Peace Through Chess: From Evanston to the World

By Chris Major

President, Novato Chess Club

Sometimes you take a trip thinking you're going there to talk about what you've been doing, and you come home thinking about everything that still can be done.

That's how I felt after visiting Evanston, Illinois, where I had the privilege of speaking to the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club.

I went there to share some of the Novato Chess Club story—how a little game played on 64 squares has taken us from Marin County to communities thousands of miles away. But what struck me most was the spirit of the people I met. There are people everywhere who want to do good. Sometimes all we need to do is connect them.

Planting a Seed

I've always believed that you don't have to solve every problem. Sometimes you just have to plant a seed.

Years ago, we brought chessboards to Kenya. We weren't creating some giant international program. We were giving kids an opportunity.

Today, there are far more young people playing there than when we started, including players who are beginning to compete at higher levels.

That's what a chessboard can do.

You put it in front of a child. You teach them how the pieces move. Then they take it from there.

They learn to think ahead. They learn patience. They learn that a mistake doesn't mean the game is over. And maybe most importantly, they discover something that belongs to them.

A New Possibility in Ethiopia

One of the most exciting conversations to come from this Rotary connection involves Ethiopia.

I met a gentleman connected with Northeastern University's Engineering Department who has helped build a school there. We started talking about a problem I've wrestled with for years: How do we get enough chessboards into communities where hundreds of kids may want to play?

Shipping boards halfway around the world isn't always the answer.

So why not explore whether the boards could eventually be made there?

Could we create the chessboards locally? Could that help support the school or create an income opportunity while also putting chess into the hands of more children?

Those are big questions. We don't have all the answers yet.

But that's how things start—with an idea and somebody willing to say, let's see what we can do.

Ukraine: Moving Pieces Together

Another door is opening through our relationship with Kids of Ukraine.

I recently heard again from our friend Olga, and we're beginning to explore ways the Novato Chess Club can support and share what Kids of Ukraine is doing.

One idea especially touches my heart: children in Ukraine moving chess pieces with children here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Think about that for a minute.

Children separated by thousands of miles, different languages and completely different circumstances sitting down at the same chessboard.

No politics.

No arguments.

Just two kids playing a game.

That's peace through chess.

More Than a Game

The older I get, the more I realize I can't do everything. I'm one man. So I've learned to take what's in front of me and ask where I can help.

Sometimes that's Novato.

Sometimes it's Kenya.

Sometimes it's Ethiopia.

Sometimes it's Ukraine.

The location changes, but the idea doesn't.

Give a young person an opportunity. Give them something they can build upon. Then believe in what they can do with it.

That is what I hope the Novato Chess Club can continue to be—a small organization willing to make connections, plant seeds and support good people doing good work.

My visit to Evanston reminded me that we aren't doing this alone. Rotary members, the Knights of Columbus, our chess families, friends and supporters have all helped make these connections possible.

There is a lot more work ahead.

And that's a good thing.

Because somewhere there is another child waiting to learn how the pieces move.

God bless,

Deacon Christopher Major

President, Novato Chess Club