Rishi Sunak's gambit to revive chess

Chess teams will also receive a boost in funding as the prime minister advances his ambition to spur economic growth by making math and science more important. popular topics. Credit: Kevin Lamarck/Reuters

One hundred chess tables will be installed in public parks as part of Rishi Sunak's broader campaign to end «anti-math thinking.»

Chess teams will also receive additional funding as the Prime Minister advances his ambition to spur economic growth by making math and science more popular subjects.

The proposals will be unveiled at a Downing Street ceremony featuring huge chess established, according to the Bloomberg news site.

A source familiar with the government's plans confirmed the report's overall accuracy, although Mr. Sunak is not expected to personally make the claim.

The Prime Minister has placed science and arithmetic at the heart of his vision for the UK. , so he has set a goal for all students to study mathematics by age 18.

However, No. 10 acknowledged that this may not be achieved before the next general election, which is expected at the end of 2024.

>Bloomberg reported that ministers plan to speed up the game of chess by expanding play opportunities in schools and installing 100 sets in public parks.

A grant of £500,000 for the English Chess Federation is also reported to be in the pipeline. used to send teams to international competitions.

The Prime Minister visited London Screen Academy in April. Photo: Simon Walker/No Downing Street 10

Just a few weeks after Mr Sunak announced during a trip to the US that he wants more children to play chess.

Visiting the Friendship Tech Prep Academy in Washington DC in June, he said: “You know, I'm working a little bit on how we can get more people in the UK to play chess because it's so good for you.

«It's a great skill that really helps you think, and it's a great hobby.»

The UK is one of the countries in the Western world with the least number of people who can count. a third of young people fail the GCSE math test.

Speaking at the London Screen Academy in April, Mr Sunak noted that math before the age of 18 is commonplace in France, Germany and the US.< /p>

>»It's not just that we're not good enough at math, there's also a cultural problem,» he said.

«Honestly, when my daughters first heard me talking about being more math, they weren't too excited, that's all.

“We joke about not being able to do math. This is socially acceptable. But we would never joke like that about not being able to read, so we need to change this anti-math mindset.”