Scholastic chess is booming in Hawaii!  Generally, there are about 10 major scholastic tournaments per year.  The State Scholastic Championships every year draws over 100 players from all over the state, Kindergartners to Seniors in High School!

If you are a scholastic player looking to play in one of our tournaments or a parent/teacher looking to get involved, check out our current tournament schedule for upcoming tournaments.

If you are new to the game  we have a PDF on the rules of chess

If you are a teacher, administrator, parent or otherwise curious about the benefits of chess, we have some useful documents for you:

We have recently launched the EZ CheckmateAutism Chess Scholarship, a reat opportunity for children with autism or Asperger’s.  If accepted, a Hawaii child will be able to attend a chess camp for free!

We are extremely proud of our scholastic players, some of whom have won national titles. For example, in 2009, 9 Hawaii players competed in the SuperNationals in Tennessee, and all 9 took home trophies! Ford Nakagawa tied for 1st and became the National Co-Champion in the K-5 section!

Hawaii Chess Champ Robert Lau with a Trophy

Robert Lau holding one of his many trophies

Robert Lau, perhaps our most successful scholastic player ever, took 1st in Mexico at the North American Youth Championships

Robert was also the 9th grade US Champ as well as the 6th grade champion:

For any questions about any aspect of scholastic chess in Hawaii, please contact Guy Ontai, Scholastic Director of the HCF at gpontai (at) gmail.com