What Story Time Learning does

Story Time Learning (formerly Chess at Three, rebranded 2023) is a Brooklyn-based educational company that teaches chess to children ages 3-8 through a proprietary story-based curriculum built around 20+ trademarked characters and narrative worlds. The core product is a methodology that translates chess concepts into storytelling, delivered through a network of 400+ trained tutors and packaged into a TOTY (Toy of the Year) award-winning board game distributed nationally by PlayMonster at Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. The company has taught 50,000+ students cumulatively and delivered 1M+ lessons.

The business operates across multiple revenue streams: private lessons (~$129), group school classes (~$84/student), trial lessons (~$15), school licensing agreements, franchise royalties, summer camps, and retail product sales. The sub-brand structure includes Once Upon a Chessboard (community outreach), Story Time Adventures (Birchguard Quest with Roll for Adventure), and Story Time Music, all consolidated under the 2023 rebrand. Online delivery is enabled through a partnership with Chessable. The core team is 13 employees, supplemented by a 400+ tutor network. No external funding has been disclosed.

Distribution combines direct-to-family (DTC) lessons, institutional school licensing (Goddard School, Avenues, Berkeley Carroll, NYC public schools), franchise operations across 7+ U.S. cities and Hong Kong, and retail consumer products. The competitive positioning centers on the storytelling IP and tutor methodology as a differentiated approach in the early-childhood chess education market, though the model remains human-delivery-heavy with no disclosed AI or adaptive learning technology.

Name

Story Time Learning

Legal name

Story Time Chess

Website

https://storytimelearning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Story Time Learning (formerly Chess at Three) teaches chess to children ages 3-8 through a proprietary story-based curriculum, delivered via a 400+ tutor network, school licensing, franchise operations, and a TOTY award-winning retail board game distributed by PlayMonster.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Private Chess Lessons: 1-on-1, sibling, and group chess lessons delivered in-home or online by certified tutors. Charged per lesson with recurring booking options.
2. Club Classes: Group chess classes at Park Slope club location in Brooklyn. Credit-based system with class packs for enrollment.
3. Retail Board Game Sales: Physical Story Time Chess board game sold through retail partners including Target, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Distribution handled by PlayMonster.
4. School Curriculum Licensing: Licensing curriculum to schools, libraries, and learning centers for in-school enrichment programs. Schools can choose 'License Our Curriculum' (their teachers teach) or 'We Come To You' (Story Time Chess educators teach).
5. Franchise Fees: Franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs to open Story Time Chess locations in new territories.
6. Camps and Events: Holiday camps, summer camp (Camp Chesslandia), and birthday/event services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Story Time Chess teaches chess to children as young as age 3 through an award-winning, story-based curriculum delivered via in-home private lessons, online lessons on the Chessable platform, and group classes at the Park Slope Chess Club in Brooklyn. The company also licenses its curriculum to schools, sells a TOTY award-winning physical board game through retail distribution partner PlayMonster, and operates camps, school enrichment programs, and franchise locations.

Product overview

Story Time Chess (formerly Chess at 3) is an early childhood education company that teaches chess to children as young as age 3 through an award-winning story-based curriculum. The company operates a platform of tutoring services including in-home lessons, online lessons via Chessable, and physical chess clubs. The portfolio includes the TOTY award-winning Story Time Chess board game (distributed by PlayMonster), school partnership programs, chess camps, and the community outreach initiative Once Upon a Chessboard. Additional offerings include Story Time Adventures (educational tabletop RPG) and franchise opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Once Upon a Chessboard: Donation and community outreach program providing free chess classes, materials, and trained tutors to under-resourced schools and community centers across NYC
• Story Time Adventures
• Story Time Music

Products and services

• Story Time Chess Board Game A TOTY (Toy of the Year) award-winning physical chess game for kids that brings the company's story-based teaching method into a retail board game. Available at Target, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble and distributed by PlayMonster across North America.
• In-Home Private and Group Chess Lessons Private, sibling, and group chess lessons delivered by certified, background-checked Story Time Chess tutors in customer homes. Available in New York City, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Orlando, Nashville, Maryland, and Tulsa. Includes $15 trial lessons and recurring weekly bookings at $129 (1-on-1), $140 (siblings), and $84 per student (group).
• Online Chess Lessons Virtual chess instruction delivered worldwide via the Chessable platform with video, live instructor, and digital chessboards. Children learn through the same stories, games, and curriculum as in-person lessons on any device without needing a physical chessboard.
• Park Slope Chess Club Flagship physical club location at 254 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY offering Intro to Chess, Chess, Chess+ (advanced tournament prep), and Story Time Adventures classes on a credit-based class pack system. Also serves as the venue for birthday parties, holiday camps, and the Camp Chesslandia summer camp.
• School Chess Partnerships In-school chess enrichment programs for preschools, elementary schools, and libraries. Two delivery models: 'License Our Curriculum' lets school teachers deliver the program with Story Time Chess curriculum, and 'We Come To You' has Story Time Chess educators teach on-site. Includes after-school pickup programs at partner schools such as PS 282, PS 133, PS 321, Avenues, Berkeley Carroll, and Goddard School.
• Franchise Program Franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs to open Story Time Chess locations in new territories, including brand rights, curriculum, tutor training, and operational support.
• Chess Camps Full-day and half-day camps during school holidays, breaks, and summer, including Camp Chesslandia in NYC and lessons in the Hamptons. Camps combine the Story Time Chess curriculum with games, stories, and tournament play.
• Story Time Adventures (Birchguard Quest) Tabletop RPG Educational tabletop role-playing game blending storytelling and early learning in which students work together to solve challenges, explore imaginary worlds, and build foundational learning skills. Offered as a club class format at the Park Slope Chess Club and developed in partnership with Roll for Adventure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ children taught since founding
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PlayMonsterflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partnership where PlayMonster handles distribution and development of TOTY award-winning educational games Story Time Chess and Story Time Backgammon. This collaboration extends reach into retail channels including Target, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble across North America and beyond.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Chessable: Online chess learning platform that Story Time Chess actually uses to deliver its online lessons. Partner/infrastructure provider rather than a competitor, but adjacent in the chess learning space.

Emerging players

• Lichess: Free, open-source online chess platform with lessons, puzzles, and analysis tools. Pressure point on Story Time Chess's online lesson pricing as families can access free chess learning content.
• Wonder: Educational content platform for children covering multiple subjects. Adjacent in the kids enrichment space and potential competitive threat if it expands into chess-specific curriculum.
• BlackPawn Chess: Smaller chess education company offering online and in-person lessons for kids and adults. Partial overlap with Story Time Chess's curriculum-led teaching approach.

Broad incumbents

• Outschool: Online marketplace for live kids classes covering chess, math, languages, and more. Competes with Story Time Chess's online lessons while offering parents a broader choice of educational content.
• Varsity Tutors: Large online tutoring platform offering 1-on-1 instruction across subjects including chess strategy. Competes for parents' enrichment dollars though it is not a specialist in chess education.

Direct peers

• Chess.com / ChessKid: Chess.com owns ChessKid, the dominant online chess learning platform for children with puzzles, lessons, and live classes. Direct competitor in online chess instruction targeting similar age groups.
• Chess in Schools: Nonprofit organization that places chess instruction in schools, directly competing with Story Time Chess's school partnership and curriculum licensing business.
• Chess Wizards: Chess Wizards runs in-person and online chess classes, camps, and school enrichment programs for children. Closely comparable business model to Story Time Chess with similar target customers and lesson formats.
• Chess Emporium: Chess education company offering in-person classes, camps, and tournament prep for children in multiple US markets. Comparable community-based chess instruction model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StoryTimeChessOfficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/story-time-learning
• Instagraminstagram.com/storytimechessofficial
• TikToktiktok.com/@storytimechess

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Story Time Learning