Chess Books

What an expansive literature!

What other game or sport has as many nonfiction books as the subject of chess? From the opening to the endgame, from advice to beginners to training for experts, from tips for the newcomer to tactics and strategy for the tournament player, you’ll find no limit to the books written on chess. In this page of Fireside Chess, let’s look briefly at a few books. Beat That Kid in Chess “Take the lessons in this book seriously and your ability to play chess may advance further than if you had struggled through losing twenty games. It might not take the place of seriously struggling through eighty games, however, for over-the- board experience teaches in its own way. Yet you might soon see that kid struggle in competing with you, as you apply these lessons and teach that kid humility. It’s about time he learned that.” (from the introduction to the lessons, in the book Beat That Kid in Chess, by Whitcomb) . 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations Problem #121, in the book 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations (by Fred Reinfeld), may appear very difficult, if we were not informed that this is a knight-fork puzzle. Since we see no white knight, a pawn promotion to a knight would appear to be the obvious way to win. Yet most puzzles in this book are far more difficult, with no easy way to solve them. But with practice, tactical motifs become easier to master.