Queen of the chess board

9:43am Sunday 20th May 2007

A YOUNG chess champion has made all the right moves to get through to the regional finals of a national competition.

Hannah Thomas, a pupil at Mayhill Junior School, in The Bury, Odiham, is getting ready for the southern giga-final of the British Land Chess Challenge after coming up trumps in Hampshire's megafinal.

Hannah, nine, was picked from the school's chess team to compete against youngsters from schools across the county.

Speaking about winning the competition, the young champ said: "I played six matches and towards the end I got a bit tired from using all the brain power."

Hannah was taught how to play chess by her dad when she was just six years old, but began playing more regularly when she joined the school's chess team at the beginning of the academic year. She is now practising hard for the regional finals in July.

Dawn Casson, assistant headteacher and leader of the chess team, said: "It's very impressive that Hannah has got this far."