IT was heads down and thinking caps on at a top chess championship in Suffolk.For more than 100 people from across East Anglia and further afield took part in this year's Suffolk Open Junior Chess Championships, held Stowmarket High School yesterday.

IT was heads down and thinking caps on at a top chess championship in Suffolk.

For more than 100 people from across East Anglia and further afield took part in this year's Suffolk Open Junior Chess Championships, held Stowmarket High School yesterday.

The competition, which has been running for more than a decade, is one of the region's largest tournaments of its kind.

Competitors ranged from England internationals to beginners and in age from under-seven to adult with players travelling from as far afield as Orpington in Kent and Richmond in London to take part in the event.

One particularly outstanding performance came from England under-11 international Tom Robinson, from Norwich, who came fourth in the 24-strong Open B where all his competitors, except one, were adults.

The results were:

Novices: 1 Elliott Funnel, Hadleigh; 2 Francesca Nichols; 3 Rebekah More. Slow starter, Zoe Steele.

Combined under-eight section: Under-Seven trophy, Robert Lobo. 1 William Boulton and Gabriel Barr. William Boulton wins section trophy on tie-break. Third equal. Thomas Clarke and Patrick Stevens, Ipswich Junior Chess Club. Thomas Clarke wins Suffolk trophy on tie-break. Slow starter Felix Wolfers, IJCC.

Under-nine: First and Suffolk trophy winner, Adam Wilkosz, IJCC; 2 Hamish Hore, Essex; 3 Benjamin Phillips, IJCC. Slow starter, Grace Williams.

Under -10: 1 Oliver Whitehead; 2 Arutyun Arutyunyan; 3 Xavier Jeakings. Slow Starter, Samantha Earl, Clacton.

Combined under-13 section: 1 Chris Russell, Norwich; joint 2 Richard Lobo and Luke Hill, IJCC. Luke won Suffolk under-13 trophy. Suffolk under-12 trophy, Joseph Cartwright, Debenham; Suffolk under-11 trophy, Francesca Marrable, who also won the trophy for the best performance from a Suffolk girl for the second year running. Slow starter, Alicia Grix, 3.

Combined under-15 section:1 and Suffolk trophy winner Rob Chisman, Bury Knights; joint 2, Harry Fischl and Joseph Bell, both Norwich. Joseph Bell won the under-14 trophy on tie-break. Slow starter, John Kilner. Chris Wallis, IJCC, won the Suffolk under-14 trophy.

Open B: First Keith Osborne, Norwich; joint 2 Alistair Hung and Peter Sonnenberg, Sudbury. David Goodchild, Ipswich, won the Suffolk under-16 trophy.

Open A: 1 Steve Gregory; 2 Mark Gray, Ipswich, who won the Suffolk under-18 trophy for the second consecutive year; 3 Steve Orton, Norwich. Suffolk under-17 trophy, Alex Barnes.

There are junior chess clubs in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. The Bury St Edmunds club meets on Friday evenings and anyone interested should contact Scott Taylor on 01284 764920 or at suffolkchess@clara.co.uk.

The Ipswich club meets at Copleston School on Saturdays from 10am to noon. It will be holding an open day this Saturday when Ipswich Mayor Maureeen Carrington-Brown will be guest of honour. For further details, contact Stephen Donaghy on 01473 785723 or at sdonag@hotmail.com.