Sue Perkins hosts this high-stakes chess contest on BBC Two, following twelve rising stars of the UK’s booming chess community. Across eight episodes, passionate and highly skilled players from all backgrounds will battle it out across a series of brainteasing puzzles and intense eliminators before one will be crowned Chess Champion.

As the players face off over the board, UK Grandmaster and three-time British champion David Howell provides expert commentary, alongside chess coach and former Traitors contestant Anthony Mathurin.

Speaking about her journey with chess, Deema said: “I learned the rules when I was a child, I never played competitively until after the COVID outbreak, but all throughout my childhood, it's always appealed to me. I found that I can escape into it. You know exactly what the rules are, and you know what is a legal or an illegal move, which is completely different than the outside world I was living in where I grew up in Baghdad, Iraq.

“I describe myself as a cautious player. I'm a defensive player. I like to develop a strong position and sort of ask my opponent, so what are you going to do now? And wait for them to make a mistake. Works amazing at high level, I could be a bit more adventurous. I always err on the side of caution, especially my profession, being a safety engineer, kind of pushes me and orients me this way. So, you can expect to see in my gameplay slow, developing crushing positions, one in which the opponent’s spirit and play is slowly crushed! Ha!!”

Sue Perkins said: “It’s been over 30 years since chess was on our TV screens, and a lot has changed in that time. It’s gone from being a beloved board game to an online phenomenon. It’s also become sexy (thank you, The Queen’s Gambit). In this show, twelve of Britain’s rising stars of the chess world are pitted against one another in the world’s oldest game of strategy.

“What I love about this series is how much we get to see of the psychology and gamesmanship behind the moves. It’s as much about human nature as it is about the placing of pieces across a checkered board. Viewers who are experienced chess players will be able to analyse the specifics of the games, but newcomers will also get an entertaining taste of how brutal and fun these epic battles can be. To see what the brain is capable of under such pressure is a beautiful thing.”

Read an interview with Deema and our alumni team.

Chess Masters: The Endgame airs on Mondays at 8pm and is available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two.