Spending Saturday with 160 of the Best and Brightest from Hawaii

I am writing this post during the afternoon rounds of The Hawaii State Scholastic Chess Championships.  My good friend Guy and I are running the Championships in the big hall at Windward community college in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Last evening we had two rounds for high school only.  Today we are running all five sections.  K-3, K-6, K-8 & K-12.  The K-12 section has more time on their clocks, thus the reason for the extra day to complete all six rounds.  This years high school section has become quite exciting.  Pearl City High School and Punahou have dominated this division for the last several years.  This year Mililani High School has joined them as a serious contender.  Lead by 2-time National Champion Robert Lau and Ryan Palomares who has several State Champions titles himself.  Filling out their ranks is my step son Daniel Macalino (offensive line for the football team) and our neighbor Daniel Strickland  (wide receiver and former rugby player from New Zealand).  Both Daniels are making a strong showing in the event.  Mililani High School has never won the state title in the history of the school.  Their top three players are 2-juniors and 1-freshman.

After the first 4 rounds Mililani High School and Punahou are tied for first place with 2-rounds to go.  Both Robert Lau and Ryan Palomares are undefeated with scores of 4-0 each.  In the fifth round they are matched up with tough opponents who also have state titles under their belts.  The tournament looks to finish in a tight race.

In the K-8 Division, Mililani Middle School is leading after 4 of 6 rounds, hoping to also win their first state title in school history also.

In the K-3 Division my youngest son Jacob who is a 1^st grader has a score of 3-1 and is fighting to finish in the top 1^st grade spot.  Last year he won the Kindergarten title.  This year the competition has gotten much tougher.

The final standings will be posted at:  http://www.hawaiichess.org/