English Chess Federation losing funds

The English Chess Federation will no longer receive any government support. Following the Public Spending Review, the ECF received a letter from Jonathan Hughes, Head of Sport at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which confirmed that the DCMS grant to the English Chess Federation will cease from 31st March 2011.

The letter also emphasised that the cuts were designed to protect Olympic sports. Government support for chess has been pitiful ove r the years and the grant was only £45,000, but it will still create problems for the ECF which has a very small annual budget of below £ 200,000.

From TWIC