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King of the chess board
Eight-year-old Samir Samadov has recently come second in the Under 8 catagory of the British Chess Championships in Torquay
AN EIGHT-year-old boy hopes to become a world chess champion after finishing runner-up in a British youth competition.
Samir Samadov began to play chess when he was five years old, in his home country in Eastern Europe, where the game is very popular with young children.
He moved to the UK in 2008 and never lost his enthusiasm and has been playing chess at a Atherton Chess Club, which meets in the Atherton Arms pub.
With the support of the local community and adult chess players, he entered the British Under Eight Chess Championship in Canterbury and finished runner-up.
He also finished fifth in the Under Nine Championship.
His mum, Samira, said: “We are very proud of him and so happy for him.
“He says he wants to be a world champion. We will do everything we can for him to be a world champion.
“From five years old, Samir said he was interested in chess, so we took him to a club and his teacher said he had abilities and he could be a champion in the future.
“When we moved to this country, he was crying because he wanted to play chess but we couldn’t find anywhere to play.
“Eventually we met a man who plays chess at the Atherton Arms, who said he had a talent and he would help him and he has gone on from there.”
Samir is also following in the footsteps of Atherton chess Grandmaster Nigel Short, as he attends his former primary school - St Philip’s.
Nigel Short, who became a Grandmaster at the age of 19, is regarded as the strongest English chess player of the 20th century.
And mum Samira hopes Samir’s younger sister, nine-month-old Zohra, will be inspired by here brother take up the hobby.
She said: “I think Samir will help her. His dad and I started to learn how to play after Samir learnt and he beats us every time.”
Samir and his family were former asylum seekers, but have been granted permission by the Home Office to stay in the country for five years.
Andrew Wilson, 47, of Atherton, who has been playing chess with Samir since he moved to the UK, said: “The family is really thankful to all the people who have helped them get Samir to the championships. He has done really well.”
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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