Story Time Services
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Story Time Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Story Time Services
- Legal name
- Story Time Chess
- Website
- https://storytimechess.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Story Time Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Chess Education
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Educational/Children’s Learning Games & Puzzles Retail (CRALALAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH)
Keywords
Where Story Time Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Story Time Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- In-Person Chess Tutoring: Private and group chess lessons delivered in-home, online, or at club locations by certified tutors. Revenue generated per lesson or lesson pack. Home lessons available in NYC, LA, and Bay Area. Online lessons available globally.
- Board Game Sales: Sale of physical Story Time Chess and Story Time Backgammon board games through retail partners (Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and PlayMonster distribution partnership covering North America and select global markets.
- Summer and Holiday Camps: Camp registration fees for week-long summer camps (Camp Chesslandia) and holiday camps at Park Slope, Brooklyn location. Camps run Monday-Friday with full-day and extended hours options.
- School Curriculum Licensing: Licensing of the proprietary Chess at Three curriculum to schools and educational institutions. Includes 'License Our Curriculum' (schools use their own teachers) and 'We Come to You' (Story Time Chess educators teach at schools).
- Franchise Program: Franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs to open Story Time Chess branded club locations, generating franchise fees and ongoing revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer camp week-long sessions at Park Slope, Brooklyn |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Trial chess lessons |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Physical board game (Story Time Chess tin) |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
Story Time Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Story Time Services (operating as Story Time Chess) teaches chess to children ages 3 and up through an immersive storytelling methodology using proprietary characters and a fictional story world. The company sells private and group chess lessons delivered in-home, online, and at physical club locations, licenses its curriculum to schools, runs camps and events, and distributes TOTY award-winning physical board games (Story Time Chess, Story Time Backgammon) through retail partner PlayMonster.
Product overview
Story Time Services operates as a unified brand combining the former Chess at 3 tutoring services and the Story Time Chess board game under one umbrella. The product portfolio centers on two flagship story-based educational games — Story Time Chess and Story Time Backgammon — sold as physical board games through retail partners and distributed by PlayMonster. Complementing the games are a suite of educational service modules including in-home chess lessons, online virtual lessons, club classes at the Park Slope location, summer camps, holiday camps, and school partnerships/curriculum licensing. The company also offers the Birchguard Quest role-playing game and Bea and Bop's Playgroup for infants. The unifying principle across all offerings is teaching children through imaginative, character-driven storytelling rather than rote memorization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Story Time Backgammon: Educational board game teaching backgammon through storytelling, partnered with PlayMonster for distribution.
Products and services
- In-Home Chess Lessons Private and small-group chess tutoring delivered by certified Story Time Chess tutors at the student's home. Available in New York City, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. Targeted at parents of children ages 3+ who want personalized in-person instruction.
- Online Chess Lessons Live virtual chess instruction delivered via video conferencing to children anywhere globally. Targeted at parents outside the in-home service areas who want their children to receive the Story Time Chess storytelling-based curriculum.
- Club Classes at Park Slope In-person group chess instruction at the flagship Park Slope, Brooklyn club location featuring story-driven lessons and competitive gameplay. Targeted at local New York City families seeking a community-based chess program.
- Summer Chess Camp (Camp Chesslandia) Week-long full-day summer camp at Park Slope, NYC combining chess instruction, Birchguard Quest role-playing adventures, sportsmanship seminars, and recreational activities for children ages 3-10.
- Holiday Chess Camps Single-day chess camps offered during school holidays, including chess instruction, story-based adventures, games, and strategy activities for children ages 3+.
- School Curriculum Licensing and In-School Programs Two offerings for schools: 'License Our Curriculum' (schools use their own teachers with Story Time Chess training and materials) and 'We Come to You' (Story Time Chess educators teach at the school). Over 600 school partnerships across the United States.
- Story Time Chess Board Game
Quantifiable outcome
- 10% higher standardized math test scores for students who participated in chess programs (NYC public school study cited on company website)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Story Time Services
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Story Time Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Story Time Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PlayMonster Group LLCflagshipStrategic partnership announced May 20, 2025 between PlayMonster Group LLC and Story Time Learning (Story Time Chess). PlayMonster acquired distribution and development rights for Story Time Chess and Story Time Backgammon educational board games in North America and select global markets through 2027. The partnership focuses on expanding retail distribution and product development for the award-winning (TOTY) games, leveraging PlayMonster's established distribution network. Products are available at Target, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Story Time Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chess.com: The dominant online chess platform, which operates ChessKid as a dedicated children's chess learning product. Comparable because both serve the same parent-and-child customer segment seeking chess instruction for young learners, though Chess.com delivers primarily through digital content while Story Time Chess emphasizes in-person storytelling.
- ChessKid: Chess.com's children's chess learning vertical offering lessons, puzzles, and play for kids. Direct competitor for parent-paid chess education services aimed at children, though delivered online rather than through story-based in-person instruction.
- US Chess Federation: The official US national chess organization, which runs scholastic chess programs, school partnerships, and youth tournaments. Comparable through its school-based chess education channel and children's chess programs, though positioned as a membership body rather than a paid tutoring provider.
- National Scholastic Chess Foundation: Nonprofit organization promoting scholastic chess through school programs, tournaments, and curriculum across the United States. Comparable through school-based chess education programs targeting the same institutional customer (K-12 schools and preschools) with curriculum integration.
- Chess4Life: A US chess education company offering in-person classes, camps, and tournaments for children, operating multiple physical club locations. Comparable because it sells the same mix of lessons, camps, and school programs to parents of young chess learners, though without the proprietary storytelling curriculum or retail board game.
Broad incumbents
- Ravensburger: Major German board game publisher with broad catalog including children's chess sets and educational games sold through the same retail channels (Target, Amazon). Comparable through retail-distributed educational board games for children, though its catalog is far broader and chess is one product among hundreds.
- Hasbro Gaming: Global toy and game company whose gaming division produces children's chess sets and family games sold at mass retail. Comparable through mass-market children's chess products at the same retailers (Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble), though positioned at lower price points and broader audiences than the premium story-based offering.
Emerging players
- Blue Orange Games: Independent educational board game publisher focused on children and family titles sold through mass retail. Comparable as a smaller-scale publisher of children's educational board games with similar retail distribution profile, though with a broader catalog rather than a single narrative-driven franchise.
- ThinkFun: Educational game company specializing in logic and STEM games for children, now part of Ravensburger. Comparable as a developer of story- and logic-driven educational games for children sold through major retail, with similar positioning around combining play with cognitive skill development.
Others
- PlayMonster: Strategic distribution partner for Story Time Chess and Story Time Backgammon products across North America. Listed as a peer because it is also a toy and game manufacturer/publisher with adjacent children's educational product lines, while simultaneously functioning as the company's primary distribution channel.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Story Time Services social profiles
Digital presenceStory Time Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Story Time Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Story Time Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Story Time Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Story Time Services
What does Story Time Services do?
Story Time Services (operating as Story Time Chess) teaches chess to children ages 3 and up through an immersive storytelling methodology using proprietary characters and a fictional story world. The company sells private and group chess lessons delivered in-home, online, and at physical club locations, licenses its curriculum to schools, runs camps and events, and distributes TOTY award-winning physical board games (Story Time Chess, Story Time Backgammon) through retail partner PlayMonster.
Is Story Time Services a public or private company?
Story Time Services is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Story Time Services founded?
Story Time Services was founded in 2011.
Where is Story Time Services based?
Story Time Services is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Story Time Services make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. In-Person Chess Tutoring is the primary driver. The others are board Game Sales, summer and Holiday Camps, school Curriculum Licensing and franchise Program.
Who are Story Time Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chess.com, ChessKid, US Chess Federation, National Scholastic Chess Foundation and Chess4Life. Broad incumbents are Ravensburger and Hasbro Gaming. Emerging players are Blue Orange Games and ThinkFun. PlayMonster is listed as an others.
Does Story Time Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Story Time Services.
What industry is Story Time Services in?
Story Time Services's product category is Children's Chess Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAN, Educational/Children’s Learning Games & Puzzles Retail, with a secondary code of CRALAFAH, Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming). Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.