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These are the Chess Champions of Kakuma
Amer Amech, one of the club’s top players fled South Sudan in 2013 to find safety in a settlement in Kakuma - a refugee settlement in Kenya. She was only six years old at the time and does not remember much about their journey to safety. Amer says Kakuma is her home now and she wants to build her future through chess.
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At 86, Boris Hristov still leans over chessboards in Varna, teaching refugee children from Ukraine. "Chess teaches them to think... not just in the game, but in life," he says. For three decades, this volunteer has given these young minds patience, confidence, and belonging—proving that the right move changes everything, on and off the board.
In Cox's Bazar refugee camps, chess became more than a game. During a UN Women tournament, Rohingya girls in "Empowered women empower generations" scarves competed alongside boys. "Chess helps us think beyond boundaries," said Jarina. This strategic move against gender-based violence turned the chessboard into a safe space for equality, dialogue, and hope.
At a New York shelter, young Tani saw a chessboard and thought, "why not go for it?" Fleeing Boko Haram, he mastered the game within months. By 2021, at just 10, he became a national master. His story—a human face of refugee resilience—proves "hard work beats talent," inspiring millions worldwide.
At just 15, Judit Polgár became the world's youngest grandmaster—competing only against men. "You can be as good as boys," she insists. Now a UN Women champion, her journey from prodigy to world-beater puts a human face on equality. She proves greatness has no gender, inspiring millions of girls.