ONE of Britain's leading female chess players nearly swept the board when she took on 18 boys from Isleworth & Syon School at once. Six-times British Girls' champion Sabrina Chevannes ended the two-hour marathon with 17 victories and one draw.

Samim Halimi, from the upper sixth, was the only contestant to stop the 20-year-old in her tracks during last Tuesday's contest.

But chess club co-ordinator Antonio Giannotta said Sabrina - who is touring 40 schools across the UK taking on up to 25 youngsters at a time - had been impressed by the standard of her opposition.

"We've got a strong record at chess and I think Sabrina was surprised by how close some of the matches were," he added.

Eleven boys from the secondary school, in Ridgeway Road, Isleworth, have qualified for this weekend's regional 'Mega Finals' of the UK Chess Championships.