© 2015  Jonathan Whitcomb

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Chess Books

Purpose of the chess book When choosing a publication on the royal game, first consider the intended audience for the book. Will it be a gift for a seven-year-old who wants to learn how to play chess? A popular choice for kids is Chess for Children, by Murray Chandler. But is that the best? If the gift is for someone who is at least ten years old and already knows the rules, however, that book will probably be something of a disappointment. A much better choice would be Beat That Kid in Chess, which is written for the early beginner who knows how to play but does not yet know much about winning in an actual competition. In fact, Beat That Kid in Chess may be the best chess book for the novice who wants to learn how to win but does not want to go through a book that is over 200 pages long, and the ages for those who would most benefit from it are from the older child to the adult (including teenagers). Is it a gift for an established tournament player who needs a broad resource on the openings? In that case, Fundamental Chess Openings (FCO) could be best chess book for such a person. Chess Tactics for Kids—that has a title that makes it appear to be a book for beginners. It’s actually much better for experienced chess players who have seen tactics like knight forks and pins. For older children who could be called raw beginners, a better chess book would be Beat That Kid in Chess.

Basic kinds of chess books Some publications are for the advanced tournament player, but more of them are for average or intermediate competitors. Others books are for post-beginners or for novices. Aside from the skill-level factor and age of the reader, other categories exist for books about chess. Some of them specialize in one of the three phases of the game: opening, middle game, end game. Among the ones for the opening, there’s a great difference between the general (and long) opening books like Modern Chess Openings (MCO) and Fundamental Chess Openings, and the specific ones such as How to Play the King’s Indian Defense. Many ten’s of thousands of chess books have been published, so there’s no lack of choice.