Thirty chess players from around Gloucestershire will be going head-to-head with a Grandmaster tomorrow evening.

Many of the county’s finest will lock horns with Michael Adams hoping to spring a surprise at Wotton Hall Social Club (7pm).

And Adams, for all his brilliance, will have his work cut out in Gloucester because the 30 matches are being played simultaneously.

A Grandmaster is someone who is right at the very peak of the game and Mike Ashworth, who has organised tomorrow’s event, said: “It’s a big event, we’re really looking forward to it. It’s the first time we’ve done something like this.”

Ashworth is a member of Wotton Hall Chess Club and has been playing chess since the age of seven.

He’s not one of those playing tomorrow but his younger brother Robert, who is 24, is one of those challenging the Grandmaster.

But even though Adams, who is from Taunton, is playing 30 matches simultaneously – the event is called a Simultaneous Display with Grandmaster Michael Adams - Mike Ashworth believes he’ll “win most of them”.

“There might be the chance of a few draws and the odd win,” he added.

Ashworth does, however, have big hopes for 13-year-old Zack Norris.

“I think he’s got the best chance,” he said. “He started playing about four years ago and he’s risen through the ranks, he’s one of the strongest at the club.”

Ashworth, who is 26, joined Wotton Hall Chess Club when he had just turned nine.

It was through his dad John that he started playing the game and the one-time Sir Thomas Rich’s School pupil has certainly made giant strides over the years.

“I played for England juniors and was Great Britain under-15 and under-16 champion,” he said.

He is one of the better players in Gloucestershire and admits becoming a Grandmaster is “the dream one day”.

While he generally has less time for chess study nowadays compared with when he was a junior he is nonetheless an important player for Wotton Hall who have just enjoyed a stellar season in the North Gloucestershire League.

“We won the Super League and Division One,” he said. “One of our teams also won Division Four.

Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester and the Forest of Dean are the other clubs who compete in the league with Stroud and Cheltenham the biggest rivals to Wotton Hall.

Andy Horton, who lives in Cheltenham, is Wotton Hall’s top player and Ashworth said: “He’s the highest rated in Gloucestershire. He’s an international master, he’s a very good player.”

Wotton Hall have some 70 members with half the membership made up of juniors.

“The juniors meet on Wednesday nights from 6pm to 7.30pm before the main club night begins,” explained Ashworth, who lives in Abbeymead.

“The numbers are very good, we’ve really grown over the past couple of years.”