The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition [Paperback]

Patrick Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2005 | Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

Don't make a move without it.

Written by a U.S. Chess Champion, International Chess Grandmaster, and longtime instructor, this book includes information for both novice and expert, including over 400 illustrated chessboards and photos; over 20 pages of detailed answer key notes; a completely new chapter on new evidence about chess and its impact on brain power; a guide to the art of chess collectibles; and more.

• Foreword by Larry Evans, former International Grandmaster and author of 20 highly acclaimed chess books and a popular monthly advice column in Chess Life
• Strong sales for previous editions
• For the beginner or the champ, and for young and old
• Author has a high profile in the chess community

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patrick Wolff is a two-time U.S. Chess Champion (1992 and 1995) and an International Chess Grand-master. Patrick writes a chess column for the Boston Globe.  In addition, he has been a chess coach and instructor and has appeared in several instructional chess videos.

 

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 3 edition (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592573169
• ISBN-13: 978-1592573165
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Chess

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Chess books for Beginners, August 18, 2006

By 

J. W. Ward (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition (Paperback)

I have been playing Chess casually for many years. Only recently have I taken it upon myself to try to further my understanding of this game. Idiots Guide is an excellent start for the list of books I have compiled on the topic, based on other users recommendations. The book is broken up into 4 sections, with the first 3 being relevant to the rules of the game, strategy, tactic, and such. The 4th section is more of a tidbits and trivia section containing short biographies of the who's who in chess, which in itself can be pretty interesting. However, the meat of the book is in the first 3 sections. The author shows step by step the various games that demonstrate the principles. The overall writing style is simple and easy to understand. Personally, I felt that this book was too strong to be in the same category as the "Idiots Guides" or the "For Dummies" books. The end section gives a good list of follow up books also, which I also plan to read.

126 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Difficult and Not Easy To Understand at Times, August 12, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition (Paperback)

Some of the time the instruction and material was just fine. But then something was introduced that seemed out of place or not well explained. Some rewording and some reorganizing is needed in "The complete Idiot's Guild to Chess". There is no problem with it having a lot in it, it is just how it is presented and explained. After looking around I ended up with a complete beginner's guild to chess that was directed at my age, easy to understand and had lots of material.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Idiot, January 31, 2009

By 

Marion Riani "Avid reader." (Fl, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition (Paperback)

I'm 70 years old and picked Chess for my mental exercise during 2009. Hey ! It's working ! The Guide is really very clear and presents Chess in an interesting way so one doesn't get lost or overwhelmed by it. Great book to start Chess with.