A thousand miles
The Lost Boys of Sudan were the tens of thousands of children separated from their families by the country's civil war and moved on foot across national borders. Juac was among them. The Chess Drum's 2015 account describes a thousand-mile journey that included crossing crocodile-infested water, and an Ethiopian camp where the group he travelled with grew to twenty thousand people.
He stayed four years. When unrest reached Ethiopia the group moved again, this time to Kenya. The Washington Post's long profile in March 2015 framed his life as a question about what comes next after surviving that — the part of a refugee story that is almost never reported.
Chess in the camp
He taught himself the game in the camp, as a mental escape. There was no coach, no club and no rating system — just the board and whoever else could be persuaded to play, in a place where time was the one thing in surplus.
Self-taught players usually plateau. Juac did not, and his own explanation is the shortest one in the file: it is something that I cannot live without.
Dupont Circle
He obtained a visa and settled in Washington, where his brothers had already been admitted. His entry into American chess was the most public one available: the outdoor boards at Dupont Circle, where anyone can sit down against anyone.
Street chess is a harsh, fast and cheap education, and it is also a scouting network. An unplanned trip to New York ended with Juac winning a tournament there, and with Michael Propper offering him a teaching position at Chess NYC. By 2014 The Wall Street Journal was describing him as a United States chess master.
Teaching the game
The chess-teacher job is the part of the story that lasts. A master title is a rating achievement; a teaching post in New York is a career, and it turns a refugee's self-taught obsession into the thing that pays his rent and trains other people's children.
It also inverts the usual shape of these stories. Juac is not a beneficiary of an American programme. He arrived with a skill he had built himself under conditions no American player has experienced, and the American chess world hired him for it.
What is documented — and what is not
Documented across The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Chess Drum: the thousand-mile trek, the Ethiopian and Kenyan camps, the self-taught chess, the move to Washington, the play at Dupont Circle, the New York tournament win, the Chess NYC position, and his description as a US chess master.
Not documented in these sources: his age or birth year, his exact rating and the date he reached master strength, his tournament record, and where he is now. The reporting used here runs to 2015 and stops.
Watch: Majur Juac on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deekshitha Modipalli | India | Gaining 469 rating points in about a month in 2026 | Age 9 |
| Deborah Quickpen | Nigeria | Nigerian women's national chess champion at 11 (2023) | Age 11 |
| Jadon Simiyu | Kenya | Kenya's youngest national chess champion, at 13 (2025 championship) | Age 13 |
| Majur Juac | South Sudan / United States | Becoming a US chess master after growing up as a Lost Boy of Sudan | — |
| Jacorey Bynum | United States | Checkmating Magnus Carlsen with a queen sacrifice in Titled Tuesday | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- He was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and made a 1,000-mile journey to an Ethiopian camp, later moving to Kenya.
- He taught himself chess in a refugee camp.
- He settled in Washington and played at Dupont Circle, then won a tournament in New York.
- He was described by The Wall Street Journal in 2014 as a US chess master and was teaching at Chess NYC in 2015.
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- His age and birth year.
- His official rating and when he reached master level.
- His tournament record.
- Where he lives and works now.
Questions people ask about Majur Juac
Who are the Lost Boys of Sudan?
Tens of thousands of children displaced by Sudan's civil war who crossed borders on foot, many spending years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. Juac was one of them.
How did Majur Juac learn chess?
He taught himself in a refugee camp, using the game as a mental escape. There was no coach and no club.
Is Majur Juac a chess master?
The Wall Street Journal described him as a US chess master in its 2014 report. The sources used here do not give his rating or the date he reached the title.
How old is Majur Juac?
The sources used here do not state his age or birth year.
Where did he first play in America?
At Dupont Circle in Washington, on the outdoor boards, after settling in the city where his brothers were already living.
What does he do now?
As of 2015 he was teaching chess with Chess NYC in New York, after being offered the position by Michael Propper. Nothing later appears in these sources.
Is Majur Juac on Wikipedia?
The research record finds no article under his name.
What has he said about chess?
That it is something he cannot live without.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Juac’s story?
Where did Majur Juac learn chess?
Where did he first play chess in America?
What work was he doing in 2015?
Sources
- Majur Juac, Once a Lost Boy of Sudan, Now a U.S. Chess Master — The Wall Street Journal, 2014-11-25
- After surviving horrors in Sudan, pondering what his next move will be — The Washington Post, 2015-03-24
- Majur Juac… a Lost Boy who found success — The Chess Drum, 2015-03-28
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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