England's chess body expects the government to back the national team financially for the first time.
Malcolm Pein, the federation's director of international chess, told the BBC this would be the first time the UK government had financially backed the national team.However, Mr Pein said the federation was expecting funding to be announced this month.
Mr Pein added that there were plans to invest in training camps, top coaches and cutting-edge computer analysis to support up-and-coming players. England's men have since slipped to 18th and their women to 24th, according to the International Chess Federation.Mr Pein, who founded the charity Chess in Schools and Communities, said there had also been discussions about installing chess tables in parks and expanding chess in schools.
He added that the hope was that more local authorities would want to install tables if they proved popular.Sarah Longson, a former British ladies champion who now coaches England's junior players, said Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, which follows the story of a young female chess prodigy, also sparked an increase in interest, particularly among women.