Chess ‘treated with contempt’ in Britain

GOVERNMENT bodies treat the ancient pursuit of chess with “contempt” and have no intention of recognising it as a sport, the game’s head in England has said.

Dominic Lawson, the journalist and author, said the battle to get chess on an equal footing with other sports faces widespread opposition from officials with “no understanding” of the game. He added that other sporting bodies are trying to scupper attempts to have chess recognised because they do not want to share funding with it.

The English Chess Federation (ECF) has been campaigning for years on the issue to get chess events made exempt from VAT and compete for lottery funding.

Players currently have to fund training, facilities and travel to international tournaments with no government support. But Sport England, the body responsible for funding, has refused to include chess on its list of sanctioned sports arguing the game does not fulfil the physical criteria.

Mr Lawson, a former editor of the Sunday Telegraph, who has been president of the ECF since 2014, has now admitted chess has virtually no chance of achieving the recognition.

“I don’t know anyone in government now who is interested in chess,” he said.

“Part if the problem lies in the fact that chess is not perceived as part of British culture. People in the sporting bodies are into athletics and physical sports, and when it comes to chess – if they think about it – they look at it with contempt.”

Mr Lawson said George Osborne, the former Chancellor, did try at his request to get chess recognised as a sport but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport “dug in their heels”.