We are the champions (of little kids and golden oldies)

(Chronicle Chess 10 November 2023)

If you walk into most North East chess clubs, the chances are you’ll be surrounded by pre-teens and gentlemen of a certain age (either pensioners or not far off pension age).

It’s often said that chess is a game you can master, no matter how young or how old you are. This has now been proven by England winning world titles in the Girls Under 8 and Over 50 and Over 65 age groups.

Britain’s Bodhana Sivanandan this month won the World Under 8 Girls’ Championship, becoming England’s first world junior champion in 25 years. Shortly afterwards, two of our best-ever players, Grandmasters Michael Adams and John Nunn, won the World Over 50 and World Over 65 titles, respectively. Bodhana has undoubtedly a great future in front of her, while Adams (51, a former World Championship Finalist) and Nunn (68, a former World Championship Candidate) both have great pasts behind them.

These results would seem to indicate that England is among the top countries in the world for chess, but it’s only in the categories for young children and the golden oldies.

Nunn could be described as the smartest chess player of all time, as he is a true polymath – a maths and computing genius who went to Oxford University at the age of 15. It’s often said Nunn was “too intelligent to be world champion.” Adams, a former chess prodigy from Truro, Cornwall, is a nine-time British champion still regularly consulted as an expert by the world’s top players for his deep understanding of chess.

We seem to be great at producing the occasional genius, but in between the very youngest and oldest players, there’s a relative desert. We do very well in Seniors team competitions (winning the World Over 50 and Over 65 championships), but not so well in younger team categories.

In contrast to India, China, Russia, the USA and Uzbekistan – the world’s current strongest chess nations – we are an amateur also-ran, left trailing behind due to a lack of funding and proper training for future grandmasters.

Why is this? Probably it’s because chess is not a sustainable career path in the UK for anyone except the very best and brightest. Unlike other countries who arrange state and private sponsorship for the game, plus full sporting status, in the UK we are still a Cinderella outfit without major sponsorship, and still lacking proper recognition.

Until then, it seems we will have to rely upon our youngest and oldest players for international glory.