SCHOOLGIRL Katie Blanc was left pinching herself in amazement after pitting her wits against the greatest chess player of all time at the House of Lords.

Katie was one of four youngsters chosen to play 15-times world champion Garry Kasparov as part of the sixth London Chess Classic.

The event was hosted by the charity, Chess in Schools and Communities, and aims to increase children's educational attainment by teaching chess in state primary schools and inner-city communities.

Katie, 11, was joined by MPs Jesse Norman, Rachel Reeves, David Mowat and Yasmin Qureshi, as well as Lord Lyndon Harrison, as they all simultaneously tried to beat the Russian grandmaster.

While none of them was successful, Katie insists it was a dream come true to play against one of her idols.

“I'm still a beginner but getting better all the time,” she said. “It's a game that can really calm you down if you're upset because it's really quiet.”

Kasparov believes she showed the benefits of playing chess from an early age and admitted Katie gave him something to think about.