Children at a camp for internally displaced people near Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo get ready to play chess. They set up using a waterproof, foldable chessboard and pieces supplied by Chess in the City, a local initiative to introduce children to the game. All photographs by Arlette Bashizi, Reuters

Akili Bashige Lwenda, 24 (second from left), helped set up the project with the aim of using the board game to provide an outlet and teach critical thinking skills to children traumatised by decades of violence

Benite Bashige is one of the players from nearby Goma who is taking part in the project by visiting the camp in Kibati, North Kivu province, once a week to teach the game

After decades of insecurity, a renewed insurgency launched by M23 rebels in DRC last year has pushed the number of internally displaced people in the country to 6.9 million. People trying to escape the fighting between the rebel group and government forces continue to pour into the Goma area. The chess lessons provide a welcome distraction for the children

Chess in the City draws interest from both adults and children

Gabriel Nzaji, a chess player from Goma, teaches children living at the camp the rules of the game

The Chess in the City team provide the boards, which are easily portable and waterproof, and pieces for the games.

As well as visiting the camp, the team from Chess in the City teach children at an orphanage in Goma, North Kivu province

The game is a chance for both boys and girls to get involved

Even the younger children are introduced to the rules of the game