The language of chess
Review of "Elsa Chessboard" by Jenny Andrus.
Elsa’s Chessboard
By Jenny Andrus
Illustrated by Julie Downing
Neal Porter Books, 2025
In 1906, Vienna, Austria, young Elsa loves watching her older brothers play chess. Intrigued by how they move pieces across the board, she cheers at their wins and empathizes with their losses. Most of all, she longs to play too. One brother tells her she’s too young and the other says that girls aren’t allowed to play. But a third, kind hearted and a good teacher, plays the game with her daily till she learns necessary skills.
Elsa thinks about chess all the time. Her brothers notice her enthusiasm and, on her tenth birthday, give her a portable chessboard.
As an adult, Elsa carries the chessboard with her wherever she goes and encounters people wanting to share a game with her. In the library, she meets Edmund the librarian and they play a game. When they begin dating, they take the chessboard on picnics and opera visits. Eventually, they marry and have a child.
Sadly, in the 1930s “all of Europe became a giant chessboard with different countries lining up on each side. A terrible war began.” Elsa and Edmund and their child are Jewish so they must flee to save their lives. They take few things, but most importantly, the chessboard accompanies them.
As Elsa and her family navigate new life in California, struggling with a foreign language and hard economic times, she builds bridges with strangers and coworkers by playing chess with them or teaching them how to play. Barriers are overcome: “At the chessboard, they all spoke the same language, the language of chess.”
Narrated by Elsa’s granddaughter and based on Elsa’s life, this sensitively illustrated picture book captures a young girl’s determination to pursue her passion. It also offers young readers a glimpse into the injustice of discrimination, upheaval caused by war, and obstacles faced by newcomers.
