Yamie Chess Math Comics

"Mathematically, I think the lessons are very well done. I like the emphasis on translating phrases into mathematical expressions and the practice with decimal arithmetic."—Yale Professor Michelle Lacey, PhD, Statistics, Yale University

"Math classrooms require a great deal of reading to solve problems and this comic book provides students with an opportunity to dive right into a magical math world."—Monica Burns, Apple Distinguished Educator, 5th Grade NYC math teacher, George Lucas Educational Foundation Contributor

"This is really good, a great story that helps students to understand some basic algebra with a focus on prime numbers."—Kirsten van Niekerk, Apple Distinguished Educator, Assistant Head of Senior School (Key Stage 3); Head of Math Faculty, Dulwich College Suzhou, China

Math Contents Summary

MAYDAY! This is a math SOS, kids! The evil dark chess pieces, Vigdor and the Chromemunchers, have cast a cartoon spell on the 8 numbers along the y-axis of the chess board, sending the numbers 1 to 8 to sleep.

With the numbers snoozing, our Yankee hero 8-year-old Kimi, the boy who plays chess in his dreams, can’t complete the 2 grid coordinates for the winning moves he needs to checkmate the dark king, and save his friends.

You’re invited to venture onto the high seas with the Yamie Chess cast for a thrilling math lesson about numbers. Learn how to convert English statements into algebra, with Kimi, the light king, Tigermore, and their Boston Red Sox buddy—the very rational number 8.

As we journey to Deep Blue, the dark pieces underwater lair, you’ll need to find out the difference between rational and irrational numbers, solve the Sudoku problem, and work out the math puzzles step by step. Just make sure you know your multiplication tables!

Information for Parents and Teachers

Suitable for students at U.S. grade 3 math level and up, A Tale of Sleepy Numbers is an engaging cartoon math adventure for struggling-to-gifted learners, communicated by professional math teachers in simple, clear and concise language.

The material is a short story extension to the Harvard- and MIT-supported Yamie Chess School Assistant for K-8 math education, recommended by School Library Journal and developed by experienced math teachers with decades of classroom teaching experience.

Kids will continue the math learning adventures of our young chess hero, Kimi from Queens, New York, and tackle critical math concepts to develop math success in school.

The math content can be used as revision or as a new teaching material to supplement important classroom work in number sense and operations. A Tale of Sleepy Numbers addresses integers, rational and irrational numbers, prime numbers, factors and multiples, orders of operation (PEMDAS), place value and the base-10 number system, the commutative property of addition, translating English statements into algebraic expressions, and decimal arithmetic.

The integrated classic chess puzzle is adapted from a traditional game that took place between Grandmasters R. G. Nezhmetdinov and O. L Chernikov in Russia in 1962.