Customer Reviews

Chess for Juniors: A Complete Guide for the Beginner

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As an elementary school teacher as well as a chess player I have found CHESS FOR JUNIORS to be the perfect text book for introducing my students to this wonderful brain sport.
Chess is a great way of helping my students improve their concentration and studies have shown that chess helps improve reading and math test scores.
CHESS FOR JUNIORS is not only used for the lesson plans it has by myself, but it is clear and easy reading for the students. It was only a few years ago that I came across CHESS FOR JUNIORS after having used a couple of other books. The other books, which had a combination of nice pictures, fancy illustrations mixed in with a reading level that was not suited for upper grade elementary school readers, were ok for a good teacher to read to their students. However, my search ended when discovering CHESS FOR JUNIORS.
Now a little bit about the material in the book:
a. It is logically organized beginning with a little bit of background made interesting to read. It then goes into the basic rules (especially good is how the author covers, "en passant", "castling", "check", "checkmate", "pawn promotion" and the "movement of the Knight" which often confuse first time beginners) and moves into strategy.
b. Each lesson builds upon former lessons, introducing new strategy based on the material covered in previous lessons. This is the way teachers actually cover material in a classroom. It does have the drawback of covering just one subject in an entire chapter like so many other beginning books I have seen.
c. Extreme wide coverage of important tactics. There are enough problem format examples for students to work on and a teacher to set up that if a club was to have a weekly meeting it would have enough material for an entire school year. It covers ALL of the most important basic mates (especially good is the coverage of "how to defend against the scholar's mate", "rook roller mate", "back rank mate", "mates against the weak f7 square such as Legal's mate", "smothered mate" including the "Philidor's Legacy" mate). It covers all of the important opening traps (especially good is the coverage of "Petrov's Trap") and tactics that win material (nicely covered with good examples are "the pin", "the fork", "the skewer/x-ray attack", "discovered check/attack", "overworked defender" and more).
d. Good Opening System. The opening system introduced does not go off into hundreds of complicated variations. It doesn't suggest over ambitious gambit lines nor openings that are over positional or mechanical (not allowing the student to think for them self). The openings are well rounded with a good degree of openings containing important opportunities to get into tactical situations - allowing the openings to be "learning openings" for a beginner. Excellent are the Ruy Lopez and the line against the Sicilian as White (there is also a nice brief coverage of other ways to handle replies to 1 e4 such as the French, Alekhines, Center Counter and Caro Kann) and well as Black (playing against the Ruy Lopez and handling the "d" Pawn openings with the Nimzo-Indian, an active defense with a good sharp fight for the center).
e. The most important first endgames for students to learn with how to checkmate a lone King with just a King and Queen and King and Rook, and then going into basic King and Pawn endgames. These are explained extremely well.
f. Special features of the Rook (use on opening files, behind passed pawns, on the 7th rank, doubling, etc...) and Pawns(doubled pawns, isolated pawns, pawn chain, backward pawns) are very nicely pointed out.
g. reading and writing moves (notation) is very nicely taught. Getting into this important part of learning chess into an appropriate depth for students not to fear what at first may appear to them to be complicated. CHESS FOR JUNIORS does an excellent job of covering this.
h. Two example games with very nice winning ideas are covered. There is move by move analysis making the games flow very nicely. This makes the setting for a follow up book by the same author known as UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS FOR JUNIORS (continues with more games in this matter).
i. Ever try and look something up again that you had previously seen in a book, but had problems locating it? Ever had someone mention the name of something but then ask yourself, where would it be in this book? Well in CHESS FOR JUNIORS you will find an extensive INDEX in the back! What a wonderful help this has been!
j. Humor using riddles and stories are used to help the students remember. Some are so silly/funny (well suited for an elementary school or even junior high school audience) that students cannot forget the material. This is an especially great and unique feature of CHESS FOR JUNIORS not found in your typical beginner's book. This can only come from an author that has many years of experience working with young students.
h. The author's UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS FOR JUNIORS and my favorite, WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS continues with additional material designed to go beyond CHESS FOR JUNIORS (this avoids the pitfalls of having inconsistent or repeated material).
In a chess nut shell if you are a teacher, student or parent and want what is far the best chess book for a beginner, then CHESS FOR JUNIORS is it!

I got this book a couple of years ago and now am chess club presendent at my school chess club in 7th grade. I loaned it out so many times it is getting worn out.

When I went to get a copy now I found out it is temporarily not in print because it is going to be made a new edition. I plan to get the new edition for the chess club.

What I liked about this book is that it isn't a silly little kids picture book. It teaches serious material using an easy to understand method by making the language basic enough and organizing it in an order to make it learning friendly. It would be good for anyone who can read as well as an average third grader right on up to adults. The index in the back makes it easy to find things and relook things up like terms, openings and rules.

Everyone in the school chess club likes it and uses it for continued reference even after having read it. I think this is the best first book for kids and adults.

CHESS FOR JUNIORS is the book I recommend to EVERYONE who looking for their first book on chess. You will be taken on a journey of 20 well organized and informative chess lessons that progress at a nice pace. Lots of digrams (not not pictures and drawings, except for the pieces are nicely drawn to show you what they look like on a staunton design chess set) with problems to work on make it a smooth read.
The book is not skimpy so there is enough of material to take you from absolute beginning well on past being an advanced beginner. It does an exceptionally good job of covering all the important rules and gets into strategy perfect for a new player to the game. This book is not just for kids - it is a great book for adults as well who can handle some of the humor that is designed to keep kids attention.
When you finish this book I recommend getting WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS (I rate it *****) that will continue with the same opening system, tactics and endgames where CHESS FOR JUNIORS leaves off (plus much more, including getting into rules for tournament play).
HIGHLY RECOMMENED AS YOUR FIRST CHESS BOOK!!!

CHESS FOR JUNIORS: A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE BEGINNER is very complete in every respect! A solid foundation is laid for anyone who can read a at a second grade level. Clarity and ease of understanding of what many consider to be a difficult game to learn is an important aspect of CHESS FOR JUNIORS.

If you like a stepping-stone approach to learning, where each lesson builds upon the former lessons (expanding on them), then this is the perfect book for you! Lots of diagrams are provided making it easy to visualize the written word. Students are asked to solve basic problems - and this isn't overdone. The author has a wonderful command of the English language.

KEY ITEMS;

- A very comprehensive index is in the back of the book. This is a special feature not provided by most beginner's books. Want to look up something quickly? Almost every important chess term, opening or situation that is covered by the book can be quickly located!

-- The rules are taken nice and slowly at a nice pace. You aren't expected to run before you can walk! Special attention is given to explaining the more difficult rules for a beginner to understand, such as "en passant" (2.5 pages!), "castling", "check", "checkmate" and "draws".

--- The principles of development and control of the center are clearly explained before getting into an actual well thought out opening system (well suited for beginners with the Ruy Lopez, Sicilian, Nimzo-Indian and Queens-Indian included with a detailed move by move analysis).

---- All of the basic tactics are covered such as the "pin", "skewer", "fork", "hanging piece", "discovered attack", etc... Later in the book more advanced tactics are covered like sacrifices on "f7".

----- The most important opening traps of importance for a beginner are covered including how to defend against the Scholar's Mate, etc...

------ Checkmate patterns are covered (mates on "f7", on the "h4-e8 and h5-e8" diagonals, smothered mate, back rank mates, etc...).

------- Endgames with the checkmate with 2 rooks, a lone Queen and a lone King are taught. Then important simple King and Pawn endgames are included.

-------- How Rooks should be used (opening files, doubling, placement on the seventh rank) and Pawn Weaknesses and Structures are covered (isolated, doubled, backward) with the whys and hows.

--------- Two next complete games are given with every move analyzed. These games have many ideas covered earlier in the book and set you up for the same author's next book, UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS FOR JUNIORS if you like this learning format. After that then MORE UNBEATABLE CHESS FOR JUNIORS.

---------- Continuing to improve with important advice and how to read the old descriptive chess notation that other books may have is in the last lesson. An introduction to the world of chess is given, without over doing it.

----------- A continuation book covering more tactics, openings and endgames taking over where CHESS FOR JUNIORS leaves off is provided in WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS.

THE AUTHOR: his vast experience (over 30 years and having introduced over 170,000 kids to chess) goes into the making of this book, which has gone through a couple of updated revisions to keep things reasonably current (first edition was 1991, but there was an update around 2002). He has produced a national record 36 first placers in championship sections at the National Championships.

In the works I have been informed is that a fifth book will soon be published in the series called: WINNING CHESS TRAPS FOR JUNIORS (containing detailed analysis; an enhancement for learning your openings while learning tactics). I hear that the entire series, when completed will be 6-7 books. I look forward to the release of WINNING CHESS TRAPS FOR JUNIORS.

I run two after school chess programs at elementary schools and use "Chess for Juniors" as the text book. At first I was disapointed to see that this book has become difficult to get (if you can get a used copy grab it!). However, I found out is is going through a complete revision and will be a second edition when released later this year (as well as the entire "Chess for Juniors" series of books, including some new ones to be released).
"Chess for Juniors" is the perfect text book for teachers who are running a class for elementary age students on up (yes, it is suitable for a class for adults) beginning with an introduction to the basic rules and leading into a lot of basic material on strategy found in all aspects of the game.
What I found that sets "Chess for Juniors" (and the entire series) in a class by itself is the readability (ease of understanding the material) and comprehensiveness of the book.
Whereas, a 3rd grade reader of average reading skill can understand it, it is not going to insult an adult who wants to learn from it. It is is structured so any teacher conducting a class can easily follow the building lessons (it provides the perfect format for a ready-made class outline!).
Please hurry with the second edition!!!

Our seventh grade class is being graded for reviews appearning on amazon.com. Several chess club members with the same book, "Chess for Juniors" have choosen to write reviews on it. I hope I get an "A".
"Chess for Juniors" is very unique among all of the books that teach basic rules and strategy for the first time chess reader or advanced beginner and here are some of the reasons I say this:

a. It is written at about a 5th grade reading skill level (though most students a couple grades lower will have no troubles reading it). Most of the other books I have seen for kids have lots of graphics/pictures but the reading skill level is more at a high school skill level.

b. The sentence structure and order of presentation makes it so that it is very clear and understandable. This is because it is based on the experience the author has has attained by having presented the lessons in his book to over 170,000 children in schools.

c. There is more than enough material in the book to take a student from absolute beginner to an intermediate skill level. Too many beginning books have more pictures than content.

d. Lots of diagrams illustrating positions and problems to work on. Often the book will have you solve a problem. There are lots of tactics and checkmates to work on. This includes opening traps.

e. Important things such as your pawn structure (pawn chain, doubled, isolated, backward), use of rooks (open files, doubling them, getting on seventh rank) and roles of pieces in the opening are presented.

f. A nice opening system well designed for a new player is introduced with the ideas behind the moves.

g. The index at the back makes finding almost anything in the book easy.

h. The introductory endgames are checkmates with a Queen, Two Rooks, One Rook, King and Pawn(s) with opposition is excellent!

i. Two complete games where all the moves are analyzed are toward the back of the book. This is also the setting for two more books by the same author, with the next book using games like this being "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors".

j. The lessons are progressive using a building lesson by lesson idea. You will not find you have to learn everything about one subject (example: the opening, or endgame or a type of tactic) all in one chapter. This makes it more enjoyable and keeps your interest up.

k. Funny stories, rymes and sayings entertain and help you remember (a few examples: "a Knight on the Rim is Dim, its chances are very slim", or "in chess the pin is mightier than the sword", and the "Dumb but Happy Kindgdom" is a play on the "Never Ending Story" about an apparently hopeless situation where an ingenious Knight solves a difficult problem and saves the kingdom, and the "Dumb Computer" about an early version computer that was never programed not to bring its Queen out too early - absolutely halarious).

l. A book that a teacher or chess coach can use (not to mention parents or adults period) as part of their chess program text book (like at our chess club). The Table of Contents is not only useful for a regular user of the book, but forms a perfect class outline of what is to be covered.

Have I said enough to convince you that is is a top quality book and the best selling chess book for a good reason? This would also make a GREAT BIRTHDAY OR CHRISTMAS GIFT for anyone who is just learning or just beyond the beginning stage (a great first chess book!).

We use "CHESS FOR JUNIORS" at our school chess class and it has helped me learn all of the rules properly and strategy BIG TIME! It is fun to read and even the kids in 3rd and 4th grade like it (we go up to 6th grade at the club). I like it because it spends time teaching you all parts of chess and doesn't use up lots of space with pictures that do not teach you much (I want to learn chess not art when reading a chess book, though I do like art but will get an art book for that - ha, ha, ha....).
This book rules!

I can recommend "Chess for Juniors" to anyone starting chess. Or, if you have been playing without any formal instruction, and think you know a lot, then this book will open your eyes!
Many people go for years playing chess without even knowing about the "en passant" rule, or all the rules behind how to castle. "Chess for Juniors" does an extensive job of covering every rule you need to know to play properly.
However, "Chess for Juniors" then goes into strategy covering the ideas behind the openings, with actual examples, getting you started on end games, covers checkmates and how to use pins, forks and other tactics in detail. Example games are given along with a very well put together index that makes it easy to look up almost everything in the book. I also noted that the book has been revised and updated recently (it was first published in 1991 and contains references to updated websites and more recent information).
I got this book for my child (age 9), but I ended reading the entire book myself as well!

"CHESS FOR JUNIORS" covers everything you need to know about starting chess.
IT SITS ON THE FAMILY COFFEE TABLE and we have family chess night every Sunday evening. Every rule we need to know is in it. The table of contents and index allows you to find something to go back. No arguments about how EN PASSANT works. Can you castle on the side of the board where your rook must pass over a square that is attacked by an enemy piece? Well, the rules of castling are completely covered! Want to learn some openings? Need to Know how to checkmate with just a King and Queen (or Rook) left on the board? Do you know how to win using the Opposition in an endgame with just one Pawn left (or use the same when it is a draw?). Learn Petroff's trap, How to stop a Scholars Mate, Philidors legacy mate, Legals mate, how to sacrifice against the weak f7 square. Placing Rooks on opening files, doubled, backward, isolated pawns are weak - and why? Problems to solve to help you learn!
This book may use the building lessons to teach you, but when you are done you will want to keep it to teach others (because it is a fun book to learn from) and it should sit on your coffee table as a GREAT REFERENCE book too!

Our local elementary school has an ongoing chess program that meets twice a week (my 6th grade son may also write a review here about this book). CHESS FOR JUNIORS is the basic text book for the program (where I assist).
It has a wonderful lay out well designed for the third to sixth grade students in the class. Easy to read and very clear! Well organized and lots of material to last any program for up to a school year (depending on how long and how often lessons are given using the material in the book). To refer to material at any point between the table of contents and a nice index things are easy to locate (terms, openings, rules and much more).
This is a perfect book for children or adults, either with or without having a chess teacher to go along with the book.