Youth chess players from Macclesfield have qualified for a regional finals, with the chance to qualify for the nationals this weekend.

The King's School's chess players are making all the right moves with a record 10 young strategists qualifying for the Northern Gigafinal on July 1 and July 2.

Queen of the board is brilliant eight-yearstar Margo Hrebinchyk who earned a silver medal in the U8 category.

Margo, from Macclesfield, who started playing at the age of just three-years-old, said:"I was taught the game by my granddad. When I was little, he used to beat me quite easily but since I've been practising in the school chess club I just love to beat him."

The King's School in Macclesfield is located on Prestbury's Alderley Road.

She plays at least five times a week and is described by Junior Division Chess Coordinator Vicki Atkins, as "a little star and an absolute joy to work with." Vicki adding a little sheepishly, "I don't dare to play her, she might be only eight but she'd beats me very easily."

The King's School's specialist Chess Coach, Andrew Ireland, added, "Margo is the best player I've ever worked with at King's. She really is something quite special."

The ancient game of warfare on a board, thought to have been invented in India some 1500 years ago, has enjoyed an exponential expansion in recent years.

Andrew Ireland, who now works with a record 120 young King's players across five chess clubs for different age groups from 5 to 18, has seen a dramatic increase in the game's appeal to the younger generation. "The TV series Queen's Gambit and the online master classes given by world's grand masters are watched by millions worldwide. But more importantly, it's a game that has never been solved and even now there is still so much scope."

According to YouGov, Chess is the 37th most popular activity in the UK, with over six million 'regular' players. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/explore/activity/Chess https://pixabay.com/photos/chess-board-game-chessboard-4794265/

"It has also very successfully reinvented itself, much like cricket, bringing in different time formats, with one minute games, five minute games and still the classical version where a match can last for eight hours, if not days."

Rufus Simpson, 18, who is the school's Board One player, and has been playing since he was five, said: "It's very competitive and does bring out the killer instinct."

Robin Jackson, King's Head of Religion andPhilosophy, who coordinates the Senior chess clubs, concluded: "You do need intelligence, strategy and a good memory, but most of all you need to practise and that's why our chess clubs have become so incredibly popular." 

The seniors through to the Northern giga final are Gabriel Wade. Narayan Chakrabarty, Rufus Simpson and Thatcher Nulty. The juniors are: Margo Hrebinchyk, XanderHume, Blake Denham, Teddy Forrester, Amelia Grace and Maryam Atif.

This weekend's regional finals takes place at Wright Robinson College in Manchester.

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