Kauaʻi players help lead Hawaiʻi to online National Chess Championship title

A team of dedicated chess players from Kauaʻi helped Hawaiʻi win the 2025 Division I U.S. National Team Chess Championship — the top division in a nationwide online league that spanned nearly a year and included teams from across the country and Canada.

Each month since July, Hawaiʻi faced a new state team in a match consisting of two long-format games per player — one as white, one as black — with up to three days allowed per move. Games often stretched over weeks or even months.

This unique format is known as daily-style chess, and it’s central to the U.S. Team Chess League, the US online state-based league. Founded in 2010, the league runs its season from July to April, with state teams fielding as many players as possible each round.

In daily chess, players get at least one day per move in an online match. In the U.S. Team Chess League players get 3 days per move, which is most typical.

Hawaiʻi rejoined the league in 2022 after more than a decade away. The team quickly rose through the ranks, going undefeated in Division III and earning a promotion. Another strong performance in 2023 landed Hawaiʻi in Division I, where they finished fourth.

This year, they captured the national title, after losing their opening match to New York.

The Hawaiʻi team rebounded with eight straight victories, including decisive wins over past national champions Washington, California and Arizona. A 33–9 rout of six-time champion Washington proved to be a turning point. When Hawaiʻi clinched a victory over Iowa last week, the team secured the national title even before the season’s final round had concluded.

Kauaʻi competitors played a central role in the team’s success. Team manager Scotty Valkenaar and captain Damian Nash are both based on the island. Nash, a longtime Kauai chess mentor, currently a math and science teacher at Kawaikini School, played first board, as the team’s top-rated member, in five of the nine matches. Fellow Kauaʻi resident Chad Badgett held that position in three other matches.

“I think our team spirit and organization made a big difference,” said Nash, who has also helped develop scholastic chess programs on Kauaʻi. “We send messages, remind players and celebrate wins. That energy really helps.”

This year’s Hawaiʻi team included 100 active players from across the islands, ranging in age from elementary school children to octogenarians. Players were rotated around based on the number of players available on other teams.

According to the daily ratings on chess.com, Hawaiʻi’s youngest player, 7-year old Apollo Van Brunt, has a 1291 rating — double that of a typical “gifted” first grader, Nash said.

The highest-rated player on the team is Joe “Ocean DEEP BLUE” Hernandez of Hawaiʻi Island with a 2130 rating. Kauaʻi’s Chad Badgett (czechpirc) is rated 2120, while Nash (AlohaKauai) holds a 2,080 rating. Also among the top contributors was Maui-based coach Nate Newcomer of Chess Maui, who won 13 of his 14 games this season over seven matches.

Other standout performers from Kauaʻi included Sim Acosta, Jesse Rowell and Benjamin Roney, who were recognized as team MVPs for delivering clutch wins. Dan Abadilla, David Benedict, Manix Wolan and Derek Pergl also contributed critical victories that helped build Hawaiʻi’s 8–1 record.

According to Nash, the season showed that size doesn’t matter. Along with Hawaiʻi, the smallest state in Division I, Wyoming — the least populated U.S. state — swept all nine of its opponents in Division II. They hold the only undefeated streak in the league, with a 25-0 record.

“I think something that Hawaiʻi, Iowa and Wyoming all have in common is we all have team captains and team managers who are very positive and encourage people to show up,” Nash said.

Looking ahead, Hawaiʻi will enter the 2025–2026 season, starting in July, as the No. 1 seed in Division I.

To celebrate the victory, players will be recognized at an award ceremony on May 10 during the Hawaiʻi Quick Chess Championships at Washington Middle School in Honolulu. Certificates signed by Gov. Josh Green will be presented to team members.

The statewide Quick Chess Championship on May 10 offers another chance for players of all ages to compete, and the Hawaiʻi Chess Federation is always looking for new players.

“We know there’s a lot of other enthusiastic chess players out there that we haven’t met yet,” Nash said.

The federation encourages interested players on Kauaʻi and other islands to reach out ahead of the new season. To sign up, set up an account at chess.com and ask to join the club that is called “Hawaii Chess Federation.” Visit hawaiichess.org or contact the federation directly through its website to learn more.

Editor’s note: This story is updated to change the usage of “correspondence-style chess” “daily-style chess” to more accurately describe the type of chess played, removed commas to reflect proper chess ratings, and changed Apollo Van Brunt’s over-the-board U.S. Federation chess rating to his daily rating at chess.com to match the other players in the story.