"What is chess?" she asked. "Is it like cheese? Is it good to eat?"
Mrs. Toymaker laughed, "No, no, little hungry one! It is a game played on a board like checkers. This town is the only one in the world where children learn chess in school."
"In school?" asked Fritz.
"Yes," said Mrs. Toymaker. "During certain months each child goes to school with his chessboard. Children learn the old game just as you learn arithmetic."
"I think I would like that better than arithmetic," said Fritz.
"But it is a difficult game," said Mrs. Toymaker.
They made their camp near the peaceful town of Ströbeck. They noticed some peasant girls tending geese in a field.
"See, Mother," said Mitzi. "They play chess while they watch the geese."
"During the World War," said Mrs. Toymaker, "the Ströbeck money was printed with colored chessboards and chessmen upon it."
Later, the family made their way to the public square. The children enjoyed the parade of strangely dressed people. There were kings, queens, bishops and knights marching along. They represented the chessmen with which the game is played. The whole town was in a very gay mood.