2026 Guy Ontai Hawaii K-12 Scholastic Chess CHampionship
The Hawaii Chess Federation hosted the 2026 Guy Ontai Hawaii K-12 Scholastic Chess Championship tournament on Saturday, March 7th, at Washington Middle School. The tournament included four grade sections (K-3, K-5, K-8, and K-12) and boasted more than 200 students from across Hawaii.
After a long and exciting day of chess, we crowned four champions who will represent Hawaii at the invitational tournaments of state champions, taking place this summer in Grand Rapids, Michigan: second grader Apollo Van Brunt from Innovations Public Charter School won the K-3 division with a perfect score of 6.0; fifth grader Eito Nishida from Seabury Hall School won the K-5 division with a perfect score of 6.0; eighth grader Marcus Dinh from ‘Iolani School won the K-8 division with a score of 5.5 out of 6; and in one of the most exciting finishes we’ve seen, tenth grader J.P. Bennett from Punahou School defeated his classmate and defending state champion, Ty Dutoit, to win the K-12 division with a score of 4.5 out of 5. In the team competition, first place winners included Punahou School (K-3, K-5, and K-12) and ‘Iolani School (K-8) .
Congratulations to our winners and to all participants for their hard work and dedication to chess! Our next tournament will be the 2026 Girls Championship and Seniors Championship, both taking place on Saturday, April 4th, at Kaimuki Library. Shortly thereafter, we’ll have a quads (morning) and blitz (afternoon) tournament on Saturday, April 11th, at Washington Middle School. With even more events coming later this spring and summer, be sure to check out our calendar for more information on upcoming tournaments and other activities.
Primary School (k-3) Prize Winners
Team Awards:
Punahou School (17.5)
‘Iolani School (14.0)
Mary Star of the Sea School (13.5)
Individual Awards:
Apollo Van Brunt (6.0)
Lucas Jansson (5.0)
Michael Tserennyam (5.0)
Axel Gaetano (5.0)
Enzo Yee (5.0)
Elementary School (k-5) Prize Winners
Team Awards:
Punahou School (16.5)
Kamehameha Schools (12.0)
Hawaii Baptist Academy (7.0)
Individual Awards:
Eito Nishida (6.0)
Asher Bonilla (5.0)
Aiden Mansanas (5.0)
Max Narimasu (4.5)
Jacob Wong (4.5)
Middle School (k-8) Prize Winners
Team Awards:
‘Iolani School (18.5)
Punahou School (16.0)
Homeschool (14.0)
Individual Awards:
Marcus Dinh (5.5)
Nova Galanto (5.0)
Anthony Banh (5.0)
Matteo Kinsey (5.0)
Kuliakapono Shirota-Kapalu (5.0)
High School (k-12) Prize Winners
Team Awards:
Punahou School (15.5)
Homeschool (10.0)
‘Iolani School (8.0)
Individual Awards:
J.P. Bennett (4.5)
Ty Dutoit (4.0)
Skylor Chan (4.0)
Aven Kim (4.0)
Leon Nguyen (3.0)
Individual Standings
