Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is facing pointed questions over her longstanding claim to have been a British junior chess champion, with a former title holder and academic experts challenging the accuracy of her assertions.
The Disputed Chess Title
Rachel Reeves has frequently referenced her chess prowess, notably stating in a 2023 interview with The Guardian: 'I was a geek. I played chess. I was the British girls' under-14 champion.' She reinforced this image by posing with a chessboard ahead of the recent Budget and has spoken of overcoming sexism in the game.
However, these claims have been directly contested. Alex Edmans, a Professor of Finance at London Business School and a former England junior chess representative, investigated the records. He found archive data showing Ms Reeves came joint 26th out of 34 competitors in the mixed-gender British Under-14 Championships in 1993.
Professor Edmans stated that the title of 'British Girls U-14 champion' for that year rightfully belongs to Emily Howard, who finished as the top-placed girl in that national tournament, a full 15 places ahead of the future Chancellor. Ms Howard, now a 46-year-old renowned composer, was the British Junior Girls Chess Champion from 1990 to 1996.
Silence from the Real Champion
Emily Howard has so far remained silent on the growing controversy surrounding Ms Reeves's claims. A source close to her family confirmed her identity as the champion at the centre of the row, stating 'Indeed' when asked. The source added that Ms Howard was 'being chased all over the place' by media outlets but suggested she was unlikely to respond publicly.
Ms Howard's distinguished post-chess career saw her study at Oxford University and become a celebrated composer, winning awards and acclaim for works that often blend music with mathematical concepts.
Political Fallout and Clarification
The row entered the political arena at Prime Minister's Questions, where Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch launched a sharp attack. 'We now know the black hole was fake, (Ms Reeves's) book was fake, her CV was fake, even her chess claims are made up,' Badenoch said.
Professor Edmans suggested the chess narrative was used to craft an 'appealing story' that Ms Reeves possessed the strategic mind needed for the Treasury, implying qualities like long-term planning and disciplined risk assessment.
A source close to the Chancellor has robustly defended her, branding the accusations of exaggeration as 'utter nonsense'. They pointed to Ms Reeves's separate victory in the 1993 British Women's Chess Association (BWCA) Girls Championship, a girls-only tournament where she jointly won the Under-14 title, as the basis for her claims.
This incident follows other recent scrutiny of the Chancellor's statements regarding the state of the UK economy, placing her public credentials under renewed examination.
