Five OHS students marked the school's return to competitive chess at the Central Auckland Interschools Chess Championship.

Onehunga High School made a successful return to competitive chess today, finishing third overall at the 2026 Central Auckland Interschools Chess Championship. It was fantastic to have a team back in the competition, with five students representing the school in a strong field.

The team consisted of Year 11 students Xavier Nakatsuji and Jordan Cai, Year 10 students Marcus Mafi and Ollie Ren, and Year 9 student Jackie Chen. They competed against strong opposition from across Central Auckland and demonstrated the WAKA values of Respect, Resilience, Integrity and Excellence throughout the tournament. After challenging matches against Auckland Grammar School and St Cuthbert's College, the team responded well to record impressive victories over Lynfield College and Elim Christian College.

Team captain Xavier Nakatsuji led the team with an outstanding individual performance, finishing the tournament with three wins, one draw and one loss. Congratulations to Xavier, Jordan, Marcus, Ollie and Jackie on representing Onehunga High School with pride. We look forward to seeing our chess programme continue to grow.