Hannah is Northern Ireland chess champion

IT WAS a case of ‘checkmate’ for Hannah Armstrong after the Lisnaskea student was crowned the Northern Ireland girls’ chess champion. The Year 8 Erne Integrated College student took part in the Under 12 competition held at Methodist College, Belfast on Saturday.

Attending the competition along with fellow members of the school’s chess club, Hannah’s skill and poise shone through resulting in a well deserved victory.

Following a busy day for the club Hannah received the accolade of being a ‘Chess Suprema’ which is the school’s equivalent of the title of grand master. Still only a first year, Hannah  gained the impressive  ranking of fourth in the Northern Ireland under 14 girls category.

Hannah will now make the journey to England to compete in the UK girls’ chess championships.

Chess success clearly runs in the family as all are members of Enniskillen chess club, while Hannah’s brother Jonathan has also won chess competitions in the past and it was his influence that inspired Hannah to give it a go.

“My brother won the school championships and when he found out that my primary school was entering a competition he wanted to teach me how to play”.

Hannah is extremely enthusiastic about the game and is always planning her next move.

“The whole thing of finding out what the other person is going to do is very exciting. When you make a good move you’re very pleased with yourself. It’s definitely enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone.”