Few wives would appreciate the romance of a chess tournament on their honeymoon but for Youssra Bouchaaya, wife of Rooty Hill Chess Club champion Tony Bouchaaya, it was a perfect holiday.

"He played chess for four hours and then we would go sight-seeing," Mrs Bouchaaya said.

That was more than 20 years ago. The Doonside couple were living in their native Lebanon where Mr Bouchaaya was a four time Chess Olympian.

The couple emigrated to Australia in 1990 and Mr Bouchaaya joined the club at Rooty Hill soon after.

His commitment to the game paid off last week when he won the Rooty Hill Chess Club championship and the club's Lightning Champion-ship, where games are completed in five minutes.

Mr Bouchaaya started playing chess as a teenager after watching the 1972 World Championship, won by Bobby Fischer.

Fischer was the first American to win the title, previously held by European and Soviet Union players.

"From then I would spend one hour a night on my homework and three hours on chess," Mr Bouchaaya said.

David Evans from Rooty Hill Chess Club said the championship attracted players from across Western Sydney.

For a full report of the tournament on the Rooty Hill web page, including cross tables, graphics and about two dozen games, go to www.rootyhillchess.org