--- description: Find out why Story Time Chess is one of the best inventions of 2021 title: Story Time Chess: The 100 Best Inventions of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3aab9c15b2e4913/698a1e9b656a3f000fbdbcd3/best-inventions-2021-Story-Time-Chess.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 10, 2021 # The Kid’s Gambit Story Time Chess by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Most of today’s games for kids involve at least some electrical circuitry and often a screen, but one of the year’s most acclaimed new toys combines two pastimes that have been cherished for centuries: storytelling and chess. A completely novel approach to the classic game, [Story Time Chess](https://storytimechess.com/storytime-chess-the-game/ "undefined") ($49.95) teaches children as young as 3 how to play by pairing board pieces with engaging tall tales. The king, for instance, is a silly man with a belly so full of food that he can move only one square at a time. The game has received 15 top industry awards, including the 2021 People’s Choice Toy of the Year. Says the game’s creator, Andrew Kashian: “You can really teach children anything, including the complex game of chess, if you present it in a way that’s accessible for them.” —_Jared Lindzon_ **Buy Now:** [Story Time Chess](https://storytimechess.com/storytime-chess-the-game/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6113131/story-time-chess/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6113131/story-time-chess/"},"headline":"The Kid’s Gambit","datePublished":"2021-11-10T11:08:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:55:16.440Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6113131/story-time-chess/","keywords":["list","franchise","best inventions","Best Inventions 2021"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3aab9c15b2e4913/698a1e9b656a3f000fbdbcd3/best-inventions-2021-Story-Time-Chess.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3aab9c15b2e4913/698a1e9b656a3f000fbdbcd3/best-inventions-2021-Story-Time-Chess.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6113131/story-time-chess/","name":"The Kid’s Gambit"}}]}] ```