Rachel Reeves hopes chess festival can be opening gambit for children’s futures

Children playing chess at last year’s ChessFest in Trafalgar Square, London. Photograph: Supplied

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, and seven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan have one thing in common: chess has helped them learn to plot and plan.

Reeves uses those skills to navigate the murky world of politics: “Strategic thinking is essential in both politics and chess,” she said. “So I definitely feel like continuing to play chess when I can helps keep me nimble in the Labour campaign to be our next government. Always thinking two moves ahead.”