Mililani boy wins chess contest

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer

An 11-year-old Mililani boy shared top honors in a division of the 2002 National Open Chess Championships in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Robert Lau shared first place with four other players in the Booster category with a score of 5 1/2 points (five wins and one draw).

Lau, who began playing in local tournaments when he was 5 years old, won $1,093. His category had 217 participants. The state elementary school champion is ranked in the C class, mid-level competition.

"Among all chess tournament players in Hawai'i, he is right in the middle, and for his age that is extraordinary," said Randy Prothero, president of the Hawai'i Chess Federation and co-director of the Mililani Chess Club.

Other Hawai'i players with high scores were Emily Lau, Robert's older sister and last year's intermediate school champion, in the Booster category; and Lorenzo Farinas of Mililani in the reserve category. More than 700 people participated in the tournament.

Robert Lau also took third place in the amateur section of the national open blitz championship, a preliminary event that included mainly a field of adults up to "A" class.

Lau scored 10 out of a possible 14 points. In the same category, Karel Kon of Honolulu scored 8 points and Emily Lau scored 7.

Robert Lau, a home-school student and member of the Mililani Chess Club, will defend his state title at the State Scholastic Chess Championships, April 19-20 at Ward Warehouse.

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.