A seven-year-old is already defeating all comers on a chess board including his mentor – his dad.

Ruben Singh Modare, seven, a Malden Parochial School pupil, triumphed in the under-eight Surrey championships at Hinchley Wood on Saturday.

Ruben, who lives with his parents and sister Shenai, five, in Worcester Park, said it took concentration to win, but added: “When someone takes five minutes to make a move, I don’t really like it.”

He said: “I only like short games. I like it when it takes 25 minutes. “I play nine times a week with a magnetic chess board. If you turn it upside down the pieces will stick.”

His mother Kiran, whose job is in social work, said: “His dad taught him how to set up the board at a young age when he was three-years-old.

“He took to it straight away. “I don’t play and he teaches me.

"At that age to have that concentration is remarkable."

Father Amerjit, 43, who works in investment banking, admitted his son beat him in their most recent game, although they drew the evening.

He said: “He is naturally quite intelligent. “He is very competitive. “He definitely gets that from me.”

Asked if he ever gave his son a bit of an advantage in matches, Mr Modare said: “You have got to be joking.”