Product Description: Don’t make a move without it.
Written by a U.S. Chess Champion, International Chess Grandmaster, and longtime instructor, this book includes information for both novice and expert, including over 400 illustrated chessboards and photos; over 20 pages of detailed answer key notes; a completely new chapter on new evidence about chess and its impact on brain power; a guide to the art of chess collectibles; and more.
• Foreword by Larry Evans, former International Grandmaster and author of 20 highly acclaimed chess books and a popular monthly advice column in Chess Life
• Strong sales for previous editions
• For the beginner or the champ, and for young and old
• Author has a high profile in the chess community
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A must!!
I started to play chess quite long ago, when I was a child. I got my first chess lessons from my dad, with whom I regulary played.
Albeit he's not a professional player and doesn't participate in tournaments he's a very aggressive player who's been playing chess for over 40 years. Having recently moved next to my dad's I got the chance to play with him regulary once again. Since I'd spent a couple of years away from playing chess and he was still a thorn in my side, I thought I had to study chess in order to beat him. So I got a couple of books, covering the basic stuff and a couple of more advanced topics like openings.
Prior to read this book I read "Chess for Dummies". This book has NOTHING to do with the Dummies...the Dummies doesn't go deep on the concepts, doesn't presents the reasons why you should or not play something and does not have any exercises. This book is exactly the opposite!
Everything is extremely well explained, covers from the basic stuff ("First lesson: this is a pieces") to more advanced material (combinations, pawn formations, etc) and has lot's of exercises at the end of each chapter that allow you to consolidate the knowledge and even to complement what was said on the chapters.
After reading Dummies I felt no improvement on my chess, but after reading this book I felt I was starting to play differently and was able to think more as a chess player than before (I was just a piece-pusher). If you are looking for an introductory book that shows a couple of directions on chess and that might act as reference for you, this is it!
The exercises have solutions on the end of the book and are thoroughly commented, explaining EVERYTHING and showing lot's of variations.
The only downside of the book is that the author keeps talking on and on about a supposed famous match between Kasparov and some Ananad guy who happened in 1995. The author was a coach for Anand on that match and as such the theme is recurring on the book, which I find a little bit annoying. But don't let that stop you from buying this book. It's really worth it!!
Rating: - THE Beginner's Guide
Without doubt, Patrick Wolff's Idiot's Guide is the beginner's book most recommended to newbies by serious chessplayers in the United States.
Rating: - Fantastic book
Brilliant book. Don't let the title fool you. This is one of the most well-written books about chess I have come across, and the drills are great. It's probably the best beginner book you could read; most beginner books just tell you how all the pieces move and leave it at that. This book actually goes through the various tactics like forks, skewers, uncovered attacks, etc., in a manner that is understandable and fun. Then it moves onto positional considerations. I improved my game by several hundred points by using the techniques I learned in this book, and it made me want to go out and read more books about chess to further develop my skills. HIGHLY recommended!!!!!
Rating: - A complete guide for beginners
I bought this book couple of weeks ago and I am done with this book!! It is very interesting book; it is like a mini encyclopedia. This book is big, but for someone who knows basics about chess need not to read the first 120 pages. I finished the first 120 pages in less than 2 hr. This book well explains the principle, strategy and tactics of the game. Worth reading it, it will never make you an idiot as some of the reviewer's told here.
Rating: - Solid Chess Book
I learned a lot in this and there were a lot of diagrams for visual learners.
- A must!!
- THE Beginner's Guide
