By Chris Major President, Novato Chess Club #11 Miles McAfee There are moments in life that don’t feel big when they start. They feel like a nudge. A thought. A name you can’t shake. For me, that name was Miles. For 17 years, I kept telling his story. Sharing a photo. Posting. Writing. Reminding people of what he had done—not just statistically, but as a leader, a builder, a man who changed lives through the game of baseball. And for 17 years… nothing happened. Until now. Th

By Chris Major President, Novato Chess Club The Chess Master and the Painting Featuring an excerpt from Billy Graham Billy Graham once shared a powerful story connecting faith and the game of chess: “There is a picture of a chess game hanging in Paris. On one side of the painting is the Devil, and on the other side is a lad about sixteen years of age. They are playing chess. The Devil has a leering, triumphant expression on his face. He has just licked this boy at chess, and

By Chris Major President, Novato Chess Club As we close 2026 Black History Month, I wanted to share a video of my participation on a 12/20/20 panel called "Who are my brothers: A conversation On Racism." Chess is more than a game. It’s a universal language spoken across cultures for over 1,500 years. At the chessboard, labels disappear. There is no blame. No shouting. No division. Every move is yours. Just like life. Faith and Reason Young people today need more than informat

By Chris Major President, Novato Chess Club When Novato Chess Club first began, it wasn’t about trophies, ratings, or titles. It was about something simpler—and far more powerful: connection. A chessboard doesn’t care where you’re from. It doesn’t ask what language you speak, what religion you follow, or what side of a border you live on. You sit down. You shake hands. And in silence, you communicate. Over the past several years, that quiet language of chess has carried me fa

By Chris Major President, Novato Chess Club Peace through chess begins with people. Sometimes, it even begins with a simple request to change seats. Earlier this year, I attended the Rotary International Congress in Calgary. During one of the sessions, Olga Ialovenko—part of the Ukrainian Rotary delegation—asked if I would mind moving so her group could sit together. That small, ordinary moment sparked a conversation, then a connection, and within days, the beginning of somet