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Orcas Island High School repeats as 2B state chess champions

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Contributed photo. High schoolers play chess in the Washington State High School Chess Championships. At right, foreground, is Lamai Hons. Next to him is Colter Bond and Thurmond Russell.
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Contributed photo.

High schoolers play chess in the Washington State High School Chess Championships. At right, foreground, is Lamai Hons. Next to him is Colter Bond and Thurmond Russell.

Contributed photo. High schoolers play chess in the Washington State High School Chess Championships. At right, foreground, is Lamai Hons. Next to him is Colter Bond and Thurmond Russell.
Contributed photo. The Orcas Island High School chess champions.

By Declan O’Malley

Sounder contributor

Orcas Island High School captured its second consecutive 2B state title at the 60th annual Washington State High School Chess Team Championships, held Feb. 27-28 at Mariner High School in Everett.

Orcas Island finished with 14.5 total points across the two-day tournament, topping a field of 52 qualifying teams from around the state.

“Winning the 2B Team Championship title means that the OIHS team performed at the highest level in relation to all of the other 2B teams that participated in the tournament. This reflects the hard work put in by the team to secure a spot from regionals and ultimately compete at the state level,” said team captain Lamai Hons.

The team roster included Hons, Colter Bond, Thurmond Russell, Elijah Griffith, Leo Battles and Tim Malo.

Scoring at the state tournament awarded one point for a win and a half-point for a draw, with only the top five varsity boards counting toward each round’s team total.

Orcas Island opened with a 5.0-0.0 sweep of Granger in Round 1 before facing Lakeside (Seattle) in Round 2, where the team was held scoreless. The Vikings rebounded in Round 3 with a 3.5-1.5 win over Mariner (Everett).

In Round 4, Orcas Island earned 2.0 points against Cleveland STEM (Seattle), followed by another 2.0-point performance against Bainbridge in Round 5. The Vikings closed the tournament with a 2.0-point effort against Sehome High School of Bellingham in Round 6.

The chess program at Orcas Island High School is in just its second year, having been founded in 2024 by Hons as a sophomore. The program began as a small group of friends playing both casual and competitive games and has since grown into a state championship team.

Mr. Austin serves as the club’s advisor.

“Last year, Lamai approached me and asked if I’d be the chess club advisor. I agreed. We meet at lunch in my room,” said Austin, who spoke on the team taking home the title.“If anything, I think students earning such titles make Orcas Island School District look good. They deserve kudos for that!”

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