New to chess? Start together. A learning system being created for children ages 4–7 and the grown-ups who love them—with movement clues, animal coordinates and step-by-step activities designed for first-time players.
Pieces, an animal-coordinate board, cards and stories—all working together to teach chess.
Screen-free, together.
Real pieces to hold. A story to share. Time to look, listen and play with each other—no app required.
Practice beyond the move.
Take turns, pause before choosing, explore what happens next and try again after a mistake. Small opportunities to practice within play.
Different ways to learn.
Visual clues, hands-on activities and one small step at a time. We’re developing flexible ways to explore, so families can find a pace that suits their child.
Stories with heart.
Courage, patience, kindness and respect guide the planned stories. Asking for help, taking a break and trying again can all be brave choices.
Our approach to different learning needs
We want families of autistic children and children with ADHD to feel welcome in this adventure. Our development aims include short activities, predictable turn-taking and visual reminders, with room for breaks and individual preferences.
Every child is different. We plan to test these ideas with families and seek specialist input. Animalumeric Chess has not been evaluated as a therapeutic intervention, and we do not claim it treats autism or ADHD.
Explore the Knight and its eight movement clues
Meet the Knight · 6.54 cm / 2.58 in tall
A CHARACTER WITH A CLUE TO SHARE
Big personality. A clever little leap.
Meet the Knight: a sweeping mane, a curious face and a base with eight violet markers. Those markers hint at the eight places a knight can land from the middle of an open board.
The lesson is built into the design. Explore the clue together, then try the move: two squares in one direction and one to the side.
●●●●♘●●●●
Spot the eight destinations
The violet dots show the Knight’s possible landings. It can jump over pieces.
A learning diagram, not a complete game position. In play, occupied squares and king safety still matter.
A first chess learning system designed for ages 4–7. Characters, a picture-led board, movement clues, a turn marker, learning cards and a storybook bring the same ideas into play, again and again.
01 / FRIENDS WORTH GETTING TO KNOW
Six characters. Six ways to move.
Start with one character. Discover its move. Add another when your child is ready.
Pawn
5.02 cm · 1.98 in
A brave little beginning.
Forward steps. Diagonal captures.
Knight
6.54 cm · 2.58 in
A surprising little leap.
Two squares, then one to the side.
Bishop
6.46 cm · 2.54 in
Follow the diagonal.
Always on the same square color.
Rook
5.13 cm · 2.02 in
A straight-line explorer.
Along a row or up a column.
Queen
6.70 cm · 2.64 in
So many paths to discover.
Straight lines and diagonals.
King
7.45 cm · 2.93 in
One thoughtful step.
One square, away from danger.
Two teams, one shared adventure: ivory and violet meet Cosmos graphite and orange. The six characters above show the light team; meet the Cosmos King and Queen below. 3D design previews; final details may evolve.
TRY A LITTLE DISCOVERY
Choose a piece. See its move.
Tap a character to explore its paths on an empty practice board.
The Knight jumps two squares in one direction and one to the side. It can leap over pieces.
A movement illustration, not a full game. Other pieces and king safety can limit legal moves.
● Move here · × Capture here
TWO TEAMS. ONE SHARED ADVENTURE.
Meet the other side of the story.
Ivory and violet meet Cosmos graphite and orange. The same characters, the same movement clues, and two worlds to discover together.
Meet Cosmos.Graphite & orange. One of two teams in the same adventure.See piece sizes and the feel we’re developing
AI-generated hand comparison for visual context. Measurements below come from the current 3D models; this is not a prototype photograph.
SEE THE SCALE. IMAGINE THE FEEL.
A world you can hold in your hand.
Sculpted characters with generous bases and a full-size board. Built around the pleasure of picking up a piece, looking closely and making a move.
Knight height
6.54 cm 2.58 in
Knight base
4.20 cm 1.65 in wide
Board size
52 × 52 cm 20.5 × 20.5 in
Each square
5.5 cm 2.17 in
Current design dimensions, rounded. Final manufactured sizes may change. This is a children’s learning set, not a tournament-certified set.
How weighted, magnetic bases are being developed
IN DEVELOPMENT / WEIGHTED, MAGNETIC BASES
A steadier place for every piece.
Little hands can bump the board. We’re developing weighted bases with enclosed magnets, paired with a magnetic-receptive board surface, to help the pieces stay where they belong.
Weight down low For a more grounded feel.
Magnetic hold To help resist accidental shifts.
Easy to move The hold must still let small hands lift a piece comfortably.
Design intent, pending physical prototypes and safety testing. Final weight and magnetic strength are not yet set. Performance on soft or uneven surfaces has not been verified.
02 / OUR ANIMALUMERIC BOARD
“Meet me at Cat 4.”
No need to read a word to recognize a cat. Animal pictures mark the columns; numbers mark the rows. Together, they give every square a name to discover with a grown-up.
Find the Cat. Follow its column.
Find number 4. Follow its row.
Where do they meet? That’s Cat 4.
Cat 4 today. C4 tomorrow. Ant, Bee, Cat, Dolphin, Elephant, Fox, Goat and Hedgehog introduce A–H. The same animal marks the same column at both ends.
Cat 4
The actual 3D board design. Tap the button to follow the coordinates.
Explore the Pawn’s movement clues
03 / A LITTLE HELP, RIGHT AT THEIR FEET
When a move slips away, look at the base.
The pieces carry visual reminders of their movement. A grown-up can point to the clue, demonstrate a move and invite the child to try.
Meet the brave Pawn
The arrow: move one square forward into an empty square.
The diagonal stars: capture one square diagonally forward.
A pawn never moves backward. On its very first move, it may go two squares if both are empty. The clues are a starting point; an adult introduces the full rules over time.
04 / A SMALL RITUAL FOR PLAYING TOGETHER
My move. Now it’s your turn.
The Wings marker gives children a visible way to pass the turn. The raised side shows who plays next: ivory and violet, or graphite and orange.
Make your move on the board.
Press your raised wing down.
The other wing rises. Your partner plays.
A simple mechanical design: no screen, no countdown, no batteries. A moment to practice waiting, watching and taking turns together.
Reinforced 3D design preview · shown with Violet’s wing raised.
Ivory / VioletGraphite / Orange
Violet’s turn. Move, then press your wing.
Try the turn sequence above. The physical marker rocks between the two positions.
FOR THE GROWN-UP WHO SAYS “BUT I CAN’T PLAY”
You bring the curiosity. We’re building the guide.
You don’t have to become the family chess expert first. Animalumeric Chess is being designed so you can learn the rule, read a prompt and explore it with your child—one small discovery at a time.
01 / READ TOGETHER
Meet one piece.
Begin with a story or character card. Discover one move before setting up a whole game.
02 / TRY TOGETHER
Follow a small quest.
Use the animal, the number and the clue on the base to try a move on the board.
03 / CHECK TOGETHER
Find the answer.
Parent notes and answers are planned for the learning cards, so you can check the idea without already knowing chess.
Try a sample parent guide—no chess knowledge needed
Set up: use an empty board. Place an ivory pawn on Cat 2, with its forward arrow pointing toward row 3.
Read aloud: “Can our brave Pawn take one step forward?”
Answer: yes—move from Cat 2 to Cat 3, if Cat 3 is empty. This is a simple practice activity, not a full game.
If your child moves sideways: point to the large forward arrow and try together. The two diagonal stars are for capturing an opponent, a separate idea to introduce next.
Finish: press your wing on the turn marker and invite your partner to try.
Sample learning content. The full beginner pathway, card answers and storybook are in development and will be tested with families.
MEET THE PIECES01 · PAWN
The Brave Pawn
Small steps. A brave heart.
MY MOVE
One square forward. I capture diagonally forward.
YOUR FIRST QUEST
Place me on Cat 2. Can you move me one square forward to Cat 3?
Explore together · Start with an empty board
05 / LITTLE CARDS. LITTLE DISCOVERIES.
Meet a character. Try a tiny quest.
Collectible-style learning cards are planned to introduce each piece and turn its rules into small, hands-on challenges.
Read the card together, find the animal column, then try the move on the board. One friendly mission at a time.
Try this one together
“Find the Cat. Put your pawn on row 2. Is the square in front empty? Take one brave step.”
This is a sample card for the planned learning deck. Final artwork and activities are in development.
Illustrative family scene · AI-generated concept of the planned storybook experience.
06 / FROM THE CHESSBOARD TO BEDTIME
One more page. One more little adventure.
A magical illustrated storybook is being developed around courage, patience, kindness and respect. Characters discover how to play through small choices: asking for help, waiting for a friend and trying again.
“The little Pawn felt nervous. ‘Will you help me?’ he asked. Together, they looked at the clear path ahead. He took a breath—and one small step.”
Sample story passage · The Brave Pawn
Brave enough to ask. Ready to try. Moving forward is the Pawn’s chess rule—not a rule about how children must feel. In our stories, pausing and asking for help matter, too.
Current development status
Animalumeric Chess is in development. Product images are 3D design previews; the opening scene is an AI-assisted visualization using a family photo, and the bedtime and hand scenes are AI-generated concepts. Cards and story passages are samples of planned content.
Final materials, dimensions, weighted bases and enclosed magnets require physical prototypes and safety testing. Learning activities and accessibility choices will be tested with families. No therapeutic or academic outcomes are promised.
Joining the early-access list is free and is not a purchase or reservation.
BE PART OF THE FIRST ADVENTURE
A new beginning is taking shape.
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