THEO Slade, from Marhamchurch, travelled to Torquay on July 31 to take part in the Under-8 Section of the British Chess Championships. Competing for the title of British Champion were 25 of the top chess players from all over the country with each player required to play six games during the one day event. Theo had a tough opening draw, playing black against the top seed, Ryan Au, which he eventually lost despite putting up a good fight. He battled back well, however, with wins in his next four matches to put him in the top four going into the last round.

His final game was against Declan Shafi from Dundee who had won the Northern Gigafinal just two weeks earlier, with six wins out of six. In an extremely tense game, Theo fought off a continual barrage of checks on his King before finally delivering a fatal attack of his own. Theo's dad, Andrew, who was trying to follow the game from afar, despite no parents being allowed in the playing room, saw that the game had been completed, but feared that Theo had lost as he saw his son collapse in a flood of tears. As the pair met in the foyer outside the room, Theo was clearly overcome as he fell into his dad's arms. He could hardly speak. "I've won, I've won!" he just about managed to get out.

Results in the other matches meant that Theo had finished second, just half a point behind the winner, Ryan Au, the player who had defeated Theo in round one. Theo, who won £50 prize money for his efforts, is now officially the second best under 8 chess player in Britain. "That was the hardest game of my life" said an exhausted, but overjoyed, Theo afterwards. It was also the best day of his life!