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Youth checks in

Next week the finals of The Times British Schools Chess Championship, the world's premier junior competition, will take place. Simon Tait assesses the young contenders

The invention of chess has been variously ascribed to Japheth Shern, King Solomon, Hermes. Aristotle and a Man - darin called Han-Sing . Proba - bly it was none of these, but chess is the oldest board game still universally played. It makes a satisfying irony, then, that it is now so popular with the young, and particu - larly with school children. Next week's Times British Schools Chess Championship, organized, jointly by The Times and the British Chess Federation, is a showcase for the best in team chess. "It is the pre-eminent school chess competition in the world", said Paul Buswell, secretary of the British Chess Federation. "As an event it is analagous with the FA Cup Final in soccer — even if they are not playing , the rest of the world is watching." Each of the four teams who have survived the qualifying rounds has six members, aged from 11 to 18. John Merriman. aged 11 and play - ing for Blue Coat School, Liverpool, is the youngest boy ever to take part in the 20 - year - old tournament. "I cer - tainly believe he has the potential to be a Grand Master", says Ken Champion, who coaches the team. "I thought very carefully about bringing him down to London because of his age, but we must have him if we are ta build our strongest team." The best player in the Blue Coal team is Philip Leeson. now 17, who was the youngest participant the last time the school made it to the tournament's semi-final stage four years ago. This time the school is up against three other all-boy teams — from Colchester Roy - al Grammar School, Plym - outh College, and the Methodist College, Belfast. Dave Sing, the 18-year-old captain of Colchester and his yopunger brother Roy (14) have a growing reputation. But the team from Belfast, under the direction of Brian Thorpe, may be the dark