The Amazing Adventure of Dan the Pawn.
In The Amazing Adventure of Dan the Pawn, Dan, a replacement pawn, who has never been involved in a chess battle before, is shown around by a friend, Ernie.
He encounters the sleeping king, bullying knights, snobby bishops on roller skates and the organising queen.
When the battle starts, Dan is the one who makes the opening move_
‘Dan now felt awful. His mouth was dry, the smell of horses and perfume made him feel sick, his legs were wobbly, he thought he was going to faint. But hardly knowing what he was doing, Dan found his legs carrying him forward, first on to a white square and then on to a black square again.’
There is a short battle, during which, to everyone’s amazement, the queen is captured, but Dan finds himself on the winning side.
Chess piece moves are easily remembered, because of the quirky characters, eg. the pawns, with heavy helmets, carry their swords out at an angle meaning they march forwards but fight diagonally.
Simon Garrow, author and illustrator of this exciting, best-selling chess story has produced the first chess book specially designed for 4-7 year olds. For older children there are a few simple rules and diagrams at the end of the book.