A local chess competitor is one of just four players left in a brand new BBC Two series.

Hosted by Sue Perkins, 'Chess Masters: The Endgame' is a high-stakes chess contest which follows twelve chess rising stars.

Having first represented England aged ten, Thalia Holmes has competed against eleven other players to make it to the finals.

The Chester student revealed her disbelief at making it to the finals, as she said: "I very much did not expect myself to get this far in the tournament at all.

"I was very much expecting that I'd be in the first couple of rounds and I was just mainly hoping I'd be able to get through to the second round.

"It felt absolutely crazy to me that I had somehow managed to get to the final.

"I was really proud of managing to get that far, to be honest."

Across eight episodes, players from all backgrounds have been battling it out in hopes to be crowned Chess Champion.

Highlighting the calibre of players she has been up against, Thalia told Chester Nub News that the competition is about to get much harder.

She added: "Everyone else in that competition is really strong; the final is going to be very difficult for me to be able to play in.

"'I've got to kind of bring my A-game where I can basically, just try and play my best chess and not let the pressure get to me."

She expressed her gratitude for her family and friends offering their support whilst following along her journey from home.

Thalia added: "Everyone's been watching along and messaging me saying how well I've been doing.

"It has made me feel really proud.

"The best part of it is the people from my chess club, the junior chess club that have been watching it - the ones that I coach and stuff.

"When I come and see them, they're all super excited and all ready to learn about the games that I've been playing on the show."

Looking forward, Thalia hopes her appearance on the show will help more people come to the game.

She said: "I hope that what's shown on the series is that chess can be a really fun pursuit.

"For me, one of the reasons why I wanted to go on to the show in the first place was because I want to teach other people about chess.

"I want to get other people as enthusiastic about chess as I was as a junior player, for example.

"I just want to spread chess to as many people as possible in any way possible."

The next episode of 'Chess Masters: The Endgame' will air on 28 April at 8pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two.

If you are interested in one-on-one chess lessons with Thalia, check out her website for prices and availability here.