An international chess grandmaster met his match in four youngsters from Kent during a special event at the weekend.

John Emms, from Hildenborough, played a simultaneous match against 34 young chess players from 10 different schools in and around Tunbridge Wells - four of whom held him to draws.

The winning quartet, who all received cups in recognition of their efforts, were Freddie Hand and David Liu, both of The Judd School in Tonbridge, Oleg Lyakh of The Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells and Grace Lamb from Groombridge.

Andrew Daniells, operations manager at Salomons Estate, where the event was held on Saturday, said: “It was fantastic to see so many youngsters taking part in such a challenging event.

“We hope that it encourages them to continue playing the game and perhaps one day some of them may return and play this event at Salomons as Grandmasters themselves.”

Michael Shahoud, captain at Tunbridge Wells Chess Club, said: "The standard of chess was very high. Despite that, and the fact that two of the young players facing him were graded at more than 170, John did not lose a single game, which was quite an achievement and highlighted just how well Freddie, David, Oleg and Grace played to hold him to draws.”