HE’S just six years old but competed with the best young chess players in the area at the Mayor of Bournemouth Schools Chess League Final.

The event, held last Thursday at the Marriott Highcliff Hotel in Bournemouth, saw budding chess superstars pit their wits against each other at junior and senior school level.

And Jez O’Brien was youngest by some stretch.

Schools from around the area took part and the primary school competition was closely fought between Baden-Powell, inset left, and Moordown St John, with Moordown eventually winning an exciting finale thanks to Joseph Foster, 11, who also won the prize for best individual performance.

The senior final was between Harewood College and defending champions Bournemouth School, with Harewood taking the honours. As reported in the Daily Echo, around 60 students have been taking part at the school’s lunchtime chess club.

Overall prizes in the senior category went to Zac Butt, 15, and Connor Deburguet, 12, from Harewood.

Ian Clark, who organised the Bournemouth and District Chess League event, said there were plenty of parents watching the competition.

“The trophies will be engraved and presented at a later date at an assembly by the Mayor of Bournemouth,” he added.

Mayor Cllr Phil Stanley-Watts said the contest started five years ago by then-mayor Stephen Chappell and was going from strength-to-strength.

He added: “It went really well and there were some exciting games. It’s amazing that some of the school pupils were so young and I found it truly astounding.”