Artem Sachuk, Vice President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, is reported to have been killed in Ukraine on Sunday. Sachuk would have turned 39 years old today and leaves behind a wife and two children.

The circumstances of his death are yet to be confirmed, but according to the Ukrainian Chess Federation, he “died in the war of liberation against the Russian occupiers.” Sachuk joined the millitary shortly after the Russian invasion of his country.

Sachuk was a candidate master and reached a peak FIDE rating of 2298. He served as a Vice President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, and had previously headed the Agency for Regional Development of the Zhytomyr Region, 87 miles (140 kilometers) west of the capital Kyiv. He also organized Ukrainian and international chess tournaments.

In a post on his Facebook account in October, Sachuk shared a picture from a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Sports in Ukraine saying one of the issues they discussed was sanctions against Arkady Dvorkovich, the current FIDE President and former Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

Speaking to the Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne in 2022, Sachuk said he taught chess to his fellow soldiers and used it to give examples of combat formations.

“Chess is actually a war game. It is an imitation of a military conflict and it absolutely has practical value. Many chess players are now defending Ukraine as part of various units, not just the Armed Forces,” Sachuk said.

In April, Sachuk received an award from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, “for personal courage shown in the defense of state sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the selfless performance of military duty.”

The Ukrainian chess community is mourning the loss of Sachuk. In a post on Facebook, GM Natalia Zhukova called it “very sad news”, sharing images of them together.

“The ruthless war continues to take away the best and bravest defenders. He had many plans and ideas for the development of chess in Ukraine. This summer I was on vacation in Odesa and we were going to have coffee, but we didn’t find the time…”

GM Mikhail Golubev tells Chess.com that Sachuk was a successful organizer in Zhytomyr, but gradually got ambitions for something on the national level in the Ukrainian Chess Federation. He shared a picture of their meeting from 2018, and wrote:

“Artem Sachuk was the only one in the Ukrainian Chess Federation leadership who communicated with players on pressing issues, although he served in an army at war! There were disagreements between us, but not scandals or conflicts. A patriot who supported his country and its chess development has passed away. RIP.”

Артём Сачук единственный в руководстве #ФШУ осуществлял коммуникацию с игроками по острым вопросам – хотя служил в воюющей армии! Между нами возникало несогласие, но не скандалы или конфликты. Из жизни ушёл патриот, болевший за страну и развитие шахмат в ней. RIP…☹️Фото 2018 г. pic.twitter.com/qSclEaehf7

— Михаил Голубев 🇺🇦 Михайло Голубєв (@golubev_mikhail) November 27, 2023

Sachuk would have turned 39 years old on Monday. He is survived by his wife and two children.