The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess (2nd Edition)
by Patrick Wolff
List Price:
Our Price: $5.25
You Save: $11.70 (69%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Patrick WolffEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-09-04
ISBN: 0028641825
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Alpha
Book Reviews of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess (2nd Edition)
Book Review: An Excellent Primer on Chess
Summary: 5 Stars
Primers on chess are notoriously poor, since many mediocre players (e.g., Pandolfini) consider themselves qualified to write them, and some cynics (e.g., Schiller) churn out primer after primer on the assumption their victims lack the skill to realize how bad they are. There are, however, exceptions: primers by strong players which respect the reader, such Capablanca's and Purdy's. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" is such a book. The writer (a stronger player than Schiller or Pandolfini can ever hope to be) does not repeat others, but gives thought to what beginners REALLY need to know--and it shows.
He deals respectfully with the history of chess, giving important facts without (false) "fun" anecdotes about the "insanity" of champion X. Even his "why play chess at all?" section is fresh, without any waffle about the "beauty of the immortal game of chess": chess is a fair game where opponents on all levels are easy to find, and it is never boring. THAT is what beginners need to know. The same care is seen in the choice and presentation of the technical material. For example, Wolff deals with space and weak squares, crucial to those who want to become decent chess players, but which most primers simply ignore.
It is no insult to Capablanca's or Purdy's classic primers to say that, finally, a better book for beginners had arrived. Like those primers, it is a book by a very strong player who gave much thought to what beginners really need to know. But it also brings the reader up-to-date on issues (computer chess especially, but also more recent chess history) that the earlier books, of course, couldn't deal with.
Highly recommended.
Summary of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess (2nd Edition)
Confused by esoteric chess terms like castling, forking, and making Luft? Can't tell whether you've got your opponent in check or checkmate? This book will tell you everything you need to know to become a budding Kasparov, from the names of pieces and their movements to tactics and strategies, from advanced maneuvers to setting up chess tournaments and clubs where you can test your skills. Also covered: a history of chess, from its beginnings in ancient India to how it became the world's most played game; all the basics of the board and the pieces; elementary rules and object of the game; famous openings and well-know tactics; sneak attacks and other tricky plays; exercises that explain strategies and chess-move annotations (often found in newspapers); and advice for using the Internet and computer programs to better your game and tips on starting a chess club or tournament.Chess Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Chess Books
Comprehensive Chess Endings Volume 5 Rook Endings (Pergamon Russian Chess)by Yuri Averbakh
Pergamon Pr; Published: 1987-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
From Baguio to Merano: The World Championship Matches of 1978 and 1981by Anatoly Karpov
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1986-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Tournament ChessPergamon Pr; Published: 1985-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.75
Play the Catalan, Vol. 1: Open Variation (Pergamon Chess Openings)by J. Neishtadt
Pergamon Press; Published: 1987-07-03; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Three Steps to Chess Masteryby A. S. Suetin
Pergamon Press; Published: 1982-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $177.61
Learn Chess: v. 1: A New Way for Allby C.H.O'D. Alexander, T.J. Beach
Pergamon Press; Published: 1963-12; Hardcover; Book
The Complete Pirc (The Macmillan Chess Library)by John Nunn
Collier Books; Published: 1989-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $39.00
Exchanging to Win in the Endgame (Macmillan Chess Library)by Gennady Nesis
Collier Books; Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $64.95
Caro-Kann: Classical 4...Bf5 (The Macmillan Chess Library)by Gary Kasparov, Aleksander Shakarov
Collier Books; Published: 1984-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $147.54
Secrets of Chess Training (Macmillan Chess Library)by Mark Dvoretsky
Collier Books; Published: 1991-08; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
FCO: Fundamental Chess Openingsby Paul Van Der Sterren
Gambit Publications; Published: 2009-11-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops:
Chess for Childrenby Murray Chandler, Helen Milligan
Books; Gambit Publications; Published: 2004-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.75
Price in other shops:
Pandolfini's Endgame Course: Basic Endgame Concepts Explained by America's Leading Chess Teacher (Fireside Chess Library)by Bruce Pandolfini
Fireside; Touchstone; Published: 1988-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
My 60 Memorable Gamesby Bobby Fischer
Batsford; Published: 2009-04-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.03
Price in other shops:
The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions Into Chess Masteryby Jeremy Silman
Siles Press; Published: 1999-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops:
Winning Chess Strategy for Kidsby Jeff Coakley
Chess'n Math Association; Published: 2000-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $27.95
Price in other shops:
Chess For Dummiesby James Eade
For Dummies; Published: 2005-09-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.59
Price in other shops:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess Openingsby William Aramil
Alpha; Published: 2008-10-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.37
Price in other shops:
How to Reassess Your Chess, Fourth editionby Jeremy Silman
Siles Pr; Published: 2010-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.41
Price in other shops:
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chessby Bobby Fischer, Stuart Margulies, Don Mosenfelder
Bantam; Published: 1982-07-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.71
Price in other shops: