Hawkeye Mind Challenge 2026 | Iowa Memorial Union | Rapid Chess

Old School legends Gokul and Niko playing the Friday Chess 960 event.

This year the Hawkeye Mind Challenge made a comeback. I am not sure the last time I saw the event but it probably would have been more than 10 years removed from the usual circuit of Iowa Chess events. I signed up for the Sunday rapid event but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see my former students, Gokul and Niko, compete in the Chess 960 tournament.

This event was expected to be a mystery because no one signed up in the online registration but it turned out to be exciting with 3 players around 2000 classical strength signing up onsite (Niko ~2050, Gokul ~2050, Rei ~1950). I considered signing up just under the condition that it was only Gokul that participated so he would have a challenge against the field (there were around 10 or 11 weaker players) but after Niko showed up, my desire to recording games and chat overrode my competitive spirit.

There was an intense fight between these three players but, in the end, Rei was the player who was crowned the Chess 960 champion. Rei swept Gokul 2-0 and split with Niko 1-1 who needed to sweep Gokul to share first but ended up losing their encounter 0.5 - 1.5.

I recorded plenty of videos and even had time to sit down with Niko and figure out one the 960 positions before his match with Gokul (helping him avoid the sweep). The event I registered for would be the Sunday Rapid where I would get the pleasure of competing against our girl’s champion Irene (2183) and Jasmin (1950).

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Eric and Mark were the Tournament Directors of the Hawkeye Mind Challenge

The importance of playing the Rapid was not just to build up my self esteem but to determine the adjustments I needed to make to avoid any tough losses next week at my more serious event (US Amateur North).

I was able to draw Irene with the white pieces after testing out the new Caro Kann system I was working on. I mixed up my opening achieved my desired position down a tempo but my playing strength was enough to provide me a comfortable advantage for the majority of the game. I was close to winning a pawn on the queenside but wasn’t sharp enough to find the combination. The position whittled down to a bishop versus a knight as the slight but indecisive advantage.

My critical position against Jasmin that I mishandled (I had black)

My game against Jasmin Zulic was the most telling encounter and proved that this event was extremely important for me to attend. I made several mental mistakes: Overconfidence, Confirmation bias, and Decision Making process. I think this was largely the fault of my calcuation training which was due to me working on timed puzzles which rewarded my speed with a rating boost. I am planning to correct that problem so I don’t blow any advantages in Chicago next weekend.

I drew this position because Jasmin was low on time and opted for a perpetual rather than push for an advantage in a position where he was basically up a rook…

I have about 4 more days to make those adjustments so it is time to get working.