Chess champ begins college life on a high

Thu 5th November 2009 11.52AM

MARTIN Brown has had a more eventful summer than most students of his age after he won the British Chess Championships, staged in Torquay, for his age group. Martin,16, who completed eight GCSEs at Sir Thomas Boteler High School this year, five of which were graded at A* travelled to Devon and came out on top against a strong field of junior internationals. The teenager from Woolston has been playing the game since the age of 11 and spent a week in Torquay, playing up to two games a day with matches lasting up to four hours at a time.

The gruelling schedule was worth it in the end though as victory in the tournament was a long term ambition. “I had a great summer, the British Championships in Torquay got it off to a good start and I was then delighted to achieve the grades I got in my GCSEs” he said. “I hope to improve my game further this year and hopefully achieve a Masters title in the longer term, before that, however, I am looking forward to advanced level studies at Priestley College.”