A Knight Without a Castle: A Story of Resilience and Hope

Foreword by Tim Crothers, author of The Queen of Katwe

While some would have hailed Katwe as a den of failures, Robert Katende sees it as a training ground for future kings and queens.

Once too poor to afford the rat poison with which he planned to take his own life, Robert’s legacy tells an astonishing true story of resilience and hope. His work was made famous in the Disney movie Queen of Katwe, a biographical drama about a 13-year-old girl who became a Uganda National Chess Champion under Robert’s mentorship. Now readers will get a first-hand account of how it all started, and the life of the man behind Phiona Mutesi’s world-renown accomplishments.

The first half of the book chronicles the life of Robert Katende - a war refugee turned missionary living the improbable dream to empower kids in Ugandan slums through chess - a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. You’ll ride along the deep valleys and high mountaintops of Robert’s childhood as he beats impossibilities that would have likely crushed anyone else.

The second half of the book includes first-hand accounts of the children who first came to Robert’s school for a free meal of porridge, then grew to love the game of chess and go on to achieve massive successes, such as going to Universities in the United States.

Robert’s life illuminates a situation many will find difficult to imagine, being raised without parents in a Ugandan slum. However, his life will inspire you to achieve great things against insurmountable obstacles. Robert’s story is one of hope where there is none, beating the odds and going on to encourage children to do the same. His work has started a movement which has caught the attention of world leaders Bill & Melinda Gates and The Obama Foundation, with many more on the horizon.