Orcas Island High School can add state chess champions to its trophy case.

Forty-eight teams qualified and competed at the 59th annual Washington State High School Chess Team Championships, held Feb. 28 and March 1 at Lincoln Hill High School in Stanwood. Six rounds were played over two days.

The Orcas team members are 10th-graders Lamai Hons, Max Dickey-Vollmer and Orion “Arrow” Johns and 11th-graders Colter Bond and Thurmond Russel.

Of the 48 teams that made it through the qualification process to compete at state, five were 2B teams and OIHS performed the best, scoring 15.5 wins, and earning the title of State 2B Champions. The format was five versus five matches, with scoring by individual wins.

“All schools of all size categories compete in one big section,” explained Randy Kaech, president of the Washington High School Chess Association. “In their first appearance at state, Orcas Island High surprised many teams by their strong performance, competing and scoring against 4A and other large schools with experienced chess programs.”

Anacortes High School hosted the inaugural San Juan/Islands/Skagit Regional Chess Championship on Jan. 11. It was the first state-qualifying chess event in this region. Around 35 students participated, with separate competitions for middle and high school students. Hons earned grand champion, and the OIHS chess team came in first, qualifying for the state championship.

“Sincere congratulations to the OIHS chess team. Well done, in a very tough field,” Kaech said.