Chess Tournaments in Iowa

The Iowa State Chess Association (Iowa Chess), the state's USCF affiliate, runs the Iowa Open and other statewide events. The Iowa Open itself goes back to the mid-1950s — the 70th edition was held in September 2025 at The Graduate in Iowa City, where GM Hikaru Nakamura won with a perfect 5/5 as part of his push to qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates, and the 71st is set for late August 2026, also in Iowa City. Club play centers on a handful of steady weekly meetups: the Cedar Rapids Chess Club at the Downtown Public Library (Wednesday evenings), the Des Moines Chess Club (Tuesday evenings), and the University of Iowa's Hawkeye Chess Club, which meets at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City. Chess In Iowa, a Cedar Rapids-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, runs much of the scholastic side of the game across the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor, including school clubs and regional events like the Ice Harbor Scholastic Open in Dubuque. The state's best-known name in chess history is Hugh Myers, the opening theorist who won Iowa's state title in 1983 and spent his later years in Davenport.

• The Iowa Open, run by the Iowa State Chess Association, is a 5-round Swiss dating back to the mid-1950s — the 70th edition (Iowa City, September 2025) drew GM Hikaru Nakamura, who won it with a perfect 5/5.
• The Cedar Rapids Chess Club meets every Wednesday evening at the Downtown Public Library, free and open to all ages and skill levels, with boards, sets, and clocks provided.
• Chess In Iowa, the 501(c)(3) behind the Cedar Rapids scene, also runs school chess across the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor, including the Ice Harbor Scholastic Open in Dubuque and local school clubs.