Illinoisans Heading to Iowa: Four Events in One

With plenty of time to register, Illinois players are committing to compete in the 61st Iowa Open August 29-30. The swanky Marriot Resort and Convention Center in Coralville, IA will once again be the host site, just over a three-hour drive from the Chicago Loop, two hours northwest from Peoria and about an hour west of the Quad Cities. 

As of this posting, Illinois' Pete Karagianis and Angelo Young have registered as have juniors Patrick Rao and Abhy Venkat.

In addition to the two-day Open, the weekend will feature a one-day Reserve tournament (Under 1600), a one-day Rated Beginner's Open (Under 1200) and a one-day Quick Chess side event on Friday night (six rounds, Game/10; two-second delay). 

Registration for all four events can be accomplished here (under Iowa State Chess Association) and details can also be found on the ICA calendar. 

Missouri IM Michael Brooks has won the event outright the last two years and was co-champion in 2012, but he looks to have some competition this year with the registration of GM Alex Yermolinsky.

The "Chess Rate" room block at the host hotel was recently expanded and a few rooms may remain available. Otherwise, an arrangement has been made with the Homewood Suites (a Hilton property) right next door with several added benefits at the same room rate: free hot breakfast buffet, fully equipped kitchens, a full-size sleeper sofa, and free parking.

Participating Iowa residents must be members of the state association, but out-of-staters have no such a requirement and in fact receive a modest discount to offset those gas costs!

Although the Open has been going strong for decades, Organizer Mark Capron and his co-organizer, the late Steve Young, brought the event to Coralville five years ago.

Says Capron "the attendance has increased in each of these years, for example in 2012 we had a combined 152 total entries, in 2013 we had 192 and in 2014 we had 198. The out of state attendance has been a very positive influence on this event."

For those in need of rides and or shared hotel accommodations, Bill Feldman can be contacted for potential coordination. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Based on 65 entries in the Open there are $1900 in cash prizes slated for distribution.

The nearby University of Iowa campus and Iowa City downtown will offer plenty of interesting fare for those looking to augment their weekend entertainment.