As champions gather at the World Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan an inspirational initiative is changing the lives of traumatised youngsters
Chess might seem an unlikely game-changer to transform the lives of refugee children. But that’s exactly what is causing a buzz for youngsters living in the harshest conditions across Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world. And the move is backed by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Himalayan Chess Academy, and a national women’s champion.
In camp an excited group of children gather around a one US dollar chess set, eyes fixed in anticipation of a girl with her finger resting on the small white piece in contemplation of her next move. Check! Some gasp; some giggle. But the focus, the tension, and the sense of engagement are tangible. It’s a scene repeated on a dozen chess boards under the makeshift roofing of a refugee community space. And it’s changing lives.
Magnus Wolfe-Murray smiles as he watches. The charismatic Scot, a seasoned aid worker, has brought the game into the lives of the Rohingya communities with his grass roots charity Movement in Refuge. It’s not all about chess. It’s about play, movement, activity and engagement, including sports like roundnet and football. He’s just beginning.
Yet introducing the ‘Chess for Protection Programme’ in August in partnership with FIDE has been a winning move.
Wolfe-Murray said: “The impact of introducing chess to youngsters in the camp has been amazing. With a few chess sets and some coaching! The game is a great focus. The engagement and genuine excitement we have been able to achieve has been brilliant.
It brings with it a confidence and sense of empowerment among the children – we see a real difference. A sense of hope. And lots of smiles.
“Now we’re hoping we can raise funds to extend our activities to include many more of the thousands of children across the camps, working with and training additional coaches from within the refugee community,” he adds.
Beside him stands Monalisha Khamboo, the first women’s chess champion of Nepal, who received the distinction of the Woman Candidate Master title from FIDE in 2015. The game transformed her own life from a shy girl in a poor village in Eastern Nepal, hindered by a serious stammer, teased by peers and teachers alike. Chess changed her trajectory completely; she earned a sport scholarship through chess to gain a place at a high school in Kathmandu, and the rest is history. Now she spends her time championing the game across international borders. She’s known Wolfe-Murray from his aid work in Nepal and was happy to help bring the game to refugee children and provide professional coaching.
Ms Khamboo commented: “This project is close to my heart. Chess can be an agent of change for every individual, which is what happened to me. From my own personal experience chess can help you build self-esteem; the resilience that comes in the healing journey. Chess is a strong social tool for promoting and working in the Rohingya camps.
“We now have thirty chess trainers, so we are on the right path. We can make a better world for living through the game of chess. I am so grateful to FIDE for this opportunity to come and serve here and work with the Rohingya people.”
The idea is to bring chess and its benefits to more refugee youngsters in Cox’s Bazar, where there are an estimated 540,000 children according to Government of Bangladesh and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) numbers.
That’s why Wolfe-Murray is attending the World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, organised by FIDE from 15 to 27 September, 2026, set to draw the world’s chess elite to battle it out in competition. Movement in Refuge hopes to raise additional funding from across the chess community and beyond to reach thousands of youngsters across the 33 camps that make up Cox’s Bazar. And spread the age-old magic of chess. Through partnership, through business, civil society, government… and chess lovers the world over.
For more details and/or an interview with Magnus Wolfe-Murray, please contact
Andrew Goss on +44 7914 173116; or mail at andy.goss@hotmail.co.uk
About Movement in Refuge
Movement in Refuge is a grassroots charity established to bring play, movement, and activity to the Rohingya children of Cox’s Bazar, working directly with the refugee community. MiR is a registered charity in Scotland as well as in the USA as a 501.c.3 non-profit organisation.
Website: https://www.movementinrefuge.org/
The Programme: The Chess Protection Programme in partnership with FIDE and the Himalayan Chess Academy took place in Kutupalong Refugee Camp during August. It was delivered by FIDE chess instructor and women’s champion MonalishaKhamboo through MiR and local partner The Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP/Bangladesh). Thirty chess players took part in coaching sessions and the programme concluded with a girls and boys tournament of 64 refugees aged 10 to 22 years.
Funding target: Movement in Refuge hopes to raise USD $100,000 to help bring chess to up to 5,000 more refugee youngsters over the next two years.
Refugee numbers: 1,3 million Rohingya are living in the 33 camps that make up Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee camp in the world. Of those more than 540,000 are children according to the Government of Bangladesh and the UNHCR (as of March, 2025).