Awards ceremony Saturday for Keaau Chess Tournament

With games following United States Chess Federation rules, the first Keaau Chess Tournament drew a field of 18 players on Saturday at the Keaau Village Market.

An awards ceremony will be held during this Saturday’s regular day of chess.

Coordinator Jim Lee said winners have been determined for the advanced players, but the intermediate- and beginner-level contests have not yet finished.

Lee said all standard tournament chess sets and clocks were used in the event, which was supervised by tournament director Ron Haselden and advisory board members Burt Izumikawa and Jon Neet.

“The Swiss System was used to organize the players, and the game was getting very intense,” said Lee. “They played five rounds, which means they played against two to five players. Chess can be very fun, and sometimes very stressful too.”