A LEADING Scottish chess figure has moved to canvass the Scottish Government to add game to school curriculum.

Andrew Green, co-founder of Scottish Junior Tournament in June, is backed by Skyscanner founder Gareth Williams and currently teaches chess in schools and around Edinburgh.

Research points to educational benefits of chess, including around cognitive and emotional skills, as well as improving maths and problem-solving.

Green wants chess classified as a sport so that it would be open to funding and this is one of the factors at the root of the problem. Most European countries already receive public funding for chess.