The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles! (Everyman Chess) [Paperback]

Richard Palliser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

All top chess players agree that to keep your tactical muscles in shape it’s imperative to continue training, and the easiest and most fun way to do this is by performing tactical exercises. Even solving a few puzzles for ten minutes each day can be of utmost benefit for the aspiring player. But where can one find the required number of suitable puzzles to satisfy this demand?

Look no further than The Complete Chess Workout. In this book, tactics expert Richard Palliser presents the reader with a massive 1500 puzzles, all checked for accuracy by the latest computer engines. There is something for players of all levels here: many basic tactics – forks, pins, skewers and checkmates – to appeal to beginners and improvers, and a considerable number of brain-teasers that will tax even the strongest of players. Palliser has meticulously collected puzzles from practical play in recent years – a large percentage of the exercises here will be completely new to most readers. All the important tactical themes are covered, while there are special sections on opening traps and endgames. Work your way through this book, and your opponents will soon be on the receiving end of your increased tactical powers!

*A comprehensive training manual for chess tactics
*Ideal for all levels of player
*All puzzles checked by computer engines

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Simply masterful’
- Grandmaster Glenn Flear reviewing Palliser’s Tango! for New In Chess.

‘Palliser is an admirably reliable guide’
- British Chess Magazine’s review of Palliser’s Bb5 Sicilian.

From the Back Cover

All top chess players agree that to keep your tactical muscles in shape it’s imperative to continue training, and the easiest and most fun way to do this is by performing tactical exercises. Even solving a few puzzles for ten minutes each day can be of utmost benefit for the aspiring player. But where can one find the required number of suitable puzzles to satisfy this demand?
Look no further than The Complete Chess Workout. In this book, tactics expert Richard Palliser presents the reader with a massive 1500 puzzles, all checked for accuracy by the latest computer engines. There is something for players of all levels here: many basic tactics – forks, pins, skewers and checkmates – to appeal to beginners and improvers, and a considerable number of brain-teasers that will tax even the strongest of players. Palliser has meticulously collected puzzles from practical play in recent years – a large percentage of the exercises here will be completely new to most readers. All the important tactical themes are covered, while there are special sections on opening traps and endgames. Work your way through this book, and your opponents will soon be on the receiving end of your increased tactical powers!

*A comprehensive training manual for chess tactics
*Ideal for all levels of player
*All puzzles checked by computer engines

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Everyman Chess; 1st edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857445325
• ISBN-13: 978-1857445329
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good exercise book on chess tactics, December 25, 2007

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles! (Everyman Chess) (Paperback)

Yes, there are other books on chess tactics. But I like this one. The problems are not too difficult, and they feel like the sorts of positions that one might not only come across in a game, but ones in which one would actually be looking for the kinds of combinations that work here. I like the fact that the reader is not warned what the theme is of the various combinations.

I recommend this book. Those who want to try other (and somewhat tougher) books as well might want to look at "Test Your Chess IQ" by Livshitz or "Perfect Your Chess" by Volokitin and Grabinsky.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best chess problem book for intermediate players., November 19, 2008

By 

M. Wang (CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles! (Everyman Chess) (Paperback)

With 1200 problems in its collection, this book looks like another quantity-over-quality compilation at first. Not so. From the first page on, I was immensely impressed by the author's careful selection and ordering of these puzzles. Not only are they challenging, but they are also all from actual competitive games, most of which occurred in tournaments of the last decade. Basically, the author condensed these tournaments to their most exciting moments and presented these highlights for the readers to enjoy, one after another. As a bonus, the year, the tournament and the players are all listed, so it is quite straightforward to look them up in a database and find out how any game ended up in the particular situation.

I think this book will be enjoyable to anyone between 1200 and 2000. I do not agree with the previous reviewer, however, on the claim that chess and family are mutually exclusive. In fact, I am reading this book so as to delay falling behind my son in chess. Oh, the joy of rearing a child!

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, fantastic!!!, December 11, 2007

By 

Wan Koon Yat "wankoonyat" (North Point Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles! (Everyman Chess) (Paperback)

Richard Pallisar has done a good job!! The good points and the book layout have been mentioned by another reviewer. I just want to make a few words that, to master tactics, one has to do them everyday so that those typical motifs are engraved in your memory, but the problem as mentioned in this book's editorial, is that is there enough puzzles for solving for a considerable period of time. I think this book, with Combinative motifs, Sharpen your tactics, Manual of combination 2 and 3, along with 1000 combination gems you should know, would keep you busy at least 2 - 3 years and one tactical vision as well as the rating would improve as well. I strongly recommend this book!!!