Customer Reviews:
Step by Step my high school prep!.......2007-01-02
When I was in Elementary School studying chess from grades 3-6) I learned from "Chess For Juniors" as my text book (probably the best and most easy book to learn from for a 9 to 13 year old). However, for a higher reading level I found this book to be an equal if not a better book for an 8th or 9th grader (not to put "Chess for Juniors" down (it is certainly better for your average elementeary, and early middle school reader and has everything needed for the non-high school player), but "Learn Chess" is like what I like, A college text book, like my older brothers in college use. Simple suggesting, NO BETTER BOOK FOR AGE 16+ reading level is this one, LEARN CHESS, under that "Chess for Juniors". Get Started in Chess these books are the best!!!!
A first rate book to learn all the basics!.......2006-09-16
"Learn Chess" is a great place to start if you are either someone who doesn't know the difference between a Horse and a Knight or what the "en passant rule" is. It is also good if you know a little about chess but what formal instruction. This is not a small kiddie book! It is written as if it was like a book to be used in a high school chess class (about the right level).
"Learn Chess" is very clear and goes way beyond the starting rules by covering strategy that will take you to an intermedate player! You get a lot of material that is well organized. If you are looking for a book for an elementary school kid you might consider a lower reading level and more simple presentatiion with "chess, a complete guide for the beginner" that is written for the young reader. Once you finish "Learn Chess" you will be ready for books on tactics, traps, openings, endgames and complete game collections!
Efficient and tremendously clear.......2003-09-25
A classic: the best A-to-Z course in chess I've ever seen; ideal for teaching smart kids to play. It's very, very efficient, which means that it can cover everything from the basics to more complicated material in just 170 pages. The elegance of the presentation makes its points easy to hold in your head when you're playing.
The real glory of this book is the middle sections: the chapters on double attack, forks, pins and skewers, and the like are great. It's easy to explain the basics of chess and some of the advanced student subjects like openings; but the middle game subjects can be hard to explain logically (rather than through endless examples). This book does a great job of that.
The same text used to come in two very attractively bound slim volumes.
All the basics in one book.......2003-03-01
This is a very good book on the basics of chess. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to learn to play chess, or who already knows but would like to improve.
This book was originally published in 2 volumes. Now they have been combined into one. Volume explains the rules, and the most basic info about the opening, ending, and how one wins a chess game.
Volume 2 covers the most useful ways to win material (pins, skewers, forks). There follows a chapter on mating attacks. Then there is more info about openings and endings. The last couple of chapters give some general advice and points the reader to other sources of chess information.
Each chapter has exercises. Some of them are simple, others challenging. Don't be discouraged if you can't work them all. My advice is to do every exercise. Write down your answers before looking at the solution. If possible, work the exercises without using a set and board in order to develop the ability to look ahead. I enjoyed working the exercises. They illustrate the lessons, and some of them challenge you to think a little deeper.
The Alburt and Pelts books are also very good. Learn Chess could be used before, after, or along with the A&P books to get a couple of views of the same information.
Excelente libro introductorio.......1999-08-30
Es un grandioso libro que explica muy bien, y de forma muy sencilla, los principales topicos del juego de ajedrez. Es un libro excelente para principiantes.
Book Description
In this ambitious work, Romanian chess grandmaster Mihail Marin examines and explains the contribution of the eight chess legends who most strongly influenced his own development. The eight chess stars considered are: Rubinstein, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, Petrosian, Fischer, Karpov and Korchnoi. This enlightening study of the best chess of yesterday is guaranteed to help the readers in their own games, because, as we all know, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Customer Reviews:
Learning from games of some of the greatest chess players.......2006-10-12
Romanian Grandmaster Marin takes from the games of eight of the world's best chess players over a large span of time and gives a solid analysis. It explains why and what is important about these players and their games. Such books (examples of others I liked: "Understanding Chess" and "Unbeatable Chess Lessons and More Unbeatable Chess Lessons") are very helpful in getting to understand important ideas and provide them from actual play. I also liked "The Chess Kings" that covers games and analysis and tells about the history of the great players. From Grandmaster Marin you get a good dose of great instruction along with some interesting background on the greats! I would have given this book five stars if it didn't have a lot of mistakes in typos where some moves couldn't be played and the position was wrong (I doubled checked to make sure it wasn't me). When the typos are cleaned up, then five stars!
The best work about world champions.......2006-01-14
This chess book is one of the kind. Most people with expirience when reading a new chess book find a lot of familiar or well known subjects and themes in it. And when u buy some world champions biography book, esentially u buy a book about one person and one style of play, with lot of similary played games in it. Lets say u buy an excellent Shirov book "Fire on board". You know more or less exactly in what direction every game would lead. And you will have a lot of inspiring tactics training in it. Or u buy great Gligoric book "I Play Against Pieces", and suddenly feel like a great strategist.
But this book, this Mihail Marin one is everything of that compiled in just one book trying to tell the most important things everyone of these eight great players learned us in chess. And it succedes in it very well indeed. Its like saying: Lets get to work, we have no pages to trash here. So Marin went to work, and hit everyone of those great masters frontally, in the head. He succesfully realised what were the best strenghts of everyone, and jumped in the right chair in every chapter.
My favorite chapter nevetheless is still the last one about Korchnoi, maybe because I like the guy and his atitude, and although author titles his chapter as Victor Korchnoi-an Universal player, to me the story tells us about fighting spirit of the great man.
I think that after reading the Petrosian chapter, I wouldnt be scared sacryficing an exchange any more, and I would be playing an opposite coloured bishop endings better and in different way after reading a Karpov chapter.
There are few small mistakes I was able to detect, mostely in analysis part, but they are not of serious nature, most of those are only tipfelers. Let me ilustrate that: on page 256 is said: "Black already threatens Rh6"; it should be sad Bh6, or on page 217 63.Ke3 move is impossible, since enemy king is on d2; or the name of Ljubomir Ljubojevic is written on page 218 as Lubomir etc. Those are really small mistakes that dont influence the overall performance of this excellent book.
I can say nothing more but absolutely recommend this title to everyone.
Book Description
This book will answer the two most common questions that players ask an experienced coach - what is my true rating (or strengths and weaknesses)? How do I improve?
You will find: - 100 diagrams & 200 total questions of various difficulty. - Comprehensive answers includes diagrams for easy reading away from the chessboard. - Distributions of answers, percentiles and other statistical reports by rating group from unrated to 2400+. Match yourself against players of all levels, up to grandmaster and see how you stock up. - Results evaluated and Rating assigned overall & by 12 distinct categories: Opening, Middlegame, Endgame, Attack, Defense, Counterattack, Tactics, Strategy, Calculations, Standard Positions (Endgame), Sacrifices, Recognizing Threats. - Comprehensive reports on each of the categories with examples, training recommendations and book/materials suggestions
Customer Reviews:
Interesting positions. Good experience........2007-07-31
I finished the 100 exercises in a total of 29 hours, what represents spending 17 minutes per exercise. It was a very interesting experience. My ICC rating (standard) is about 1750. The book estimated my rating as 1820. So, very close.
While I was doing the exercises I had the feelling that my game was improving. The positions presented are all very interesting. When you find yourself thinking: "this one is easy", analyse more carefully because there are a lot of "hidden ideas".
But don't think that the job is finished when you complete the tests. This is about 70% of the total job. Now you have to input your results in a table and calculate your score, overall and by 12 categories: opening, middlegame, endgame strategy, strategy, tactics, attack, defense, threat, counterattack, calculation, sacrifice and standard endgame positions.
For each of this 12 categories, the autor gives advices on training and books for reading. In my opinion, this is the differential of this book. After completing the tests, you have an idea of where your game is weaker and what to do to improve.
Now that I have finished the book I will follow his advices and maybe, in 1 or 2 years, I will be back here to say if my game improved or not.
I will not give 5 stars because of following reasons:
a) the process of inputing the scores into the tables (so that you can see your ratings) is very laborious and operational. You should be very careful to avoid mistakes. The book owners should have free access to a spreadsheet which would substitute this laborious process.
b) there are only 6 exercises on openings. I don't believe that with such a small number of exercises, one can evaluate properly the level of your opening play.
c) in the Tactical session the autor refers to "Tactical Motifs" from "Mr. Bloch". Actually the correct reference is "Combinative Motifs" from Mr. Blokh.
Afterall, I recommend this book for those who want to improve but does not know exactly how to do it. At the end, you will have a training plan to follow. No shortcuts. I don't recommend for begginers.
Simply Spectacular.......2007-07-01
This is not a typical chess book. It's more like a puzzle book. But instead of mate in 5 type of tactics problems, it covers all aspects of the game in 100 questions, opening, middlegame, endings, positional, tactical, planning (I wish there were more). It is so much fun to do the exercises and they are well chosen. It will definitely improve your play and identify your weak areas.
Another great thing about the book that makes it stand out is the answer keys. You have to come up with 2 answers, one is assessment and the second is the correct move. That eliminates the luck factor from the assessment. Also there's no true/false answer, but you get 5 points for the correct, 1 for the incorrect but close, and sometimes you get points deducted for those that are obviously wrong.
You can take this book with you anywhere you go, anywhere you have to wait for a long time and need some pass time. As for the assessment accuracy I will know when I'm done. But that's not a big concern for me. The interim
that comes after each 10 questions shows me 200 points below what I thought I am, but I am hoping this will increase later.
Strongly recommended.
Best Training Tool Yet!.......2007-05-26
This book examines your strengths and weaknesses through 100 different puzzles with varying stages of the game, motifs, and difficultys. Unlike most puzzle books, it is not just focused on tactics, but instead, on everything you need.
Some of the other reviews mentioned typos but i have not encountered any noticable errors yet. Anyhow, these miniscue mistakes should not detract from the quality of the book.
Khmelnitsky is a genius; realizing that people want immediate feedback, he puts "interim reports" after every 10 puzzles so you get an idea how you are doing. Each problem has two questions, most often, an evaluation question and a "find the best move" question". A number of different themes (e.g. opening, strategy, counterattack, calculation...) are related to each puzzle and after completing the book it will diagnose your misunderstandings and give you a rating. Unlike such given ratings in places like "solitaire chess" (where it said i was around 2400, fat chance!) it gives you a much more reasonable rating, so far I have gotten a range between 1900-2200.
The book is very interesting and fun to do as well as being a one of a kind training tool. For instance, by just looking at the type of problem and how i did on the percentile charts, I've learned that I have weak tactics but an endgame skill greater than I had ever imagined!
Not only does he diagnose your weaknesses, he gives you advice about how to solve them. If you are trying to improve your chess this is a MUST, I greatly underrestimated its value for quite some time.
This book will improve you significantly more than several sessions with a coach, which could cost 200-400 dollars! Anyone passing this up who wants to improve their chess should get this instantly.
If you are under 1500, you probably just need to work on your tactics; trust me, I've been there. Although dry, tactics puzzles WILL significantly help you much more than learning how to implement a minority attack which you might use in one game only to find that you dropped a pawn in the process to a simple fork. I didn't trust this advice either when i was 1000-1400, and i thought i had tactics down cold. Wrong how I was!
However if you are 1500-2200 then this book is an essential step to becoming a better player!
Highly Recommended!
If you aren't a Grandmaster, this great book will help you.......2007-02-10
I hesitated for months before buying this book. You shouldn't.
You should know that this is not a training manual or a tactics book. Its goal is to identify where your game is weak. If you are not already a Grandmaster, then it's certain that some areas of your game are weak. But which, and how weak are they? If club players, amateurs, even experts can focus their training on their weak spots, they will improve much more rapidly than if they get better in some area where they are already strong.
This book does a fantastic job of analyzing your game. Here is my experience. I don't get to play much in tournaments; my rating is in the high 1600's but my last major tournament I had a performance rating of 1820, and in club play that's about how I am doing. What should I work on to go farther?
I have done the first 40 problems in this book and scored them. Each has been given to a lot of players with a wide variety of ratings. By averaging how I performed on each of the problems, the author has assigned me an overall rating and a "rating" for how strong or weak I am in each of a dozen aspects of chess.
First, the overall estimate of my playing strength is right around 1800 -- consistent with my US Open performance and club play. But the breakdown -- wow! I rate a pathetic 1000 on pure calculating ability, and not much better on sacrifices. By contrast, the book rates me at 2400 on standard positions (like how to win a Bishop ending with only one pawn), reflecting the work I've done on such positions, and grasp of strategy and defense are both almost as high.
Interestingly, it rates my openings as the strongest phase of the game and endings as the weakest. Until the last US Open I thought the reverse was true, but in that tournament I consistently got strong middlegame positions against players rated up to 2100, only to collapse in the ending. The book accurately captures this relative weakness.
So my new training strategy is clear, and I bet it will work. For the next several months, I will be focusing on complex endings and doing intense practice in calculating them out to completion. That should address both of my weakest areas in one shot.
As part of my profession I have extensive training in developing tests to measure aspects of mental functioning. I am very impressed with this book, and would consider it a remarkable achievement for a psychology graduate student's dissertation.
A great chess puzzle book........2006-08-18
This is a unique chess puzzle book. I have to admit that I have not used this book to check my rating. I have only used it as a puzzle book. There are 100 positions in this book. For each position you must figure out the position (who is best) and choose between 4 candidate moves to find the best move. So this is a nice chess book to learn how to evaluate and calculate different position. There is one page for the problem and one page for a detailed solution, so this is definitely an instructive chess puzzle book. Highly recommended!
Average customer rating:
- Above average beginner's book.....
- concise instruction from a grand-master
- Shows how to play and win at chess
- Solid Beginner's Book
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Learn Chess
John Nunn
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Learn Chess Tactics
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ASIN: 1901983307 |
Book Description
Starting with the very basics, this book tells you everything you need to know to become a successful chess player. Dr. John Nunn has built up a world-wide reputation for the outstanding clarity of his writings on a wide range of chess topics. This is his first book to tackle the fundamentals of chess. No prior knowledge is presumed. The reader learns step-by-step, with each new point illustrated by clear examples. By the end of the book, the reader will be fully ready to take on opponents across the board, or on the Internet, and start winning. Topics include: the rules of chess, chess notation, how to win material, attacking play, the opening, the middlegame, the endgame and chess psychology.
Customer Reviews:
Above average beginner's book............2007-01-27
This is a very good beginner's book that covers a lot of ground in less than 200 pages. It is well-written and dense for it's size. It will take an average adult or teenager from not knowing anything about chess to being a competent beginner in a short period of time.
The rules of the game are covered first and this is followed by a very detailed section on chess notation. If you are or have ever been confused by this, Nunn makes sure you understand it inside out before moving on.
This book also has sections on winning material, attacks on the king, the various phases of the game and even chess psychology! It provides a great framework for a beginner to work off of and set goals during various stages of the game.
What I also like about this book is the numerous and extremely clear diagrams. Some chess books don't put enough in and you either need to have a board by your side or above average visualization skills. This is not likely for a beginner, so I think this feature adds a lot of value.
In addition, there are many exercise in the book that reinforce key concepts. This is very helpful and the exercises are good. They will help you to retain the material and there is enough material here that you will get your money's worth.
concise instruction from a grand-master.......2006-03-22
There are several reasons to recommend this primer.
1) - it teaches basic moves in a straightforward fashion
2) - it requires no prior knowledge of chess from the reader
3) - it presents the material very logically, step by step
4) - it covers basic strategy and has helpful general advice
5) - it is published by gambit (specialist chess company)
6) - it is good value with lots of ground covered (192 pages)
The author GM John Nunn is a player with a good reputation for sound advice. He makes sure the reader is never asked to run before they can walk. For a teenager or adult looking for a good value little guide, or refresher course on the rules, I would say this is ideal.
Shows how to play and win at chess.......2005-02-28
An experienced scholastic chess coach enthusiastically recommended this book to me (there are so many beginner books out there that for a novice the choice is confusing). My friend explained that this book is easily the best guide for an adult looking to learn - well organized and written by a grandmaster who is known for the clarity of his writing and the care he takes over his books.
My friend was right! There are no gimmicks used in this book, just wonderful explanation of how to play the fascinating game of chess. The book begins by explaining the rules and aims of chess, how each piece moves and so on, and how the object is to checkmate the enemy king. This is followed by excellent sections on chess notation, how to win material, attacking play, and sections on the opening, middlegame and ending. There is so much explanation in this book (192 pages) that I regard is as one of the best value books I have purchased in a long time. Thank you, John Nunn, for writing this book!
Solid Beginner's Book.......2001-10-20
Clear and concise instruction on how to learn the game. The exercises at the end of the chapter's are a must for someone who
is serious to start taking on opponents.
Buy, Read and enjoy it, but most of all learn the basics of this
wonderful game.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing experience!.......2007-07-18
I loved this book. I could hardly put it down! You do all the problems, and fill out the graphs at the end (no cheating! you have to be honest). Then when you get is a scientific report of your strengths and weaknesses in different areas of chess. It's uncanny how accurrate this is. The best thing is you know where you need to focus your training, and he gives you advice for that. If you are interested in improvement, then this is a must.
Great Book.......2007-07-16
This book is much more than a typical tactics book of finding the best move. The positions really make you think and get deeper into the ideas and plans. The author has a great way of explaining the ideas and analysis of the positions. The layout of the book is really good with nice diagrams. The results from the exam clearly point out your weaknesses and then you know what you need to work on to get better. I found this book to be very enjoyable and I had trouble putting it down after each position I wanted to get more. I highly recommend this book it was very instructive and informative. A must buy!
Customer Reviews:
One of the best books on tactics........2007-05-18
This book give numerous tactical themes and plenty of exercises. Very highly recommended.
Great for beginners.......2007-03-08
My young chess player says this book gives a great overview of each chess tactic. It begins the lessons with easy tactics and advances to harder and more difficult lessons rather quickly. A person who has been playing for about a year would find this book helpful. This book is not really for more experienced players. It will help the beginner become a better chess player (if you manage to work through all the exercises). And peeking at the answers without working through the problems won't do the trick.
perfect.......2007-01-15
This book is just perfect.
In the first part of the book the puzzles are introduced with some words that can give you an idea of what's going on. I usually don't like these kind of things, but ok, this is "Learn Chess Tactics", not "Test your tactic level" or something like that.
All the puzzles are from recent games, all the solutions are correct, every solution is analyzed in depth.
BEST chess tactics book of it's type for the non-beginner........2006-09-14
"Learn Chess Tactics" is a great first tactics book for someone who has learned to play chess to get.
Each chess tactic is broken down by it's type. The name is given and what the tactic is is explained. There are then examples to work on making the book fun. This is one of three types of books on tactics. This being more of an introduction with some examples. Then there are workbooks that contain hundreds of tactics puzzles to try and solve and then there are books that cover chess traps that help with tactics in the opening. Getting a variety of tactics books will be one of the best ways to improve the part of your knowledge on chess that will make you a better player.
Tactics are the lightning of chess.......2006-04-24
It is a truism that most chess games are won through tactics, whether those tactics occur on the board or in the notes.
And yet what player hasn't had this experience: you have entered upon what you believe is the final stage of a long and skillfully played game of chess. Not only have you handled the opening well, gaining an advantage, but you have nursed this advantage to the point where victory is surely in reach. You sit back in your chair, you smile, and as you start to consider how you might celebrate this victory later on... suddenly your queen is forked.
End of game.
Which is to say that tactics are both the wonder and the terror of chess. Long after we have forgotten our tournament results, how many of us can remember that game where, through a brilliant deflection, we won a rook? Or the rook we dropped through a discovered attack on our king? For many of us, our fondest and worst chess memories are these tactical blows.
It is these blows that fill the pages of John Nunn's book, Learn Chess Tactics, a work that is more than a puzzle book along the lines of Reinfeld's, 1,001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate or Wilson and Alberston's 303 Tricky Chess Tactics. These have their place and are fine as far as they go. My advice for the novice is -- start with Nunn.
In Learn Chess Tactics, each tactical idea has a chapter, and each chapter starts with a clear and incisive analysis of the tactical idea - something most other books on the subject ignore. Along the way, each idea is illustrated by recent tournament games, and then the chapter ends with a score of exercises. These become progressively harder to solve, and the solutions to some struck me as truly revelatory - a permanent addition to my chess knowledge.
Aside from the tactical challenge of such a work, the text is peppered with more general observations about its theme, some of them insightful. For example, Nunn asks on page 90, "How does one spot the winning [tactical] idea?" And answers, "Very often the key is to focus on a potential weakness, and see what is necessary to exploit it." It follows therefore that the ability to spot tactics is the ability to identify weak points in a position and to know how to turn these to your advantage. Elsewhere he says that "although study of familiar patterns will undoubtedly improve one's playing strength, it is important not to lose the ability to think independently." Much has been made lately of pattern-recognition in chess, but as Jonathan Rowson and others have stressed, it is not a cure-all. It cannot, for instance, take the place of an alert, inventive mind. But nothing can.
Almost any tactical puzzle book will help you think independently and to exploit weakness, and the two I mentioned earlier are good. What distinguishes Nunn's work, however, is his analysis of each tactical element, such as the pin, fork, and skewer. After explaining the basic mechanism of each, he shows us how complicated the mechanism can become in a real game, the many variations that can spring from each tactical theme. As Rowson and others have noted, chess is hard - and beautiful. Nunn's prose throughout is as clean and workmanlike as a Capablanca endgame.
Who is this book for? I've been playing chess for over thirty years and consider myself a solid, intermediate player. And though I could easily solve the first half of the exercises in each chapter, there were always a few in the second half that stumped me. Nunn wrote the book as a sort of primer on tactics, but don't let that fool you: it will challenge the non-beginner as well. At the very least, in its clear labeling and discussion of the basic tactical tools, it will provide the more advanced player a healthy refresher course on that part of the game that is, for many of us, the hardest to fully master.
The best advice I ever received as a new player was to make myself into "a tactical monster," and that's still good advice. As a new player set on moving up the ranks quickly, there is no surer path to victory than a good eye for the tactical stroke, and there are few books that discuss this theme more clearly than Nunn's.
Book Description
In this book Jacob Aagaard studies the valuable skill of chess technique. He arms the reader with several endgame weapons that every strong technical player has in his toolbox. These include important skills such as schematic thinking, domination, preventing counterplay, building fortresses and utilizing zugzwang. These tools are illustrated in deeply analyzed games containing numerous different themes. A serious study of this book will ensure that the reader no longer need fear the word "technique"!
Customer Reviews:
Good concept, could have more material.......2005-07-06
I like the idea of this book very much, it has well thought out topic and well organized content. There are not so many books teaching how to play complex multi-pieces endings and this book fills this niche very well.
There could be a bit more examples, many important concepts are illustrated just by one or two games, moreover not all illustrative games match the subject they illustrate perfectly. More short examples (from real games or especially prepared, I do not bother) would make this book better.
Minor but very irritating feature of Aagaard books (present both here and in Excelling at Chess Calculation) is repeatable theme
of criticizing or applauding other chessbook authors. Those notes add no value to the book, interrupt the thread of reasoning and just eat the valuable space.
For the serious student only!.......2005-02-23
Jacob Aagard is possibly the best chess teacher currently being published - better than Dvoretsky for those of us not yet at master level. His explanations are to the point, and his examples are both fresh and lucid. However, you must be a reasonably strong player to get the full benefit of his works (at least 1600 ELO USCF generally, possibly 1800 for this particular book). This text will help give you the technical foundation required to achieve a master's rating. Beyond that, I have found that it has affected other aspects of my game. I have found myself considering endgame issues in the middlegame, giving me more confidence to enter a particular line because I can see how the resulting pawn structure and piece placements work to my advantage. He stresses concrete thinking while using general rules to help guide your thoughts. His books are well written (although the publisher could have done a better job picking out typos), but are not intended for fun. Skip this book unless you are serious about chess!
Book Description
Experienced chess writer Jacob Aagaard explains how tactical intuition and ability develops and uses pattern recognition to improve the reader's tactical ammunition.
Customer Reviews:
A useful book.......2004-12-10
In addition to the other reviews, it is also important to note that the positions come from actual games (though you probably guessed that since they are all from the Sicilian) and that they are from recent praxis. This may seem a small point, but taking only from recent ECO lines increases the possibility of seeing similar tactics in your own games. There is less chance of the tactic coming from a busted or unfashionable line.
It also seems unfair to trash Aagaard's work simply because it is "another puzzle book." One doesn't throw away a Stephen King novel because it is just another horror story. Rather you should judge the work on its merit within the genre. It is a well researched and useful tactics book and will increase your tactical ability. Feel free to grab other works like Reinfield and Polgar's puzzle books, but don't overlook this collection, especially if you like to play the Sicilian.
Sicilian Combinations.......2004-07-26
While it is true this book is essentially a book of 500 combinations there are a couple interesting aspects to it that previous reviewers have overlooked.
1) All combinations come from "Sicilian" openings and list ECO in the answers...while for the beginning player this might not matter, it is worthwhile to study patterns and ideas from openings that you play.
2) The problems have been checked to insure there are no ambiguous alternate answers....which is a common problem in chess tactic books...nothing worse than banging your head against a problem where your idea is equally legitimate or better. Lishvits's Test your chess comes to mind....
Aagaard has an enjoyable writing style, and aims to an audience somewhere between Silman and his excellent primers on strategy, and Dvoretsky and his world class books.
Another puzzle book.......2004-07-26
The previous reviewer is correct; the book is merely a collection of combinations problems taken from master play. A plethora of such books already exist, and there is nothing in Aagaard's book to distinguish it from the competition.
Book Description
The chess world has been blessed by a number of wonderful strategists, and in Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy, Neil McDonald decides upon his selection of the most prominent ones, highlighting the major contributions they have made. McDonald examines their differing approaches and styles, and from Nimzowitsch to Kramnik, how they followed in each other’s footsteps.
Throughout history there have been many famous players who have dazzled the chess world with their swashbuckling approach to opening play. In Chess Secrets: The Great Gambiteers, John Cox picks out his selection of famous gambiteers and studies the mark they made in the sphere of attacking play in the opening. Themes include attacking the opponent’s king, exploiting a lead in development, controlling the centre, as well as the significant enhancement of opening theory through the invention of numerous dangerous gambits.
*Learn from the greats of the game
*Discover how famous chess minds work
*Written in an easy-to-read format
*Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players*
Book Description
Invaluable instructions for chess players at all levels includes elementary ideas for immediate practical use; how to attack, featuring tactics of Fischer, Keres, Alekhine, and other masters; challenging chess problems; and 60 complete games by Blackburne, Marshall, Spielmann, Tartakower, and other immortals.
Customer Reviews:
Mediocre, at best.......2004-03-11
At first glance, this slim book held promise, and I sat down eagerly to read it. The writing, while somewhat juvenile, was still more... entertaing than the standard chess book fare. However, once I applied his so-called "tricks" to my own game, I realized how outdated they really were. For example, in the starting phase of my end game, I took his advice of 3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 Be7. Big mistake. I lost two moves afterwards. Pick this up if you're interested in cute anecdotes and charming plays. But otherwise, I suggest "Simple Chess," by Michael Stean, a much more enlightening read, to be sure.
Both Instructive and Entertaining.......2003-06-17
This is a collection from the USCF's weekly syndicated chess column written by Peter J. Tamburro. Pete's mission was to resurrect some of the treasures of the past that had been lost due to the changeover to algebraic notation. Think about it...How many of you would buy a book published in the old descriptive notation? Probably not many of your hands shot up so Pete was really onto something. The positions and games that he highlighted in his column are true treasures and by converting them to algebraic notation he has made them more accessible to a new generation.
Some people might say that the games and positions can't be of value because they are so old, but that kind of comment just belies the person's ignorance of chess. I recently purchased Samuel Reshevsky's "The Art of Positional Play" and about five minutes afterwards a buddy stuck his nose up at it and said he preferred books with more recent games. I gave him the most disapproving look I could muster at such short notice and told him he should have his FIDE master's rating stripped for such a moronic comment. The point of Reshevsky's book is to increase your pattern recognition of positional themes and to learn how to handle them. The date the games were played has no bearing whatsoever on the relevance of the positions to modern play because the same themes appear in all chess games...and will continue to appear in all chess games. The same can be said about Pete's book: "Learn Chess from the Greats". As Pete points out in one of his columns: "The same positions you see in a model game may not occur again, but the ideas will."
Pete says his goal with the columns was to "instruct and entertain." He certainly succeeded. Pete's style of presentation is certainly entertaining and the positions and games are indeed instructional. He has chosen real gems to illustrate key ideas that all chess players need to grasp. And one of the beautiful things about Pete's book is that it is not written for any particular niche. All players, regardless of level, will find benefit within these pages. I recommend this book to all people who love chess.
Jon Parker
Very Impressive.......2002-03-07
This book is outstanding. It goes through a variety of moves, not just openings. Also this book taught me how to get a checkmate with only two bishops left. Once I was in a tournament and I lost my rook and only had two bishops left. The other guy only had his king left. The judge told me I had to draw because you can not get a checkmate with two bishops. I refused and I proved him wrong. If I did not read this book I would have just settled for a draw. Thank you Pete for a very impressive book.
Very Pleased!.......2001-02-27
Quality book! Great use of some exciting games and the stories behind the games are very entertaining! The author really creates the mood for each game in such a way that the stategy sticks in your chess mind.
A Very good read and learning guide.
Looking forward to the next book!
great format.......2000-12-29
Unlike other geeky chess books, this condensed book has a lot of meat to it. It allowed me to choose an article by the informative index (which was amusing,also).
I will keep this book by my side, or in my backpack, so I can continue my learning curve in an upward motion. A chapter at a time, even randomly, will allow me to completely digest each new idea before moving on to the next one.
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Learn Chess
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition
Beginning Chess: Over 300 Elementary Problems for Players New to the Game
Chess for Children
Chess Tactics for Kids
