Government funding for chess

[Paul Cooksey]

Thanks to @10DowningStreet and @DCMS for the support and once again to all who have been working on this. International chess, chess in schools and park chess to get government support for the first time. Bloomberg article: https://tinyurl.com/22rkf2tr
@ecfchess @schoolschess

I thought this deserved a new thread and hope Carl or Jack will move some posts from Media Comments on Chess

[Joey Stewart]

Yeah I wholeheartedly agree (and never thought I would be saying that to a Paul cookesy post) - media comments is more of a jokey thread where chess has been referenced out of context but this is way more relevant to the community as a whole to be buried in there.

[J T Melsom]

If the government has money to spare (and for the most part it is our money) then it is good that it is spent on chess rather than say opera. Chess wins on inclusiveness.

[Paul Cooksey]

Sarah Longson will be on Radio 4 at 08:20.

[MSoszynski]

Malcolm Pein was on Radio 5 at 07:50.

[Paul Habershon]

Chess makes p3 of The Times today with news of the government funding. Dominic Lawson is quoted as saying that Alan Turing (et al) played chess 'to a high level'. Probably a misquote - wasn't Alan Turing quite weak or just not interested?

[John Upham]

Malcolm Pein was on Radio 5 at 07:50.

Go to

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001p7fc

and scan forward to 1 hour 50 minutes into the programme

[John Upham]

Chess makes p3 of The Times today with news of the government funding. Dominic Lawson is quoted as saying that Alan Turing (et al) played chess 'to a high level'. Probably a misquote - wasn't Alan Turing quite weak or just not interested?

The media call this "hyperbole". Many people when interviewed will tell you things that they would like to be true but are not in actual fact. Of course, DL has wisely used the term "high level" which has no formal definition and no-one can argue with it.

It is a little like the children in my school chess clubs who inform me that their Dad is /was a chess "champion".

[Roger de Coverly]

Probably a misquote - wasn't Alan Turing quite weak or just not interested?

According probably to Golombek he wasn't very good. He did however write a chess engine after the war in 1948.This mostly ran using pen and paper. Somewhile back, chessbase arranged a computer implementation and arranged for it to play an exhibition game.
https://en.chessbase.com/post/reconstru ... er-machine

Regarding support for intenational teams, we can recall that three of the five members of the BCF team for the 1939 Olympiad served at Bletchley Park, two of whom, Alexander and Milner-Barry joined at the outbreak of war almost as soon as they got back to the UK. Had they been recruited during the last month or two of peace?

[MJMcCready]

This is a better written article on that topic.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ ... bf98f8f0c9

[John Upham]

and

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66392630

[Mick Norris]

The Independent

Rachel Reeves has challenged Rishi Sunak to a chess game amid reported plans to install 100 sets in public parks – but noted “it doesn’t look like there are very many to go round”.

The shadow chancellor, a former junior chess champion, said green spaces in her constituency would “love” to receive one of the boards, but questioned the number reportedly to be made available.

The Spectator

There’s something embarrassing about Rishi Sunak’s plan to revive chess in Britain. The PM is set to announce half-a-million pounds funding for the English Chess Federation.

The government is looking to take credit for something that is already happening. The interest in chess among young people, from children to the dreaded Gen-Z, is already high and growing. Since January 2020, more than 102 million users have signed up to chess.com; a 238 per cent increase. In schools, teachers have been flummoxed by mass distraction in classrooms as pupils pore over their chess apps, inspired by the rise of chess influencers like Anna Cramling and Anish Giri.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Considering the very evident revival in schools (certainly where I live), it will be interesting to see what the Government looks to do in this space. Hopefully it will not go the way of the maths drive.

[MJMcCready]

The current government does tend to think throwing money at something will fix all problems.

[Gary Senior]

The ECF have asked for this money, it’s not an idea conjured up by the Government, as I understand it. If this is handled well by the ECF it could be hugely positive for English chess including attracting sponsors.