Peace Through Chess: From a Chance Meeting to Kharkiv

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 something much bigger.

A few days later, I found myself at a Ukrainian Rotary gathering, listening to stories of resilience, courage, and hope in the midst of war. From those conversations, a shared idea emerged: use chess as a tool for healing, structure, and peace for children living through unimaginable circumstances.

And just like that, Project “Peace Through Chess – Kharkiv” was born.

What We’ve Accomplished So Far

With the generous support of Rotary e-Club Silicon Valley (District 5170), we have already purchased 100 chess setshere in the United States. They are currently staged in Toronto, with logistics underway to transport them to Kharkiv, Ukraine.

These chess sets will serve two important purposes:

• Rehabilitation centers supporting Ukrainian children affected by war, in partnership with Kids of Ukraine, where educator Artem Mazur works directly with youth

• Schools, community centers, and youth programs across the Kharkiv region, laying the foundation for a long-term chess education initiative

This is about far more than learning how pieces move.

Chess teaches calm in chaos.

It teaches patience, choice, resilience after defeat, and the ability to think ahead—skills children need not just on the board, but in life.

Why This Matters to Me

Many of you know me through the Novato Chess Club, but for those who don’t: I’m a special education teacher, a Rotarian, and the founder of the Peace Through Chess program here in California.

In our after-school programs, serving students from 1st through 8th grade, chess is a starting point—not the end goal. We talk about stress, respect, disagreement, loss, decision-making, and learning how to think before reacting. Chess gives children a language for navigating the world.

Seeing how powerful this approach has been locally, I truly believe it can help children in Ukraine find moments of peace, focus, and internal strength during an incredibly difficult time.

What’s Next in Ukraine

We are now working closely with Rotary partners on the ground, including Rotary Club “Kharkiv Friends” and Rotaract Kharkiv Spak, whose youth leadership may become the driving force behind implementation.

Their proposed role includes:

• Organizing and coordinating chess events

• Distributing chess sets

• Photo and video documentation

• Reporting and program coordination

  
  

Rotary Club “Kharkiv Friends” will support:

• Logistics and storage

• Partial distribution of chess sets

• Financial support when needed

• Coordination with international partners

We are currently awaiting final confirmation from the Rotaract team, and we are hopeful they will become the heart of this initiative in Ukraine.

An Invitation

Our Ukrainian Rotary partners have invited me to present Peace Through Chess via Zoom to Rotary clubs across Ukraine—sharing the philosophy, class structure, and how the program operates in the United States, while collaboratively adapting it to their local needs.

And to our broader chess and Rotary community:

If you feel called to support this effort—through ideas, connections, or participation—we’d love to hear from you.

Because peace through chess is possible.

Peace is not the absence of conflict.

Peace is knowing there is always a move.

— Chris Major

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—Chris Major

President, Novato Chess Club