Youngsters’ board battles

It was a knight to remember for pupils when they squared up against each other during a chess tournament.

Youngsters aged six to 12 from St John’s primary academy in Provender Way, Weavering, Maidstone, and The Schools at Somerhill in Somerhill, Tonbridge, battled it out in the after-school contest.

The youngest winner was seven-year-old Jake Hool from the Maidstone school, while Ben Andrews, 10, (also St John’s) was the top board winner, meaning he beat the strongest players on the day. However, it was the Tonbridge school that won the tournament, 12 games to six.

Julian Squiers, organiser and owner of LearnChess, said: “Chess might be one of the oldest games in the world, but the young minds of pupils at the two schools did battle on the boards.”