English Chess Forum

Labour’s former chess champion Rachel Reeves challenges UKIP chief to match

Sit down and pass the popcorn!

Paul McKeown wrote:Labour’s former chess champion Rachel Reeves challenges UKIP chief to match

Sit down and pass the popcorn!

Yeah but it is behind an expensive paywall, the day that micropayments gets going, is maybe the day, that chess players can finally earn a decent living at chess. Maybe that won't be long according to this.

Paul McKeown wrote:Labour’s former chess champion Rachel Reeves challenges UKIP chief to match

Sit down and pass the popcorn!

I see that Rachel Reeves last had a grade of 129 in 1997, as well as being a girls' champion. The Eagle twins, Angela and Maria, must have been of a similar standard some years before. That's the nucleus of a useful chess team for Labour and all female!

Are there any other parliamentarians whose chess playing skills are as good as these three women?

This should provide you with a lot of info

http://www.chessscotland.com/archives/reidmp.htm

P.s. I wouldn't be surprised if Stuart Wheeler knew how to move the pieces pretty well, so I'd expect Rachel Reeves to win, but perhaps don't be too surprised if Stuart takes up the cahllenge.

Matthew Turner wrote:This should provide you with a lot of info

http://www.chessscotland.com/archives/reidmp.htm

P.s. I wouldn't be surprised if Stuart Wheeler knew how to move the pieces pretty well, so I'd expect Rachel Reeves to win, but perhaps don't be too surprised if Stuart takes up the cahllenge.

"Former premier James Callaghan was a noted player and at one time held the post of honorary president of the English Chess Association"

Matthew Turner wrote:This should provide you with a lot of info

http://www.chessscotland.com/archives/reidmp.htm

Thanks, Matthew. Alan Reid is not an MP I've heard of, but I see from your info that he must have been close to FM strength, so the Lib Dems have a strong board 1.

I've discovered that Alan went to Ayr Academy and was born in 1954 so was presumably a key member of the team which won the Sunday Times National Schools Championship in 1971 and 1972 and which was also second in 1970.

Any other current chess-playing parliamentarians whose strength can be verified?

Coservative MP for Warrington South http://www.davidmowat.org/

and his grading record http://www.englishchess.org.uk/ecfgradi ... 60140A#top

LawrenceCooper wrote: honorary president of the English Chess Association"

The English Chess Association was set up by the Chess Correspondent of The Times when he left the BCF. Is it known to ever have organised or sponsored anything? It was last heard of in connection with BrainGames. Kingpin had some material which mentioned it.

ex PM James Callaghan did however take an interest in what was his local Congress, the Hastings International. One of the trophies is named after him.

Sean Hewitt wrote:Coservative MP for Warrington South http://www.davidmowat.org/

and his grading record http://www.englishchess.org.uk/ecfgradi ... 60140A#top

Interesting, Sean. The Conservatives' David Mowat has been playing competitively more recently than the others so far mentioned, it seems.

John Swain wrote:
I see that Rachel Reeves last had a grade of 129 in 1997, as well as being a girls' champion. The Eagle twins, Angela and Maria, must have been of a similar standard some years before.

Both Angela and Maria Eagle were much stronger players than Rachel.

Previous thread on Rachel Reeves, including a game from 1993:

http://ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5245

Simon Brown wrote:

John Swain wrote:
I see that Rachel Reeves last had a grade of 129 in 1997, as well as being a girls' champion. The Eagle twins, Angela and Maria, must have been of a similar standard some years before.

Both Angela and Maria Eagle were much stronger players than Rachel.

Do you have any grading info on these two? I see that Angela was British u18 girls' champion; was she somewhat stronger than Maria?

Surely the strongest chess player who is active in the politican scene is Jonathan Arnott who is the secretary of UKIP.

John Swain wrote:

Simon Brown wrote:

John Swain wrote:
I see that Rachel Reeves last had a grade of 129 in 1997, as well as being a girls' champion. The Eagle twins, Angela and Maria, must have been of a similar standard some years before.

Both Angela and Maria Eagle were much stronger players than Rachel.

Do you have any grading info on these two? I see that Angela was British u18 girls' champion; was she somewhat stronger than Maria?

I don't have grading info. They are my contemporaries and we played in the same tournaments, though I don't think I actually played either. My recollection is that they were of similar strength and would have been 160ish in the late 1970s.

ME Eagle, NAG Oxford, ref. 151084J, 123E (1994). But they were both rather higher than that at their peak.