Na storinkakh tsiyeyi knyhy yuni chytachi poznayomlyat'sya z Kol'kom Pyzhykovym ta yoho tovaryshem Petrusem Pivnychukom - zavzyatymy hravtsyamy v shakhy - i vsi razom sposterihatymut' za tsikavym shakhovym svitom, u yakomu spalakhuyut' viyny mizh dvoma vorozhymy armiyamy. U ts'omu sviti ye veselyy chyzhyk Pyzhyk, shcho niyak ne navchyt'sya litaty, shchebetukha Masha-Romasha, khytryushchyy kit Vas'ko y pidstupnyy krutiy pavuk Laponih. Ta holovnym heroyem podiy vystupaye "het' obbrytyy, v atakakh bytyy, peremohamy znamenytyy" shakhovyy soldat na prizvyshche Pyeshkin.