Nebraska has a new prodigy, and his talents have made themselves known on the chess boards.
Sixteen-year-old Luke Hengen from Omaha has earned a National Master rating in chess after his performances at the 2026 U.S. Open and Denker High School Tournament of Champions in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Hengen’s eighth-place finish at Denker and 18th-place finish at the U.S. Open earned him a U.S. Chess rating of 2206, which puts him at a ranking only four other Nebraskans have been able to achieve while in high school. He is also one of only three active players in the state to hold the title.
“I feel extremely happy to get my National Master title,” he said. “I’ve been working to get it for a long time, so to finally get it is something that I was really happy about.”
Hengen is a homeschooled chess player who found a welcoming community in the Jack Spence Chess Club. He credits the club and the overall chess community in Omaha for their support and help, pushing him to become a master of the craft.
“There’s so many games that I’ve played and learned from against so many of the players from Nebraska,” he said. “They’ve helped me with resources and opportunities to get better, and for all of that, I am very thankful.”
The Denker High School Tournament of Champions invites state chess champions from across the country to play in Grand Rapids. Hengen is no stranger to success – his two Nebraska State Championships, along with his individual titles through the Nebraska State Chess Association qualified him for the opportunity to take on 50 of the finest high school players in the country.
His recent success in Michigan has encouraged him to play in online competitions such as “Titled Tuesday” and “3-0 Thursday,” both of which are events hosted on Chess.com and are only open to players with titles. The tournaments are frequented by elite talent, such as grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen.
While National Master is a great achievement, Hengen has bigger goals. He hopes to break into international rankings, with the final step of becoming a Grandmaster, the sport’s highest possible ranking.
Hengen has played against that caliber of opponent before in online and in-person tournaments and has loved every opportunity he got from them.
“It’s really fun when I’m able to give it my best shot and really challenge these strong players,” he said.
“It’s a great challenge. I’m able to learn from the games that I play against them. They are very valuable and help me to get a lot better.”