Had they a few extra minutes to spare, the two men crouched intently over the chess board might discover a few things about each other that would surely astound.
Perhaps James Hafford would learn that the bandanna-bedecked biker across the table from him, a man he knows only as "Santana," is Nuremberg Sant’anna, motorcycle racer, speaker of numerous languages and founder of the Brazilian Cultural Center of Hawaii.
And perhaps Sant’anna, were he not so intent on capturing Hafford’s king, would find it interesting that Hafford is a linguist who, before coming to Hawaii, spent a decade in New Guinea helping to complete the translation of the New Testament into the Wuvulu language.
But there is little time for chitchat as Hafford and Sant’anna exchange tactical parries in hopes of gaining an advantage before the timer once again chimes the end of play.
Hafford and Sant’anna are two of a small group of regulars who spend evenings playing speed chess at Kahala Mall. They come for both the competition and the camaraderie. And while the players typically don’t socialize with each other away from the board, the hours they while away trying to penetrate each other’s defenses have fostered a unique sense of community.
"People who play chess are intellectual," Sant’anna says. "They know what’s going on, and they approach things in an analytical way. It’s a common way of looking at the world."
Sant’anna, 58, was born in Rio de Janeiro and learned chess from his father, an air force pilot. Educated in France, he met his first wife, a Cuban-American who taught Russian, during a stint in Germany.
While the marriage didn’t last, it did serve a purpose in bringing Sant’anna to the United States.
Sant’anna met his current wife in Miami, and the two eventually moved to Honolulu so Sant’anna could fulfill his dream of surfing Hawaii waters. He founded the Brazilian Cultural Center to help fellow Brazilian expats adapt to the islands while maintaining their cultural identity.
Hafford, whose maternal roots are set in Hana, Maui, was born in California and raised in Washington state. He met his wife, Lois, while attending Pacific Lutheran University, where he majored in computer science.
Despite a successful career as a systems analyst for Boeing, Hafford came to realize that his facility with languages (both he and his wife speak Greek, Hebrew, German and other languages) could be the means through which he could serve others.
"We feel that God has opened doors for us," Hafford says. "In some ways it was a sacrifice, but we knew God would take care of us."
The Haffords moved to Hawaii after their 10 years in New Guinea. These days, Hafford finds respite from his Ph.D. studies by playing bass guitar for his church and indulging in speed chess at the mall.
"It’s a good environment to meet a lot of different people," he says.
If only the clock would cooperate.
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.
