Titled Chess Coaches in Hawaii

Hawaii's chess scene runs through the Hawaii Chess Federation (HCF), based in Honolulu and the official USCF state affiliate for the islands. Most organized play happens on Oahu, where casual weekly meetups at places like Kahala Mall and South Shore Market keep the scene going between tournaments. The state's biggest moment on the international stage came in March 2015, when the Hawaii Chess Festival brought Women's World Champion Hou Yifan, GM Sam Shankland, and GM Timur Gareev to the Hilton Waikiki Beach for a week of exhibitions and a GM Challenge round-robin, held alongside the state scholastic championships and an international open. Day to day, the scene's backbone is scholastic coaching, led by national master Cornelius Rubsamen, a 13-time Hawaii state champion who has directed chess at Kamehameha Schools since the early 2000s.

• Play the Hawaii Open over Labor Day weekend — the state's annual Open, Reserve (U1500), and Blitz Championship, run by the Hawaii Chess Federation and typically held on Oahu.
• Drop into casual, no-cost chess around Honolulu: the Kahala Chess Club (Wednesdays at the Kahala Mall food court) and the Honolulu Chess Club (Fridays at South Shore Market in Kakaako).
• Scholastic players can connect through Kamehameha Schools' chess program, coached for years by national master and 13-time state champion Cornelius Rubsamen.