Rachel Reeves and Chess

[AustinElliott]

100% what Mick Norris just said. A Labour Chancellor, AND a woman, AND not smoothly posh. Triple strike.

The British press are a national embarrassment. My German spouse says that to find out what is happening in the UK she reads the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. "More factual coverage, and more objective and far more informative commentary."

I really can't see the present feeding frenzy reflecting any credit on Professor Edmans either, who comes over as being... a touch obsessed. Given he and Reeves were near contemporaries both in the junior chess world and at Oxford, and are both professionally connected with finance/economics, I suspect many people will automatically suspect that it all reflects some sort of personal animus.

[AustinElliott]

I don't think it is because she is a woman. My impression is that in recent years politicians have been scrutinized more and are likely to come under heavy fire in connection with smaller infringements than in the past. In fact, I'm a bit concerned we might be heading for a scenario in which politicians won't want the job because keeping to the straight and narrow can be such a minefield.

Definitely an element of truth (that the media have got far more rabid), but it's only *some* politicians. Nigel Farage has, until the last couple of weeks, been subjected to pretty much no scrutiny at all.

I think it is abundantly clear that, in the UK, politicians who do not conform to the stereotype of well-spoken, poshly-schooled and Oxbridge-educated white male get a far harder ride and much more scrutiny from the UK media. We can argue about which is the hierarchy of characteristics that most earn you a tougher going over, but the broad principle is clear.

[Mick Norris]

A 2025 Telegraph story on Rachel Reeves = right wing media attacking our Chancellor because she’s a woman.

A 1985 Guardian story on Margaret Thatcher = left wing media holding our Prime Minister to account.

Interesting that you don't engage with attacking a woman chess player, but whataboutery to 40 years ago

Women are badly treated in politics and in chess

[R G Edwards]

Women are badly treated in politics and in chess

Possibly. Do you think Margaret Thatcher was treated badly for being a woman?

[Matt Mackenzie]

Yes, as someone who very much does not share her political outlook I can still accept that she did attract quite a bit of misogyny.

But the things she got critiqued for were generally a bit more substantive than this, nonetheless.

[Alan Walton]

I remember Rachel when she was at the British in Dundee (I shall not go into personal details why) in 1993

Once you become a public figure, your past becomes open season (right and left for the political side of it)

So anything you publicise is going to be interrogated, and if your economical with the truth which has been shown in other elements of her career, then these things have to be accepted

I have never claimed to be a British champion (even though I was from the BAWAS, let you all work that out), my brother won the Junior Squad U12 but never claimed being a British champ (even though he could have), so what has happened is that she has tried to use some of her historical achievements to gain some respectability, but it might have backfired being in the public eye, which most of us underlings don't have to worry about

[Roger de Coverly]

Given he and Reeves were near contemporaries both in the junior chess world and at Oxford, and are both professionally connected with finance/economics, I suspect many people will automatically suspect that it all reflects some sort of personal animus.

Did either of them join the Oxford University chess club? One presumes not, as both could have been contenders for places in the varsity match team. He would then have heard of her in a chess context.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Did either of them join the Oxford University chess club? One presumes not, as both could have been contenders for places in the varsity match team. He would then have heard of her.

The 1993 British Girls' Under 14 Champion, Emily Howard (*), played on board 8 in the 1998 and 1999 Varsity matches:
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html

and in 2000 Ruth Sheldon played Harriet Hunt on board 1:
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/20 ... html#table

(*) As an aside, Emily Howard's wiki article says:

The composer was British Junior Girls Chess Champion from 1990 to 1996.

which is not really correct. She won eight age titles in those years, but I think most people would consider the U18 Champion to be the British Junior Girls Chess Champion, and she only managed that once, in 1996, when she shared the title with three others.

[Alan Walton]

Did either of them join the Oxford University chess club? One presumes not, as both could have been contenders for places in the varsity match team. He would then have heard of her.

The 1993 British Girls' Under 14 Champion, Emily Howard (*), played on board 8 in the 1998 and 1999 Varsity matches:
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html

and in 2000 Ruth Sheldon played Harriet Hunt on board 1:
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/20 ... html#table

(*) As an aside, Emily Howard's wiki article says:

The composer was British Junior Girls Chess Champion from 1990 to 1996.

which is not really correct. She won eight age titles in those years, but I think most people would consider the U18 Champion to be the British Junior Girls Chess Champion, and she only managed that once, in 1996, when she shared the title with three others.

I do believe Emily hasn't written her Wiki page herself, so it wasn't a personal claim; but if your so worried about that technical inaccuracy, you can become an editor and change it yourself

[Mick Norris]

Women are badly treated in politics and in chess

Possibly. Do you think Margaret Thatcher was treated badly for being a woman?

Still not engaging with attacking women chess players I note

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

I do believe Emily hasn't written her Wiki page herself, so it wasn't a personal claim; but if your so worried about that technical inaccuracy, you can become an editor and change it yourself

I'm more worried about your spelling.

[Ian Thompson]

(*) As an aside, Emily Howard's wiki article says:

The composer was British Junior Girls Chess Champion from 1990 to 1996.

which is not really correct. She won eight age titles in those years ...

Not true, full stop, if BritBase is correct. She won nothing in 1995.

[Roger de Coverly]

According to the Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... eeves.html

But an academic who represented England and Britain at chess this week accused her of overstating her achievement, saying 'in reality, she was joint 26th out of 34'.

Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, said that Reeves had actually shared the title for another, smaller tournament.

Is there evidence of Edmans representing England and Britain at chess? Isn't he himself guilty of overstating his achievements?

[Tim Spanton]

According to the Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... eeves.html

But an academic who represented England and Britain at chess this week accused her of overstating her achievement, saying 'in reality, she was joint 26th out of 34'.

Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, said that Reeves had actually shared the title for another, smaller tournament.

Is there evidence of Edmans representing England and Britain at chess? Isn't he himself guilty of overstating his achievements?

Here's what he says at X:

I played for the England junior chess team, was British Squad Champion and London Junior Champion, but had never heard of Rachel Reeves, even though she was only a year above me. Newspaper claims that she was British U14 girls' champion are false; she came 26th out of 34 in that tournament.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"I do believe Emily hasn't written her Wiki page herself, so it wasn't a personal claim; but if your so worried about that technical inaccuracy, you can become an editor and change it yourself"

Have you ever tried changing something on a Wiki page? My experience of correcting things (scientific, and film-related, but not related to each other!) is that it gets changed back overnight.