ST. LOUIS, MO.- American architect and designer Michael Graves is known for combining modern style with a playful functionality in both his buildings and in the products he creates through collaborations with retailers like JCPenney and Target. With product lines that are at once sophisticated and affordable, Graves has proven that high-end does not necessarily have to mean high- priced. “Just as Graves, through his work with Target and now JCPenney, has brought the Democratization of Design, the World Chess Hall of Fame has sought to expand the general public's awareness of chess and its many cultural interactions all across the globe,” said Bradley Bailey, guest curator for Strategy by Design: Games by Michael Graves . Bailey is associate professor of art history at Saint Louis University and co-author of the book Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess.

Strategy by Design opens May 8, 2014, and runs through September 28, 2014. The primary feature of the exhibition will be the chess set that Graves has said was one of his favorite and most challenging projects, as well as rare materials on loan from the Michael Graves Design Group that were used during the design and creation of the chess set. The show will also present a wide range of games created by the Michael Graves Design Group, from classic standards such as card games, cribbage, and backgammon to more recent family favorites like Scrabble, Yahtzee, Monopoly, and Stratego. It will also include video elements and an educational center that will provide context for Graves’ work and career.

Michael Graves (b. 1934) first earned acclaim as an architect before becoming widely celebrated for the affordable consumer goods he created for Target from 1999-2012. He attended Harvard University and is currently the Robert Schirmer Professor of Architecture, Emeritus at Princeton University. He received the 1999 National Medal of Arts and the 2001 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects. He was the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate.

The World Chess Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization committed to building awareness for the cultural and artistic significance of chess. It opened on September 9, 2011, in the Central West End after moving from previous locations in New York and Miami.

The WCHOF is housed in an historic 15,900 square-foot residence-turned-business and features the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, displays of artifacts from the permanent collection, and temporary exhibitions highlighting the great players, historic games, and rich cultural history of chess.

The WCHOF partners with the Chess Club and Scholastic Center to provide innovative programming and outreach to local, national, and international audiences.