Ice Harbor Scholastic Offering National Event Look-and-Feel at Midwest Site, May 17-18
- Details
-
Written by Jim Hodina Jim Hodina
Midwest scholastic players -- and teams -- are gearing up for the 2014 Ice Harbor Scholastic Open to be held May 17 and 18. Competitors from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois are already registering.
Hosted at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa, this scholastic chess tournament is inspired by national tournament facilities and amenities. For the geographically-challenged, Dubuque is just over the Mississippi River from Illinois, in far-eastern Iowa, an easy drive from Bloomington-Normal, Peoria or Chicago.
The site offers a 12,000 square-foot playing hall and plenty of space to hangout between rounds. Experienced tournament directors will remain accessible to participants, and by tournament's completion, over 120 individual and team trophies will be distributed.
The first Ice Harbor was held in 2013 and attracted players from five states including Illinois' Shashank Bala who won the K-6 Section. Players from Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota took home individual and team trophies. Chess combatants from Iowa City, Madison, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis have already signed up for the 2014 event.
We initially attempted to bid on a national event but that hasn't yet materialized. Not to be deterred, we regrouped and organized Ice Harbor. We wanted area scholastic chess players, who could not make a trip to Florida, Texas, or California for a national event to have an opportunity for the same experience closer to home.
The Ice Harbor has five sections: three Open Sections for K-12, K-6, and K-3, and two Reserve Sections for K-12 U1200 and K-6 U800. There will also be a Chess 960 tournament Friday night and a Bughouse tournament Saturday night.
The tournament website,
www.iceharborchess.com, has information on all the tournament details including a printable event schedule, links to nearby Dubuque hotels, and a list of other family-friendly events.
Pictures of last year's event and a floor plan of the tournament site are also posted.
Online registration is available at www.onlineregistration.cc. (Under "Chess in Iowa"). The early bird rate of $45 is good through April 17 after which the entry is still an affordable $50, $55 onsite.
You may also contact the author of this write-up at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions or information requests.
