Customer Reviews

Beginning Chess Play (Road to Chess Mastery)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a good first book. To be good at anything requires time,money, effort. This book condenses a solid beginning to about $7. Not bad! I'm rated at about 1460 and I find the reading easy, fast, clear and accurate! I recommend this as a first book. If you know how the pieces move, try a chess club, it doesn't cost anything and you might make a friend. If it's Bill Robertie, you hit the lottery.

In most ways I agree with the other reviews in that this is a 'good first book' on playing chess. However, it still eludes me!!! Perhaps I haven't the patience, or require medication to relax sufficiently to absorb a game in progress, but I truly had difficulty applying all but the most elementary aspects of the book to my game.

I admit I'm a 'newbie' in the strictest form, yet a university honors graduate and so felt I should be able to up my game significantly after reading this book. Alas, such was not the case. Is there a 'chess for dummies'? Although I loathe those books, reading this one has convinced me that perhaps I'm in over my head (and I know this was NOT the author's intention).

Either I need a pop-up book level starter on chess, or this one didn't do it's job. Still, I learned a great deal, so for that I thank Mr. Robertie.

This is a good intro book, with the basic rules, as well as two game illustrations/walk throughs. It is an easy read, and the two games illustrate solid principles of tactics and strategy. You will want a board next to you to get the most out of the book (like many chess tomes), but the illustrations are good enough that you can go without if necessary.

This book is well written, easy to understand and walks you through the game of chess in fine fashion.