Hawke's Bay has a 6-year-old chess prodigy

Napier Central School's Eyvind Frojvik-Moberg, a Year 2 pupil, with Year 6 pupils Sebastian Croft, Matthew Cook and Cordell Henare, who together are off to the nationals. Photo / Paul Taylor

A Napier Central School chess team is off to the national primary schools championships with a budding star aged just 6 years old.

Eyvind Frojvik-Moberg, is a Year 2 pupil and teamed with three Year 6 pupils to win the A-grade title at the annual Hawke's Bay inter-school teams championships in Hastings last week.

Taking an immediate liking to the school's outdoor chess board painted on the tarmac by the hilltop school last year, Eyvind has since also been a top three placegetter at the individual championships last November. And he was one of the top-performing individuals in the latest August 9 tournament, in which Central scored its first title in about eight years.

School deputy principal Jane Taylor, who has taken over running the chess club at the school from a chess club tutor, professes no great skill at the historic board game.

She says the youngster would have little difficulty beating her, and would be more than "a challenge" for the more senior boys at the school, including champion teammates Sebastian Croft, Matthew Cook and Cordell Henare.

They all put in good individual performances in the chess in Hastings, which involved six games for each competitor, starting about 9am and finishing by 2.30pm.

The national tournament will be held in Palmerston North on September 28-29.

Napier Central School's Eyvind Frojvik-Moberg, a Year 2 pupil, with Year 6 pupils Sebastian Croft, Matthew Cook and Cordell Henare, who together are off to the nationals. Photo / Paul Taylor