A message from Ukraine

Earlier this year we helped establish chess lessons for groups of children in the cities of Kobeliaky and Derhachi in Ukraine, providing the chess equipment and funding the tutors. The chess lessons take place in the Goncharenko centres and are delivered by local tutors, Rustam Bandaliiev and Mykola Mykolaienko. Up to 40 children take part in each lesson and have continued despite long power-outages causes by the targeting of local infrastructure.

We were delighted to receive a Merry Christmas message from some of the children who take part in these lessons. It’s a project we are keen to continue to support and we look forward to hearing more about their chess journey in 2026.

You can read more about our work with Ukraine here, including details of how we have supported refugees from the country who are now resident in the UK.