Opening Moves : The Making of a Young Chess Champion: Michael Thaler [Hardcover]

Barry Berg (Author), David Hautzig (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Michael Thaler always loved puzzles, so his mother gave him a chess set before he entered kindergarten and hired a teacher to show him how to play the game. After the first lesson, the teacher told Michael's parents, "I've never seen anyone learn chess so quickly. Your son will be a master before he is ten years old". The teacher's words have proven to be prophetic -- Michael has won the national championship for his age group twice. Opening Moves is a glimpse of a young boy discovering his talent, finding the keys to success in chess, as well as dealing with defeat, and all the time learning important life lessons. Complete descriptions of key matches and an afterword by Michael's father, who addresses other parents who have placed or are considering placing children competitive chess situations, make this is a book that young chess players and their families will want to own.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5-Michael Thaler's passion for chess at age six and his rise to become a national championship player are described in an engaging manner. Short chapters tell about the boy's thirst for the game, his development as a player, and the lessons he has learned from chess, including patience and planning. The author also analyzes three of the boy's games and includes an afterword by his father on his reaction to competitive tournaments. Throughout the book, Thaler remains a child who also enjoys playing the piano and Little League baseball. Large, full-color photographs enhance the author's descriptions of the youngster's development. While well written, the book's appeal may be limited to children interested in chess or biographies of other youngsters.
Janice C. Hayes, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreeboro
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Eight-year-old Michael Thaler discovered chess at the age of four and won his first match barely a week later. Since then he has continued to study and play, winning numerous championships and tournaments. This perceptive book, with photos by David Hautzig, details how Michael pursues his passion, even as he lives life as a regular kid. Michael shares the seven lessons he has learned from chess (prepare, respect your opponent, focus, be patient, develop a plan, and win and lose with grace) as Berg recounts the plays from several of Michael's crucial games, and Michael's father offers parental perspective. There are clear pictures of chess boards and full-color photographs of Michael and his family at home and in tournament play. An appealing portrait of a seemingly down-to-earth child, this will make a popular introduction to an ancient game and should encourage other aspiring young chess masters. Kay Weisman

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316913391
• ISBN-13: 978-0316913393
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,932,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice to look at, but...., November 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Opening Moves : The Making of a Young Chess Champion: Michael Thaler (Hardcover)

This book falls way short of my expectations. The book has a grand total of 44 pages -- and 3 of those are totally blank sheets. If you're expecting a story even remotely similar to "Searching for Bobby Fischer" you will be very disappointed. If the Waitzkin book is a 10 on the chess prodigy scale then this would surely be a 2 at best. The editorial reviews are almost as long as the book and tell you exactly what's in the book. There is nothing more. If you expect to learn much of anything about this kid you will surely be disappointed. The chapter by Mr. Thaler is the best but only a couple pages long. It is a nicely produced book -- slick paper, hardcover, color photographs -- but the real content could have been summed up in probably less than 10 pages. If you find a copy to borrow and skim it for review you'll have already read the entire book. Save your money. It get's two stars only for the production value of the book and very very limited content.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars superficial fluff, October 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Opening Moves : The Making of a Young Chess Champion: Michael Thaler (Hardcover)

This book does not convey much of anything. Save your time and money. Read Searching for Bobby Fischer. The details and honesty are lacking in this made for MTV summary of kindergartener makes good.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jonathan Winer Review 1/16/01, January 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Opening Moves : The Making of a Young Chess Champion: Michael Thaler (Hardcover)

please go to ............................ to see an in-depth review of this book from an adult chess players point of view. In fact, the reviewer, Mr. Winer actually played Michael Thaler at an open tournament in Wash.DC last year and had some astute and very positive, thought provoking conclusions about the value and content of this book. This book is clearly a wonderful primer for the young chess player both from a practical standpoint as well as a guide to the rules of preparation for all challenges to the young student.