THE American winner of an international chess tournament held in the heart of the Dales has become an honorary Yorkshire tyke – for the second year running.

Jon Crumiller, of Princeton in the USA, who came out top in the two-day competition, was presented with the coveted flat cap and braces award.

And to stick with the Yorkshire theme, the tournament was toasted with glasses of genuine Yorkshire sparkling wine from the Leventhorpe vineyard near Leeds and an assortment of traditional county fare.

A leading chess piece collector and tournament player, Mr Crumiller beat off opposition from ten other players at the mid-19th century former chapel near Skyreholme.

His name has been engraved once again on the Appletreewick/Skyreholme International Chess Tournament trophy, a porcelain horses head based on the famous Jaques design, the Rolls Royce of chess pieces. He was the competition's inaugural winner last year.

The tournament is the brainchild of retired teacher Jon Jordan, who has owned the ancient schoolhouse for about four years and aims to establish it as a centre for the annual competition and as a residential base for chess enthusiasts.

Mr Crumiller has one of the finest collections of chess pieces in the world, and he was joined by fellow enthusiasts from England, Ireland, Scotland and Holland, as well as local player and dry stone waller, Vince Banks.

Mr Jordan said: "I wanted to make the competition distinctive, so like the Masters golf championship has the green blazer, I thought seeing as we're in Yorkshire we should have something symbolic of the country – hence the flat cap and braces.

"Jon was overcome with emotion and very proud to receive the flat cap and braces of honour, and thanked everyone, from his parents to Geoffrey Boycott!"

Runner-up was Guy Lyons from Ireland and third was Mike Wiltshire of England.