The author, an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, believes that for stories to be a successful tool in classroom instruction, they need to have universal themes, and they must deal with situations that the students could readily identify with regardless of their language, culture, or religion. In this article, she introduces the unknown Anton Chekhov, whom readers in the West saw as a melancholy playwright--author of such prominent and widely staged plays as "The Cherry Orchard" and "The Three Sisters" and describes some of his stories that have worked well in her own classes. Chekhov was a master of brevity and artistic expression. His characters are comic, humorous, ironic, tragic, absurd, and pathetic. She believes that Chekhov's short stories are a wonderful addition to ESL curriculum. His stories have a universal appeal; they touch upon the very soul and human nature and their themes can easily be discussed in class. Chekhov's genius needs to be explored. His short stories must be discovered in college classrooms, especially ESL classrooms. Chekhov's stories have long held a special place in the hearts of Russian readers, and today it is time to share these stories with ESL students. (Contains 1 note.)