chess player
© unknownKiril Georgiev's opponents faced a long wait between moves
A Bulgarian grandmaster has begun 360 chess matches in an attempt to break the world record for the number of games played simultaneously.

Kiril Georgiev is working his way up and down rows of tables at which his rivals are seated, in the Inter Expo Center in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

He needs to win 80% of the games to beat a record set by Hungarian-American chess champion Susan Polgar in 2005.

She played 326 games, winning 309, drawing 14 and losing three.

On her blog, she advised the Bulgarian grandmaster to wear comfortable shoes.

Mr Georgiev is a three-time Bulgarian national champion and a former under-18 world champion, according to the Bulgarian News Network.

It said his opponents, ranging in age from children to pensioners, were chosen from a pool of 600.