He taught children the game for intellectuals. Roman Khytrych, a candidate for master of sports in chess, died defending Ukraine from Russian invaders.
He was born in Kazakhstan. When he studied at high school, he moved to Berdychiv, Zhytomyr region. He graduated from the local humanitarian gymnasium №2 and became interested in chess. He attended a chess club, and after completing his higher education, he devoted himself to coaching. He worked as a teacher at the Berdychiv «Yunist» Centre, a specialist at the «Sport for All» Centre and a coach at the Zhytomyr Children’s and Youth Sports School № 1. He easily got along with every child and knew how to get kids interested in chess.
A few months before the tragedy, Roman was mobilised into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After completing his military training, he joined the 66th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Mstyslav Khorobryi. On 7 October 2023, Roman Khytrych, a loving teacher and fearless defender of Ukraine, was killed in the battle in Luhansk region. He had just turned 43 in August…