More than a decade ago, in the heart of New York City, Chess at Three began with a bold idea: what if three-year-olds could learn to play chess…not by memorizing boring rules, but by listening to playful stories? That idea turned into a teaching method, and that method turned into magic. We used knights who loved to dance, kings with big appetites, and queens who made friends with everyone on the board. It wasn’t long before parents were amazed, kids were hooked, and word began to spread.
As our story-based chess lessons gained traction, so did we. What started as a small tutoring business quickly grew into something much bigger. We expanded into homes across New York City, in-school programs, then added online lessons, and eventually opened two kids’ chess clubs in Park Slope and the Upper East Side. Our reach didn’t stop there. We brought our stories to new markets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even internationally to Hong Kong and Singapore. Our story-based method received national recognition, from The New York Times to The Today Show and multiple news outlets, and we built a trusted network of talented instructors and beloved characters. Over the years, we’ve helped more than 50,000 kids fall in love with chess through storytelling, and we’ve sparked imagination, built confidence, and improved critical thinking skills along the way.
Then came the next chapter: our board game. We created Story Time Chess so families could bring our award-winning method into their homes. The game is now sold at Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and more, and it’s helping children across the country discover that learning chess can be fun, engaging, and full of wonder. For many families, the board game was their first introduction to our world. And that sparked a realization…
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To our Chess at Three families: thank you. Your trust shaped us.
To our Story Time Chess community: welcome aboard! We’re so excited for this next chapter where every story, every lesson, and every game creates confident, compassionate learners.
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