Kings of Chess
Meet Hawaii’s newly crowned chess co-champions, Chet Gionson and Cornelius Rubsamen, who are quite serious about the game but play mostly because it’s fun
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Rubsamen learned to play chess at age 12 and started playing competitively at 17. Today, at 33, he continues to move the pieces daily.
“I play mainly to stay mentally fit and to relax,” he says. “I used to study seriously for two to three hours every day, but have found that it takes away too much time from other pursuits.
“I enjoy playing chess so much because it pushes one’s mental capacity to the limit. Playing serious competitive chess, where a single mistake can spoil the tournament, is very exhausting, but at the same time rewarding.”
Rubsamen has also taught chess at Mililani Middle School, Hawaii Baptist Academy and Ho’ala School, as well as coaching several homeschoolers, and has done chess presentations at Iolani and Kamehameha schools.
For those who are interested in learning or playing the game, there are clubs that meet weekly at Pearlridge Center on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (alternating monthly between Uptown and Downtown), at Mililani Rec Center No. 6 on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., and at Windward Mall centerstage on Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
There’s also a new club forming at Manoa District Park, tentatively scheduled for Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m., starting at the end of this month.
“The local chess community is quite large,” says Prothero. “The most exciting part of the chess community is scholastic chess. Every year the level of play has improved and the numbers of entrants gets a little larger.
Thaddeus Padua and Cornelius Rubsamen watch as
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“I think people should play chess because for youngsters they learn thinking skills that will help them throughout life. It is a wonderful social activity. It is safe and clean with no risk of injury. But most important it is fun.”
As for the secret to winning this 4,000 year old board game: “Preparation is key,” reveals Gionson. “Also, keeping your concentration and focus on your opponent.”
“There is no secret to winning,” adds Rubsamen. “I had the drive and motivation to study a board game for over 10 years, nearly on a daily basis.
“That reminds me of a famous incident involving Mark Twain. After getting soundly beaten over and over again by a young man at chess, Twain exclaimed: ‘Sir, your skill at this game indicates a wasted youth!’”
For more information on the Hawaii Chess Federation, visit www.hawaiichess.org
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