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A MALPAS man has beaten a Scottish master while competing for Wales in an international chess tournament in Italy.

Charles Higgie is competing for Wales Cymru over 50's team in the World Team Championships in Piedmont in the north-west of Italy.

Charles lost his first game to Grandmaster, Alberto David of Italy and then went on to defeat his first master, Andrew Burnett of Scotland.

He said he was pleased to beat his Scottish opponent.

He added: "I have never beaten a master before, it is quite an achievement.

"I have beaten those of higher ratings before but I have never beaten a master.

"It was a very long game, it lasted 60 moves.

"It was very even all the way through.

"I offered a draw at one point which he declined."

Charles went on to lose to opponents from Canada, Sweden and Norway but managed to beat another opponent afterwards leading to him having two victories in the tournament.

The Malpas man said these were strong opponents but added he expected the teams results to improve.

He explained: "Having played strong sides in the first rounds of the tournament, we will be playing weaker teams in our last three matches.

"I expect our results to improve."

Charles said he's played chess from a young age, then stopped after the birth of his daughter in the 1990s and then started again after she went to university.

He added: "I have been playing chess since I was about six or seven.

"I was North Wales champion in 1980 and 1990.

"I gave up chess after when my daughter was born in 1992 to concentrate on looking after her.

"Obviously, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my daughter and then in 2010 I took it up again when my daughter went to university.

"I have been playing chess seriously for most of my life."

The tournament has an over 50s tournament and the other in the over 65s and Wales has a team in the over 50s section.

As he turns 65 next year Charles says he is looking at competing next year in the over 65 tournament.

He said: "I am 64, so next year I will be 65 and there are some other people becoming 65.

"So next year we might enter one team in the over 65s and one team in the over 50s."

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Scottish chess master falls at the hands of Malpas man - Whitchurch Herald