After a steady stream of inventors, artists, and storytellers tried and failed, a man appeared with a box and a gameboard. So begins the story.

The man explains how each piece moves, and why. For example, the king is all-powerful, so he can move in any direction. But because a ruler must be cautious, he can move only one square per turn. The animosity of the kings is so great that they can never occupy adjacent squares, and their importance is such that if a side loses its king, it has lost the war. Each piece is given similar treatment, as are such moves as check, checkmate, castling, and en passant. The highly individualistic illustrations help demonstrate the mechanics of the game explained in the text, and a more conventional board-and-piece icon on each page shows the more literal interpretation of the move. Through an illustrated story of the creation of chess, this book provides narrative and visual devices for learning the game and remembering the moves.

The Story of Chess will excite and teach children new to the game and will emphasize each piece's importance for those already familiar with the rules.