Kings, Queens & Castles

Bowers Kidseum will play host to Kings, Queens & Castles, a children’s chess exhibit co-created by The World Chess Hall of Fame and The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum. This innovative, nationally traveling exhibit brings the game of chess to life and provides an engaging introduction to individual chess pieces and game strategy.

Kings, Queens & Castles invites children to learn more about this classic game as well as to pique the interest for those who already play.
Designed for children ages 3 to 11, Kings, Queens & Castles features an array of interactive elements. Visitors of all ages can:

• Walk across a drawbridge into a medieval castle complete with turret slides and a giant chess board floor and life-size chess pieces.
• Make a fanciful crown, then don a royal cape and sit on a majestic throne to become a king or queen.
• Design and then create a shield to become a knight.
• Build the castle walls with oversized interlocking bricks.
• Learn how to prepare for a game by arranging a giant chess board with large- scale pieces.
• Play a human chess game dressed as a favorite chess piece.
• Enjoy 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 their visit and connects to a digital chess game.

Kings, Queens & Castles not only provides an opportunity for dramatic play in its medieval play environment, but it also helps children understand basic chess strategy. “We have observed a growing interest in the game of chess, especially among school-age children,” said Shannon Bailey, World Chess Hall of Fame chief curator. “Our exhibit, Kings, Queens & Castles, is designed to provide a fun, age-appropriate introduction to Chess, an ageless game that develops important 21st-century skills.