RMH — A Journey to Meet Yourself

On a chilly evening in November 2025, my dad drove me to the biggest Ronald McDonald House in the USA, in Columbus, Ohio, to pitch chess as a volunteering activity.

I was nervous. I already had a lot of coaching hours behind me from teaching kids in Tanzania and Uganda, but here I would be meeting people who were there for unfortunate reasons. I kept asking myself whether I was emotionally equipped to handle those encounters.

The team listened patiently while I explained why I loved chess and why I believed it could help residents take their minds off their current struggles. I could tell I had not fully convinced them — they liked the passion but were unsure the residents would reciprocate. Still, they gave me a chance: one weekly evening slot, starting January 2026.

On day one I walked in with my green tournament bag, and the staff showed us to the dining area. My parents set up a table with a satin tablecloth and posters explaining the event. I finished setting up the board, sat down, and waited.

Then came an announcement over the RMH speakers: a chess champion was in the dining area, and anyone could come to challenge or learn. That announcement made me feel responsible. I left my insecurities behind, because I was in a place where simply having a healthy life may be one of the biggest rewards there is.

• After 15 minutes, a gentleman walked over and asked for a game — we played and discussed strategy for the rest of the evening.
• He shared that one of his twins was in treatment at Nationwide while the other waited, and that seeing me reminded him of his own childhood.
• Some weeks there were queues to play, and kids would wait an entire week just for the session.
• Parents would come over to tell me how their kids loved chess or played on their school team.

Walking back to my dad's car that first night, I realized I had changed a little, and that my understanding of life had matured.

Moments from the weekly sessions. Select any photo to view it larger.

Showing up every week is hard alongside homework, olympiads, and tournaments. What keeps me going is being able to offer support in my own language — chess — to families in the middle of the hardest time of their lives.

After about four months, RMH told us they had received feedback that residents loved the activity. Going from a tryout to a well-formed program has been deeply satisfying, and I expect RMH will remain the most enriching experience of my chess journey.