Two students from Brecon High School travelled to Hereford last weekend to compete in a UK-wide chess tournament.

Isaac Bush and David Heath took part in the Delancey UK Chess Challenge Herefordshire Mega Final U18s on Sunday May 14.

The event is one of the most prestigious junior events in the UK for chess.

Both played six matches in total. Isaac achieved a low but respectable 1.0 / 6 scoring points and fought in a very difficult and tough field, which included some of the highest junior chess players in not only Herefordshire, but also the whole of the UK. His opponents included Dillian Duke, who is on the verge of winning the Leslie Baker Cup and arguably becoming the number one chess player in the whole of Herefordshire, despite only being 15.

David achieved 3.5 / 6 which was not only was enough to qualify for the ‘GigaFinal’ later this year but also get a tied third place spot, and it allowed him to take home the bronze medal.

Coincidentally, one of the most decisive matches came against former Brecon High School Chess club head, Patryk Bialowas, who was representing Hereford Sixth Form College after moving to Hereford following his graduation from Brecon High School.

The two former classmates fought hard in one of the most thrilling matches in the whole tournament.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch the live stream of the match and despite David being in a losing position, he held on and was able to mount an incredible comeback from a losing position to beat Patryk and claim the third place finish over him.