12/18/2023 – In a decision aimed at promoting inclusivity and support for displaced persons, a team representing refugees will take part in the 45th Chess Olympiad set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, in 2024. The team of refugees will be carefully selected through a supervised process and endorsed by the UNHCR to compete in both the Open section and the Women’s section of the most prestigious team chess tournament. | Photos: Stev Bonhage

5/25/2022 – In a time of strife and war, everyone suffers, but few more than children yanked from their homes in a storm of confusion. Thrown into a world of strangers and strange languages is a huge challenge, which is why it is heartwarming to see NBC news report that Afghan refugee children in the US are helped through chess with the help of GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

6/20/2017 – Today (June 20) is World Refugee Day, and we have a heart-warming story to support it. For over a year the city of Mosul, a major city in northern Iraq, has been under siege by the Iraqi army, which is trying to dislodge the militant forces of ISIS. The civil population is suffering unimaginable horrors, with 100,000 currently trapped in the final assault of the Old City. To help refugees overcome trauma and grief the British NGO AMAR arranged a three-day chess encounter with two Azerbaijani grandmasters in Dohuk, less than 75 kilometres from Mosul. AMAR now has plans to promote chess across the country.