Whole lotta shock as Led Zep star plays teen at chess

ByShehnaz Khan & Andrew Dawkins

West Midlands

A teenager has described his shock after playing a game of chess with rock legend Robert Plant at a children's championship in Worcestershire.

The frontman of Led Zeppelin, known for Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, and Dazed and Confused, turned up at St George's Hall in Bewdley on Saturday, where the town mayor's Charity Junior Chess Tournament was being held.

George Walker, from Kidderminster, said he was a "big fan" of Plant and the band's music and never expected to face him in a game of chess.

"He was really decent," the 17-year-old said. "I won by resignation because he had to quickly go, but it was a good game."

Walker, who attends a local chess club, had entered the tournament after one of the competition's organisers asked him to take part.

Talking of Plant, he said: "I couldn't recognise him off the face because he had his back down.

"I was shocked at first because he is one of my favourite music artists... Seeing him there was shocking."

Plant though had to leave before the game ended, and because Walker was at the time, he was declared the winner.

Walker hopes the Zeppelin star might find time in the future for them to have a rematch.

"I've been a fan of Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin for many, many years. My mum [and] sister like him as well," he said.

"The odds are tiny, I didn't even know he was in the area at the time."

The charity tournament and Worcestershire Junior Rapid-Play Championships were held at the venue, with more than 30 taking part, of which the majority were from Worcestershire.

Competition organiser John Wrench, who is president of Kidderminster Chess Club, said: "We were really delighted to have [Plant] along and it adds a bit of prestige to the event."

Asked about the reaction when the star walked in, Wrench replied that a lot of the adults and organisers "instantly knew who he was".

"We couldn't publicise the fact that he was going to be there, but we were aware that there was a strong chance he was gonna show.

"Some of the youngsters, remember this was an under-18 chess tournament, they thought 'Robert who?'.

"It seems strange to people of a certain generation, but once you make them aware that he's a rock legend, I think they get it."

Asked if Plant was any good, Wrench replied: "I think he has the potential to be, with a bit of practice."

He said the star's arrival was down to Bewdley mayor Sharon Harvey, who had asked Wrench to organise a junior tournament, before saying "she had a meeting arranged with Robert some time after that".

"She had a list of charitable events that she was running, placed them on the table, about six different events, and said 'Robert, which of these do you fancy getting involved in?'.

"Straight away, he said 'Oh, I like the look of the junior chess, sign me up for that, I'll come along'."