Anine-year old chess player from Penola has taken out top honours against students up to twice his age at the Chess Victoria Primary and Secondary Open Zonal competition.


Mary MacKillop Memorial School Year 4 student Robert Rymill won the event, held at Bayview College in Portland, from a field of 35 students.


Taking out second position was Tenison Woods College Year 5 student Rian Raghesh.


The two boys are both members of the Mount Gambier Chess Club and were the only South Australians competing at the day-long event against mostly secondary students from eight Victorian schools and colleges.


Each competitor played eight games with a time control of 13 minutes plus two seconds per move.


Robert started well, winning his first few rounds before conceding a draw in the fourth round. Sitting behind the competition leaders, he recovered quickly, winning all subsequent games, including a hard-fought match against fellow South East local Rian.


Robert finished the tournament on top, claiming seven wins and one draw from eight matches. Rian notched up six wins to take second place.


As the tournament winner, Robert received automatic entry into the Victorian Junior Chess Championships which will be held at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, west of Melbourne, in July.


Mount Gambier Chess Club coach Valentine Pylypenko was thrilled with the boys’ success.


“The boys blitzed through a number of Year 10, 11 and 12 students, leaving them slightly bewildered, I think,” he said.


“Chess is currently booming in the Mount Gambier region and these boys are just two of a number of our juniors who will make the Mount Gambier Chess Club a force to be reckoned with well into the future.”