If you go
› What: “Kings, Queens & Castles” chess exhibit.› Where: Creative Discovery Museum, 321 Chestnut St.› When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Tuesdays from Jan. 14-Feb. 28, closed Wednesdays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily March 1-May 14.› Admission: $13.95 adults and children ages 2 and up; $9.95 military with ID, free to local police and firefighters with ID.› Website: www.cdmfun.org.
"Kings, Queens & Castles" includes a medieval castle complete with drawbridge, turret slides and chessboard floor.
Children visiting the Creative Discovery Museum for "Kings, Queens and Castles" can dress as their favorite chess piece for a human chess game.
Kids can play a game of chess seated on "royal thrones" at specially designed game tables during the run of "Kings, Queens & Castles" at Creative Discovery Museum.A new children's chess exhibit makes its first move Saturday, Jan. 14, when it opens for a four-month run at the Creative Discovery Museum.
"Kings, Queens & Castles" is a national traveling exhibit co-created by the World of Chess Hall of Fame and The Magic House, the St. Louis Children's Museum. Its interactive sets are designed to interest children ages 3-11 in learning how to play the classic game.
While Henry Schulson, museum executive director, acknowledges chess is typically thought of as a game for older children and adults, he points out its benefits for elementary school-age children as well.
"Playing this ancient game addresses current learning skills, including problem-solving, spatial reasoning and critical thinking. All of these skills are foundational for understanding STEM-related concepts," he says.
"Even our youngest visitors will enjoy learning about the different chess pieces and practicing how they move on a life-size chess board. A visit to this dynamic exhibit may very well spark a lifelong passion for the game."
Shannon Bailey, World Chess Hall of Fame chief curator, concurs in a news release that a "growing interest in the game of chess, especially among school-age children" has been observed by the exhibit's organizers. She says children learn basic strategies of playing the game while dressing up for medieval role-play.
Visitors to "Kings, Queens & Castles" can:
* Walk across a drawbridge into a medieval castle complete with turret slides, giant chessboard floor and life-size chess pieces.
* Make a fanciful crown, don a royal cape, then sit on a majestic throne to play king or queen.
* Design and create a shield to become a knight.
* Build castle walls with oversized, interlocking bricks.
* Learn how to prepare a game by arranging a giant chessboard with large-scale pieces.
* Play a human chess game dressed as a favorite chess piece.
* Play a game of chess with a friend while sitting on royal thrones at a one-of-a-kind game table.
* Take the exhibit experience home with an app that creates a personalized memory book of the visit and connects to a digital chess game.
"Kings, Queens & Castles" is free with regular museum admission. It will be on display through Sunday, May 14.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.