A PLUCKY Weymouth challenger defeated a chess grandmaster at a Dorchester tournament.

Allan Pleasants, a member of Weymouth Chess Club, beat Raymond Keene.

This is the second time Mr Pleasants has checkmated a grandmaster in a competition.

Mr Pleasants was one of 19 competitors who were competing at the same time against Mr Keene.

The youngest competitor was Jack Brewer, from Weymouth, who is 13 years old.

Competitors came from all across Dorset in the hope of beating a grandmaster.

Raymond Keene, who has represented his country in eight Chess Olympiads, retired in 1986 and is now known as a chess organiser, columnist and author.

He was awarded the OBE for his services to chess in 1985.

The competition he was invited to be involved in was held at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester as part of the Mind Your Head Showcase run by the Phoenix Legacy.

Paul Brooker, from the Good Food Chess Club in Bournemouth, said it was a ‘tremendous learning’ opportunity for the chess enthusiasts.

The prize, presented by Mr Keene, was a chessboard made especially for the competition by the prisoners at HMP The Verne on Portland .

The Phoenix Legacy encourages people over 50 to be more active in mind, body and spirit.

The chess tournament was one of 20 different activities on display.

Speaker Leontxo Garcia told the conference about research he has carried out in Spain showing that playing chess reduces the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.