 have now exceeded 620 670 and organizers indicate 700 entries remains feasible.

The tournament itself will run Saturday, March 15 to Sunday, March 16 with seven rounds of non-elimination competition in four sections (by grade). The time controls vary by section. 

Side events will be held Friday evening (3/14) including Blitz and Bughouse. On Saturday (3/15), there will be a scholastic puzzle-solving competition and chess players of all ages will have the opportunity to face members of the Illini Chess Club which has qualified for the Collegiate Final Four this year.

Registrations for both the main event and the side events can be processed here. A list of current entrants to the main event can be seen here. The formal listing for the event can be found elsewhere on the ICA site.

As the event is the premier rated scholastic event in Illinois, trophies will be plentiful with over 100 individual trophies (25 per section) awarded along with 40 team trophies (10 per section). Team scores will be determined by the top four scores from a registered school.

Additional trophies will be distributed by USCF rating class -- including for unrateds -- and by scholastic grade level within each section. Also, thanks to the generosity of Sevan Muradian at Chess IQ, each of the four section champions will receive iPad mini tablets.

While many entrants will bring years of experience and impressive USCF ratings to the event, Chief Organizer Glenn Panner indicates that the event is open to first-timers too. "We already have 65 kids signed up who are unrated, so a new player won't be alone," says Panner. In fact, his son is among those, "This is the first rated event for my son so of course like any other chess parent I am anxious for him, hope he does well, and most importantly enjoys himself."

In order to be awarded the rights to conduct the Illinois K-8 Championships, Panner and his Chess Weekend organization prevailed through a competitive bidding process coordinated by the Illinois Chess Association. Glenn's experience as a USCF National Tournament Director was not the only influence on his development of the tournament; ultimately being the parent to an entrant shaped many of his decisions in bringing it all together. "I do think that having a son playing in this type of event has made me a better TD and a better organizer as I have now walked a mile in the shoes of a chess parent."

This will not be Panner's first rodeo at the venue, having organized both the 2013 US Amateur Team North event and the recently-held 2014 USAT-North tournament there. Says Panner, "The Hyatt Regency Schaumburg has been a tremendous partner in the previous events we have held at the site.  The staff is so courteous. To give an example, they were pulling the water dispensers out into the hallway so they could re-fill them without disturbing games in progress; such a little thing that makes a big difference, and they knew to do that without ever being told.  We are working with the food and beverage department to have a few "grab-n-go" type stations" to make access to refreshments easier for tournament participants and their families.

While many of the features of the event have been established through the traditions of the annual tournament and the ICA bidding process, Panner tries to keep things fresh: "The K-8 is a celebration of our scholastic chess community in addition to being our official K-8 state championship, so to me, the event is very special. We have tried making sure that there are a lot of unique features to the event which will make it quite memorable.  For example, this will be the first major event in Illinois that will be emailing and texting pairings." Panner hopes this technology may eliminate the enthusiastic rush towards the pairing boards when the next round's line ups are posted.

Panner is also hoping to start a new tradition by honoring the memory of a long-time downstate chess coach and founder of the Colley Chess Center in Bloomington. "We are awarding the Colley Kitson Chess Coach of the Year awards, recognizing a couple of the most enthusiastic coaches who have done such a great job inspiring their students to a love of the game." For the competitors, a sportsmanship award will recognize an outstanding player at the event.

Although he is clearly enthusiastic about the main event, there is no hiding Panner's exuberance for the simultaneous exhibition to be held Saturday evening. "This simul to me is a really fantastic happening, and came about very suddenly. In December, the University of Illinois team qualified to take a spot in the Final Four of chess. They overcame tall odds, beating out teams that offer chess scholarships and have professional trainers, and unbelievably, this was the second year in a row that they did so."

The exhibition will be conducted in "Kangaroo Style" meaning that entrants will face FM Eric Rosen and NM Michael Auger on alternating moves. "It is a great opportunity for our players to get a chance to meet and play against these tough masters."

"What makes the U of I team relevant to this tournament is that these young adults played in many Illinois K-8 tournaments not all that long ago, they are really a great example of what we want our kids to achieve." 

Panner indicates 100% of the proceeds from the exhibition will benefit the U of I team, helping to defray travel expenses, entry fees, training expenses, among other costs.

The Illinois collegiate team is not the only organization receiving funding from the weekend. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Warren Junior Program, the Life is Good Playmakers, and the Illinois Chess Association itself.

But hopefully the chief beneficiaries of the weekend will be the players receiving an opportunity to play in a state championship and learning from seven competitive games of chess against opponents they wouldn't otherwise have had an opportunity to face.

Online registration concludes Thursday, March 13. In order to be assured pairing for the first round, entrants should attempt to register in person as of Friday night. In-person registration will be available through first-round play, with a half-point bye offered. All players are expected to have current USCF memberships and the event is only open to Illinois residents.