AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl looks set to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a chess master after winning two national titles.

Nina Pert, a Year 3 pupil at Brentwood Preparatory School, defied the rankings to win both the under-8s and under-9s girls’ competitions at the British Chess Championships in Bournemouth on July 23 to 25.

Nina, who practises at Brentwood School and Chelmsford Junior Club, was making her debut at the championship and pitted her wits against the country’s best players, with 70 youngsters competing in the under-8s category and 85 in the under-9s.

Nina’s dad, Richard Pert, an International Master who recently became the 2016 English Chess Rapidplay champion, said: “I enjoy playing and didn’t want to go to events and leave my family at home so I taught my children so they could come too.

“My aim was to get Nina and her six-year-old brother Max to a sufficient level so they could compete, however I didn’t realise they would become such accomplished players. I’m very proud.”

And Mr Pert says one day he will face stiff competition from his daughter.

He said: “She’s a long way off reaching my level, but for her age she is very good.”

Brentwood Preparatory School headmaster Jason Whiskerd said he was delighted with Nina’s success.

He said: “We are committed to providing a suitable platform for our talented chess players in Brentwood and this latest success follows a hugely popular inaugural Prep tournament held in May.

He said: “Falling housing affordability is partly about runaway house prices, particularly in some parts of Essex, but it is also about how low wage growth has meant that people’s incomes failed to keep up with housing costs.”