A talented chess star will test her skills against some of the best young players in the world after earning selection to an international competition.

Imogen Camp, a Lower Sixth Form pupil at Rydal Penrhos, will be part of the Wales squad that will compete at the World Chess Olympiad., which will be held in Batumi, Georgia later this year.

The Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams of four players compete from countries all over the world. The competition began in 1924 and is now the largest, most prestigious team event in the chess calendar.

This will be the second time that the 17-year-old has competed at the event, having made her senior debut at the 2016 showcase in Azerbaijan, where an outstanding performance earned her the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title.

Imogen has enjoyed many successes in chess over the years, winning Welsh and British Champion titles in several age groups, starting with the British U9 Girls title in 2009, and most recently success in adult chess with the Welsh Ladies Champion title last year.

A member of the Welsh Junior Squad since 2012, she has represented Wales at both European and World Youth Championships, as well as the annual Glorney Cup against the home nations and France.

She also plays for Colwyn Bay’s first Team in the Chester and District League, and for White Rose in the second division of the 4NCL (the UK’s premier chess league).

Over the summer, the pupil will be competing once more in the Glorney Cup and the British Championships in Hull to hone her skills further ahead of the global competition.

She said:

“I would like to thank my current coach, International Master (IM) Lawrence Cooper, as well as the many others who have coached and supported me over the years, and the Sir John Henry Morris Jones Trust Fund for their generous awards several years running which have enabled me to take part in these international events.”