So I've decided to go to a school in Iowa

And, fortunately, I'm quite familiar with the chess scene there: there is one. It's not quite as active as Chicago, but it's better than one would expect, frankly, in a town of that size. A university chess club, regular tournaments, regular tournaments in nearby towns, some strong players available, etc.

Our company is having its last match of the year tomorrow, but I think I'm too far behind in everything right now to represent our team. However, I will definitely try to hit up a couple tournaments over the summer before my departure for academia. It would be a shame to waste my last few months in such a great city for chess as Chicago without exploiting it in some way.

A game a couple weeks ago.

I was playing poorly, I was down a pawn but it was kind of drawish. I played what I thought was an objectively good move that laid the seeds for a trap. The opponent fell into the trap, losing a rook. I didn't feel so bad about it, but it was a cheap victory. Still, a win in CICL play is good.

I'll be moving in the fall to some university to get a PhD in statistics, hopefully whatever school I'm at has a decent chess scene. I know one of the options does, not sure about the others.