A peer who is a trade minister and former head of Waitrose has launched a website to encourage children to take up chess over the Christmas holidays.
Lord Price is also a writer and had his first children’s book published this year. The Foolish King is a fairytale that he created 15 years ago to explain the rules of chess to his daughter, who was then six. The book is accompanied by a website and app, launched on Friday.
In it, the chess pieces are represented by creatures battling over a garden; knights are grasshoppers that hop around the board, bishops are worms that wiggle sideways, pawns are bees and ants that can move forwards but not backwards.
Children can learn the game using the website and then play chess against a computer or friends and family.
Lord Price, the former deputy chairman of the John Lewis Partnership who retired earlier this year, said: “My aim is to get children around the world playing chess against each other this Christmas. There have already been two downloads of the app in Mongolia. The great thing is it will help children to learn to play the wonderful game of chess.
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“This is really helpful for children: firstly because you have to concentrate and think deeply to play, secondly because the game helps you to learn to think ahead.”
Lord Price added that the website and book also stressed the importance of insects to our planet. He first spoke to publishers about the story seven years ago, after the publication of his first book, on picnics. The illustrations for his children’s venture were drawn by Martin Brown, best known for his work on the Horrible Histories series.
Chess is growing in popularity across schools. A charity, Chess in Schools and Communities promotes the game in inner city schools and organises championships.