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I can remember a time when the popular view of chess was that it was a game played mostly by tired old men.  If it ever had a financial sponsor back in those days, it would have been something like Serutan (“That’s ‘Natures’ spelled backwards”), the tonic touted to cure “iron-poor blood.”

Not any more.  While the Royal Game still tips its hat to everlasting warriors like 77 year old Viktor Korchnoi, it is more and more a young person’s game, with its “veterans” looking like yesteryear’s up-and-coming challengers and its stars seemingly growing younger each day.  Credit it to Bobby Fischer, Josh Waitzkin, the young Polgar sisters or whoever, but with 2/3 (or more) of the United States Chess Federation’s memberships being youth or scholastic – chess, as it’s sometimes been dismissed, is quite often “a kid’s game.”

And how is chess portrayed these days?  Let’s look in on the chess club at the fictional Sumac School in Jamie Gilson’s new book:

Suddenly, the Art Room door opened wide and Mr. E filled it.  He’s as tall as a basketball player. I bet his Sumac School sweatshirt is XXXXXXXL.

“Chess!” he shouted, and he raised his arms up high.  He looked like a giant Y.

We all jumped to our feet.  We pumped our fists over our heads and called out, “I love it I love it I love it!”

They all love it – including the second grade narrator, Richard, his classmate nemesis Patrick the Pest, sneezing Ophelia (also from Mrs. Zookey’s room), and tiny Shasha, the kindergartener.

Surviving the daily traumas and dramas of elementary school is tough enough, as Richard could tell you from his earlier adventures in Itchy Richard, It Goes Eeeeeeeeeeeee!, Bug in a Rug, and Gotcha!  Now they’re entering a Chess Tournament and they’re going to have to get rid of their own fussing and feuding and figure out how to deal with the mysterious HARRY from rival Maple School.

Richard has his Old MacDonald chess set (the pawns are skunks) and a secret weapon.  Patrick’s chess pieces are ferocious dinosaurs, but he’s going to have to think about Choco-Chunk ice cream with fudge sauce if he wants to have a chance to win.  Ophelia will be there if she can escape from her cousin’s wedding on the Whirly-Wheel at the Heeby-Jeeby Amusement Park. Shasha has this little issue with trash talking…

Gilson’s 20^th book for young readers is great fun, as she has captured her young characters perfectly.  The resilient Mrs. Zookey and the effervescent chess coach Mr. E are adults who would be welcome in any student’s classroom.

Amy Wummer’s illustrations are looser and more playful than those by Diane de Groat in the earlier books by Gilson – I wouldn’t say they were “better” as much as I would say they are “funner.”

The exuberance of the front cover of Chess! I Love It! I Love It! I Love It! is a grabber – are the kids partying?  Celebrating a soccer goal?  Cheering on the basketball team?  No – wait, that’s a chess board in the middle of them.  (Clearly set up by Patrick, as he’s trickily turned the board so that a dark square is on the right, not a light one.)  How cool is that??

Screenshots above are from the author's website.

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