Sometimes called the "Royal Game" or the "Game of Kings", Chess remains incredibly popular today, is prized for its simple rules yet endless strategic depth.
Here are some books to help you learn about the game of Chess, from expert players. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, there's always something new to discover about this fascinating game we love.
Chess Books
The Complete Idiot`s Guide to Chess
You're no idiot, of course. You know that chess is perhaps the most enjoyable--and challenging--game in the world. For those who play, chess provides a lifetime of fun. But how do you make the first move to learn the rules--or improve beyond feeling like a pawn? Don't cry checkmate just yet. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition, will guide your every move across the board. Written by U.S. Chess Champion, International Chess Grandmaster, and longtime instructor Patrick Wolff, 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.
Learn Chess: A Complete Course
Learn Chess: A Complete Course provides everything you need to know to get started in chess. The first part is devoted to first principles, explaining the rules and basic strategies. The second develops a thorough understanding of the various winning methods, and includes a systematic study of openings, an introduction to attacking techniques, and a guide to fundamental endgame themes.
Learn Chess
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.
Chess for Beginners
In this book, I. A. Horowitz, Chess Editor of the New York Times and former U.S. Open Champion, applies some of the ideas and convictions acquired from thirty-five years of playing, teaching and analyzing the royal game. He emphasizes the tactical aspects of the game: how to recognize the big chance and hit hard when it occurs. He also stresses the ideas and methods in opening play, rather than the routine memorizing of variations that takes the joy out of chess for so many beginners. When you have completed this book, you will be able to play chess with pleasure and some ability.
Chess for Success
Maurice Ashley immigrated to New York from Jamaica at the age of twelve, only to be confronted with the harsh realities of urban life. But he soon found his inspiration for a better life after stumbling upon a chess book and becoming hypnotized by the game. He would eventually break the chess world's color lines by becoming an International Grandmaster in 1999. Ashley realized that chess strategies could be used as an educational tool to help children avoid the pitfalls often associated with growing up. In this book, he serves up compelling anecdotes about how chess has positively affected young players. He also offers tips on technique, how to make the game fun for children of all ages and levels, and how to overcome the myth that chess isn't cool. Through his guidance, readers will understand how chess strategies can improve a child's mental agility, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Chess for Success is a much-anticipated resource for parents, teachers, counselors, youth workers, and chess lovers.
Understanding Your Chess
James Rizzitano, an experienced international master, has reassessed games from the whole of his career, and in this book presents the lessons from them that will be most relevant to club and tournament players. A common problem for the typical weekend competitor or club player is that his time available for studying chess is very limited. What should he study? Grandmasters from Botvinnik to Yermolinsky have stressed the importance of reviewing and annotating your own games. Rizzitano shows how by doing that you can gain a greater understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and drawing upon his own experiences, explains how to shape your approach to chess to make the most of your own abilities.
The Right Way to Play Chess
With remarkable ease and clarity, D. Brine Pritchard explains the modern and internationally approved method of chess to the beginning chess player. In this, the tenth revised edition of the standard work on the subject, Pritchard draws new inspiration from the latest developments in chess, taking the reader through detailed and illustrated explanations of the basic rules and general theories of chess, openings, middle games, end games, and much more.
Chess Fundamentals
This handbook is packed with timeless advice on different aspects of practical play, and illustrated by Capablanca's own games. This book first appeared in 1921, the year Jose Capablanca captured the world championship title, and has remained a classic ever since.
