A YOUNG Wroughton chess wizard has won herself a place in a prestigious competi-tion.

Thanks to her efforts, Kirsty Lafferty will be in the final round of the UK Chess Challenge.

To get there, she came third in the Under-13 girls section of the age group finals held in Sheffield at the weekend.

Kirsty, of Ridgeway School, is the sole Wiltshire represen-tative to qualify for the Lon-don event next month.

This is despite a record attendance from the county at the age group event and several impressive perfor-mances.

The top scorer from Wilt-shire was Swindon's Robbie Dams, a pupil of Common-weal School.

He dropped only one point during the competition and eventually took fourth place in the under 13 boys section.

Meanwhile, Nicola Thomas nearly made it a double for Ridgeway School with her fourth place in the Under -12 girls section.

And two Wiltshire players, Paul Waldon from Sherston, and Jeremy Appleyard from Standlake, did well to score four points against the coun-try's best in the Under 11 and Under 15 sections respec-tively.

A Swindon competitor scored well at another recent chess competition.

Old Town's Daniel Hall, a junior international, emerged unbeaten and with a score of four out of five possible points in the Monmouth Congress, winning the junior section.

Only a week earlier, he had taken third place in the prestigious Smith and Williamson invitation-only competition held at Millfield School.