Attacking Chess: Aggressive Strategies and Inside Moves from the U.S. Junior Chess Champion (Fireside Chess Library) [Paperback]

Josh Waitzkin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fireside Chess Library | Publication Date: August 1, 1995

The subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, Josh Waitzkin has long been the top-ranked player for his age in the United States and a role model for chess-playing kids everywhere. Now, for the first time, Waitzkin reveals the aggressive tactics and psychological techniques that have propelled him to the forefront of the chess world. His unique introduction to the game combines solid instruction with stories about his personal experiences that capture all the excitement and tension of playing chess at the championship level.

Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess presents nineteen different offensive strategies, progressing from the most elementary, including forks, pins, skewers, and double threats, to the more advanced and sophisticated moves used by the world's best players. Chapters such as Minor Traps, The Seventh Rank and the Pig, Mating Nets, and Quiet Moves in Attack show how anyone can develop a more aggressive and creative style of play. Each strategy is illustrated with examples taken from actual games Waitzkin has played, described with all the gusto and competitive intensity this young master brings to his craft. You can feel the heat of battle throughout this action-packed manual -- it's guaranteed to entertain and inspire all students of chess who want to learn how to emerge victorious from the black and white jungle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Garry Kasparov World Champion Of Chess This book will help you enter the exciting world of the black and white jungle....Josh is not only a very good chess player but has learned from his father how to explain his ideas and feelings for the game....He has produced a lovely work.

About the Author

Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time National Chess Champion in his youth, was the subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. At eighteen, he published his first book, Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess. Since the age of twenty, he has developed and been spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world. Now a martial arts champion, he holds a combined twenty-one National Championship titles in addition to several World Championship titles. When not traveling the country giving seminars and keynote presentations, he lives and trains in New York City. He can be reached at www.joshwaitzkin.com. For more information about Chessmaster visit www.ubi.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684802503
• ISBN-13: 978-0684802503
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time National Chess Champion in his youth, was the subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. At eighteen, he published his first book, Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess. Since the age of twenty, he has developed and been spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world. Now a martial arts champion, he holds a combined twenty-one National Championship titles in addition to several World Championship titles. When not traveling the country giving seminars and keynote presentations, he lives and trains in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TACTICS come to life! ------ A different type of tactics book., September 20, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Attacking Chess: Aggressive Strategies and Inside Moves from the U.S. Junior Chess Champion (Fireside Chess Library) (Paperback)

This is a fun to read tactics book. Josh Waitzkin (the subject of the movie, "Seaching for Bobby Fisher") tells some interesting stories about his life in chess and uses tactics in a puzzle form to find the solution. This is not a "dry" book and Waitzkin is one of my favorite authors along with Snyder and Polgar who all have an entertaining style along with good solid teaching materials. This is a book for someone who maybe has read a beginning book (like Learn Chess or Chess Juniors) or has been playing for a little while but wants a fun next step in chess. I hope he writes more chess books like this one especially using traps and tactics.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An easy read. Light on Chess, July 14, 1999

By 

Ray Salemi (Framingham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Attacking Chess: Aggressive Strategies and Inside Moves from the U.S. Junior Chess Champion (Fireside Chess Library) (Paperback)

This is a nice interesting book and an easy read. It is pretty light on chess. Waitzkin shows you about two games per chapter and asks you to figure out his next move based upon the theme of the chapter. So in the chapter on pins, you get to think through a couple of pin problems.

However, he doesn't really generalize to any rules to think about. You won't walk away really knowing anything well.

Given that, the book is kind of fun and light. Waitzkin (either Josh or Fred) is a good writer and the book is enjoyable.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learning through Enjoyment!..., April 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Attacking Chess: Aggressive Strategies and Inside Moves from the U.S. Junior Chess Champion (Fireside Chess Library) (Paperback)

Both fun and informative to read. Beginners will receive a useful introduction to tactics and elements of strategy while intermediate players can review concepts they "know." I liked Josh Waitzkin's background notes to his examples - chess books can be so dry and uninviting. I feel that books that are more user-friendly are more likely to be read and studied than definitive bone-dry dissections of an author's triumphs. If you have Chessmaster 6000 then you've heard and studied Waitzkin's games - why can't more masters add a little life to their annotations? I'd rather be caught up in the adrenaline-pumping, nail-biting anxiety, of a master's game (and learn more) than lifelessly (and tiredly) shuffling the pieces around. Better one game lived with a master than a dozen studied as though it was a calculus problem.