A SCHOOL pupil was left pinching himself after pitting his wits against the greatest chess player at the House of Lords.
King Edward VI Grammar School's Daniel Gallagher was one of four lucky school children chosen to play 15-time world champion Garry Kasparov as part of the sixth London Chess Classic.
The event was hosted by charity Chess in Schools and Communities and aims to increase children's educational attainment by teaching chess in state primary schools and inner-city communities.
The 14-year-old was also joined by MPs Jesse Norman, Rachel Reeves, David Mowat and Yasmin Qureshi, as well as Lord Lyndon Harrison, as they all simultaneously tried to beat the Russian grandmaster.
And while none were able to take down Kasparov unsurprisingly, Daniel insists it was a dream come true to play against one of his idols.
"I've been playing chess for a few years now and I like the way that it's all about skill and there's no luck involved," he said.
"In other games you can be lucky and win but in chess it's all about your skill and if you play well then you will win.
"I think that generally it's more useful than spending your time playing computer games because it helps your thinking and helps your grades at schools.
"It's quite mathematical and there is quite a lot of logic involved and lots of strategy goes into playing a match.
"I loved the coaching here and having the chance to learn a few new things and seeing everyone here playing.
"It's something that I want to keep doing for a long time and I'd like to become a title player one day."
And Kasparov believes the youngster showed the benefits of playing chess from an early age and admitted Daniel certainly gave him something to think about.
"This is a great initiative and I have been promoting this idea of having chess as part of the education system around the world," Kasparov said.
"The benefits of kids playing chess at an early age is quite obvious. It improves their communication skills, it helps them to appreciate the big picture, to see the outcomes of their actions, they can recognise patterns.
"Overall, it helps their concentration and sense of logic, and those are very important qualities for their success in school. Having chess in the early days is important because it adds an extra tool to help kids get through modern education."
