CHESS whizz-kids descended on a Northwich secondary school for a battle of wits which made adult onlookers ‘marvel’.

St Nicholas Catholic High in Hartford played host to Northwich Chess Club's junior section’s Schools Chess Competition on Saturday, November 23.

Around 50 players from 10 schools engaged each other in the ‘blitz' chess contest, with matches lasting a maximum of 10 minutes, and each player having just five seconds to make each move.

In the top spot at the end of the contest was Lymm High School, winning five out of its six matches.

Four teams tied for second place, winning four out of six. These were the Grange Senior School, hosts St Nicholas Catholic High, Hartford High’s Team A, and Weaverham High.

Richard Betts, the junior competition’s lead organiser from Northwich Chess Club, praised the level of play, adding some of the games were ‘really top quality’.

He said: “The standard has really gone up and the games are getting more and more challenging.

“A huge congratulations to Lymm on a truly marvellous effort. There clearly are some strong-developing players here.

"One of the crunch games came when leaders Lymm faced the hosts, St Nicholas.

“The top board game went right to the wire as both players competed against each other, and the clock.

“In a very tight game with only seconds on the clock, and a crowd gathering round to watch, Lymm defeated St Nicholas to win the match, and ultimately, the top prize.

“Full credit goes to the Grange Junior School team for playing against some very strong secondary school opposition."

Northwich Junior Chess Club is a dedicated not-for-profit organization staffed by enthusiastic volunteers, with the primary goal of promoting and popularizing chess among school-age children in the Northwich area.

It meets on Saturday mornings in term time at Victoria Road Primary School, 9.30am to 11am. New members are always welcome.

The club's adult section meets on Monday evenings at the Gladstone Club on Station Road in Northwich.

Richard added: “I’m delighted to say the chess community in Northwich continues to thrive.”