Children’s Books About Chess

Set in Russia, The Clockwork Queen might be a short story but it’s a powerful one.

Sophie Peshka is a chess prodigy having learned all that she knows from her beloved father, a chess grandmaster. When her father is imprisoned by Empress Catherine the Great, Sophie is left to fend for herself. She plays chess in the park and perfects her game, until one day she is invited to play against the mysterious automaton, The Clockwork Queen.

Sophie’s strategic skill is not just confined to chess; her quick, forward-thinking nature enables her to gain access to the Winter Palace, the location of her father’s prison.

Her adventure is both imaginative, captivating and heart-warming.
With off-white paper and a dyslexia-friendly font, publisher Barrington Stoke makes a compelling tale accessible to all. The illustrations help to secure the story in the reader’s imagination. The vocabulary used throughout the book is appropriately challenging, and despite its brevity, the story is in no way compromised.

Sophie is a character that readers will take into their hearts. Her love for her father and their mutual passion for chess is a real strength. Somewhat based on historical facts, the Clockwork Queen might inspire young readers to find out more about the Mechanical Turk, the inspiration for the story. The book will also appeal to chess lovers.

Check Mates weaves together the stories of 11-year-old Felix and his lonely grandad in a heartwarming read full of empathy, humour and an encouragement to look beyond the unusual behaviour of others in order to connect with the human stories that lie beneath. As they spend time together, Grandad teaches Felix how to play chess, and the pair forms a bond that brings blessings to each of them in surprising ways.

The early chapters offer stirring insights into Felix’s thought processes and the sense of hopelessness that he feels at his own failure to stay out of trouble at school, ending up in an isolation room time and time again.

Readers of Stewart Foster’s previous books will have come to expect gritty real-life issues to be unpacked in a hugely compassionate and accessible way through the eyes of a likeable young narrator. This story is narrated by Felix, who struggles to concentrate at school and at home because of his ADHD.

Check Mates is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking read that will strike a chord with readers in the 10-13 age bracket.

Set in the Viking era, The Chessmen Thief is an intriguing tale of 12-year-old Kylan’s quest to return to his mother, having been captured by Norsemen when he was just 7 years old. The Lewis Chessmen – which his master reluctantly let him help carve – are his only hope. However, great craftsmanship gains attention, including that of Sven Asleifsson, a cruel and barbaric Viking known throughout the realm.

Based on the real-life Lewis Chessmen (a group of distinctive 12th-century chess pieces discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis), The Chessmen Thief is a great addition to existing Vikings-themed booklists and a suitable choice for all year groups across Key Stage 2. Barbara Henderson has carefully crafted the plot around the chess motif, and the story is not overwhelmed with action and gore, as can often be the case with books written about this era. 

The book would particularly complement history topics for those teaching in Scotland, providing opportunities to find out about the Viking era closer to home.

Whether you are just getting started with learning the basics or want some tactical advice to improve your game strategy, this book has you covered.

The illustrations are engaging and fun and the explanations are clear and broken down into small steps to make them easy to understand. There are lots of mid-point set ups for you to test your knowledge, suggested steps to securing a check-mate as well as lots of facts and history about the game itself, famous champions and alternate versions of the rules.

This was a really interesting read for game and non-fiction fans and will appeal to children, teens and adults alike.