2026 ICPL Totally Tweens Chess
Young chess players are invited to join us for the 2026 ICPL Totally Tweens Chess Tournament on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Iowa City Public Library.
Designed specifically for elementary and middle school-aged players, this free event provides a fun and competitive environment where students can test their skills, meet other chess enthusiasts, and compete for trophies.
Tournament Format
Players will compete in a 5-round Swiss tournament with a time control of G/15 with a 2-second delay, meaning each player has 15 minutes for the entire game plus a 2-second increment before each move.
The first round begins at 1:00 PM, with remaining rounds starting as soon as possible after each round finishes. The tournament is expected to conclude by approximately 4:00 PM, so players should plan to stay for the entire event.
Participants will generally be paired against students in their own grade level. If a grade section has too few players, it may be combined with another section for pairing purposes, though prize eligibility will still be determined by grade.
Who Can Play?
This tournament is open to students in 1st through 6th grade though it targeted towards 3rd through 6th so that age group is eligible for prizes. To keep the competition beginner-friendly, players with a US Chess rating above 1000 are not eligible to participate.
A US Chess membership is not required, making this a great opportunity for newer players to experience tournament chess without any membership costs.
Registration
Registration is completely free.
Players may register online or on-site, with on-site registration available from 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM on tournament day. Organizers encourage anyone planning to register on-site to do so online or notify the organizers ahead of time whenever possible, as it helps the tournament begin on schedule.
Awards
Trophies will be awarded to:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place in each grade level (3rd through 6th grade)
Best Young Player Award
Event Location
Iowa City Public Library123 S Linn St Iowa City, IA 52240
Questions?
For additional information, contact Eric Vigil at evigil@gmail.com or 319-621-3116.
Whether you're playing in your first tournament or looking to add another trophy to your collection, the Totally Tweens Chess Tournament is a great opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of competitive chess with players your own age. We hope to see you there!
