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Elsa's Chessboard

Elsa's Chessboard

First edition

Hardback (29 Apr 2025)

Not available for sale

Publisher's Synopsis

Elsa carries her chessboard everywhere, always ready for a game. When World War II forces her from Europe, can chess help make America home?

Growing up in 1900s Vienna, Elsa's brothers are always playing chess. "No girls!" they tell her when she first asks to learn; but she wears them down, and soon she's such a pro that they give her a special chess set of her own. 

Elsa plays chess whenever she can. When she grows up, she even meets her husband over games in the park. But when World War II grips Europe, the young Jewish family must emigrate to America, where they find themselves surrounded by unfamiliar languages. 
Luckily, Elsa knows one language that can always bring people together: chess!

In the wake of COVID lockdowns and the hit show The Queen's Gambit, millions of Americans are falling in love with chess, and young people are no exception. Based on the life of author Jenny Andrus's grandmother, Elsa's Chessboard is a gripping tale of resilience, human connection, and the boundless potential of women in male-dominated fields.

Book information

ISBN: 9780823454082
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Imprint: Neal Porter Books
Pub date:
Edition: First edition
DEWEY: [E]
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 48
Weight: 567g
Height: 216mm
Width: 279mm