When Auggie Learned to Play Chess

by Meredith Rusu, Stephen Costanza (illustrator)

In this heartfelt picture book, a shy kid's dad teaches him how to play chess... and chess gives him the confidence to make a new friend.

When Auggie finds an old chessboard that once belonged to his grandfather, he decides he wants to learn how to play chess. And his dad, his Tatâ, is happy to teach him. 

They've just moved to a new town, and Auggie is struggling to make friends at his new school. In the big, busy hallways, he feels like a tiny pawn. But after every hard day at school, he can't wait to play chess with his dad. Slowly, slowly, he gets better at the game... until he can beat Tata!

Then, Auggie finds a chessboard in his classroom. When he sees that another boy looks interested in it, he knows just what to he can teach Luke how to play chess, too!

Here is a moving father-son story that shows how chess helps one boy feel at home in a new environment.

Genres: Picture Books

48 pages, Library Binding

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Meredith Rusu lives in New Jersey with her husband and two young sons. She is the author of more than one hundred children’s books, notably There’s a Yeti in my Tummy (the first picture book in the Mighty Moods series), Anna, Elsa, and the Enchanting Holiday, Silenzio, Bruno!, and The DATA Set series under the name Ada Hopper. She has also written for many popular licenses including LEGO, Disney/Pixar, Peppa Pig, and Star Wars. When she isn’t writing, Meredith enjoys singing karaoke, spending time with family, and going on the occasional adventure or two.

Reviews

[Donna Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book!

Auggie feels isolated and alone at his new school. But he learns to play chess with his tatâ (dad) and is able to make new memories in their new home and even carve out a space for himself at school.

The illustrations are gorgeous, a pleasing mix of primary shapes and soft rainbows of colors. It includes a full-page spread that explains how each piece moves in chess. And it can be read as a simple story, but it also encourages you to read at a deeper level, drawing parallels between chess and life that are easy to follow despite the complexity of both the game and life itself.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I'm certainly no chess master, I enjoy playing this classic board game. It tests me in many ways, and I'm always looking for children's books that address playing chess. In this picture book, Auggie, the protagonist, is less than pleased with his family's recent move from the ocean to the country. When he happens upon his grandfather's old chess board and chess pieces, he's immediately fascinated and becomes eager for a lesson after school. His classmates aren't particularly friendly, and he feels ever so lonely and ready to move. Still, his father persuades him to stay for that chess lesson. He learns how each piece moves and its significance, and over several weeks of play, he becomes better and better. When he finds a chess board at school, he takes a risk and extends the hand of friendship to a classmate, having learned that sometimes it's important to take a chance in hopes of something good happening. The way the author uses chess terminology and the careful depiction of the chess pieces, created with Procreate, are loving tributes to the game, which teaches patience, persistence, risk-taking, and strategy, among others. Readers will want to read the Note from the Author in the back matter to appreciate the story even more. As is the case for many games, chess is so much more than JUST a game.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story offers many openings for kids to connect...
Moving...
...Far away (from beachside to a neighborhood with cows and strong smells!)...
Navigating change...

Feeling alone... in a crowded new school...

Rejection... it's hard enough to say hello to strangers, but then to be ignored? Yikes!

Big feelings... while parents are busy. EncouragIng, but busy.

Auggie notices something on a shelf in his new home-- a lovely checkered board and a pouch filled with intriguing carved characters. When Auggie's Tatâ (Daddy) notices and begins sharing both stories and skills, the gift of time and teaching allows Auggie to turn his mind away from distress and explore challenges and curiosity. The process offers connection for Tatâ and Auggie and a place of respite from change, anchoring them to a family heritage and to each other.

Mid-story unfolds with some basic labeling and roles of the chess pieces, never slowing the pace but serving well in repeated readings for anyone trying to learn without a skilled Tatâ at their side. Auggie's growing knowledge leads to better days in his classroom, too, and the conclusion offers a suggestion of a satisfying beginning.The author's note and shares a personal story involving family chess heritage, assuring readers that anyone can learn chess, even the very young.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auggie is not happy in his new home. He tells his father, his Tata, that he wants to go home. When he finds a beautiful chess set in his Dad's office his father offers to teach him how to play. Before long Auggie starts to see his classmates as chess pieces and takes a risk to offer to teach a classmate how to play. There is just enough chess in this one to grab those familiar with the game. I love the back story of Meredith Rusu's own family history in Romania and how chess allowed her grandfather to connect to folks in this new country when he got to New York.

Lovely story with lovely illustrations by Stephen Costanza.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this picture book by Meredith Rusu, chess stakes center stage. When Auggie's family moves forcing Auggie to go to a new school. Struggling to fit in, chess becomes both a metaphor and a strategy for his experience. Feeling like a pawn among powerful people, Auggie finds that teaching others to play chess might help him reach out and fit in. The book actually introduces some simple chess rules, terms and strategies.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of a bond and opportunity, growth, resilience. Visually stimulating - including the visuals of the chess pieces and moves.