the first chess king branch opened in the dedham mall in dedham, massachusetts (just outside boston), in march 1968. in 1970, "the new york times" described the store's concept as "teen-male apparel dress shops whose stores are highly identifiable, with bold coloring and designs aimed at appealing to the 12-to-20 male market." five additional locations were opened in 1968, and 21 more in 1969. by late 1972, it had already grown to about 150 locations. by 1978, it had 300 locations. and by 1984, it had grown to over 500 stores.