Customer Reviews

Simple Checkmates (Discovering Chess)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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This is like a workbook of checkmates. It is a perfect book for a beginner and has hundreds of simple (very basic) checkmate positions to find the checkmate in. I like this a lot better than "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" because it has a lot more problems. There are not a lot of books that teach basic checkmates in a workbook form so get this book if you are a real beginner before going to the next step where I recommend "1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate" and "Winning Chess Traps for Juniors".

My teacher in school uses this book to set up problems for us to solve!

I use this book at the gym while I'm exercising. That forces me to see the patterns without thinking too much. I am trying to see the solutions as quickly as possible. Chess is pattern-matching (i.e. tactics) first, strategy second, and MAYBE memorization of opening lines a distant third.

This is the method suggested in Rapid Chess Improvement. After you've completely mastered these positions, so that you solve them instantly, you can proceed to a harder set, maybe something by Reinfeld.

The format is designed for children, but that doesn't bother me at all. If it makes you feel better, donate it to a child after you've read it 5 times.

If you know next to nothing about chess and would like an unchallenging exercise in learning the basic mates, then this book is for you. If you are above the rank beginner stage, you can spend your money better buying another book. Koltanowski & Finklestein's "Checkmate!" entertains as it educates, and it challenges your grey matter too. Renaud & Kahn's "Art of the Checkmate" is another good primer, probably more scholarly than "Checkmate!" but not as entertaining. Once you've read either of those two books, go to Fred Reinfeld's "Win at Chess," a brief collection of mating problems divided into 1 movers, 2 movers, and 3 movers. When you get through with that, buy Reinfeld's "1001 Checkmates," and unless you're an expert or master, you'll have all the mating problems you'll ever need for practice.

This book is great preparation work before taking on Fred Reinfeld's classic 1001 Checkmates book. I really like the format, which is two problems on each page, with the answers at the bottom. This is a lot easier than having to flip to the back of the book to find the answer.

The book starts off with a bunch of mate in one problems, and then moves on to the mate in two problems. It is crucial for chess players to really ingrain these patterns into their head, especially if you like to play speed chess. There are about 430 problems all together.

If your rating is under 1000 you definitely need this book. If you are under 1400 it might still be good, so that you can make sure you can see the answers quickly. Most of them should pop out at you, so that in a five minute game you don't even have to think of it. These are the types of micro drills that Michael de la Maza talks about in his how to gain 400 points in 400 days articles that are critical to know.

good luck!

This book does a great job of helping the reader develop a really strong feeling for the strategies of chess. All of the exercises are in the form of mate-in-one or mate-in-two puzzles, but they are carefully crafted to illustrate the power of different pieces, and how different pieces may work together. This new insight improves one's games tremendously.

You don't have to be a rank novice to benefit from this book. It can be of help even to people who have played the game, but who just want to broaden their understanding.

Also, since the material is presented in the form of puzzles, it doesn't contain wordy discussion of strategies. This is good in two ways: 1) it helps develop your ability to see the strategies directly on the board during a game, and 2) it makes this a perfect book for kids (I've used it with kids as young as 8, with a lot of success).

As a long-time casual chess player who recently decided to take his chess to the next level and begin to learn more about this wonderful game, I found this book simply outstanding.

The layout of the book is uncluttered, with two problems per page and the answers to these problems listed at the bottom of the page. This feature adds greatly to the "user-friendly" nature of the book and avoids repeated excursions to the back of the book, which in a book of this nature (with over 400 problems to solve) would be a major headache.

There is instructional content in this book, but it is clear, concise and doesn't detract from the purpose of the book: to impart an understanding of basic mating concepts in chess and a recognition of these patterns in gameplay.

I would still consider myself a beginner to intermediate level player but it has helped me immensely in my understanding of this aspect of chess.

I own 20-25 chess books and this is the one I pick up most often. It sharpens my game quicker than any other book I own. After I breeze through the majority of this book (30 min.) my mind is constantly looking for two move tactics on the board. I usually play quick timed games (1 & 2 min games) so the tactics pay off big for me. After tuning my game w/ this book I am a different player. --- Seriously.

SW

This is one of the first books to use to learn chess. After you or your child know how the pieces move, the object is to look at the diagram and find a checkmate.

Most books of this type have problems that are over the heads of beginners. This book is on target.

Part of learning how to do checkmate in two moves is to know checkmate when you see it, and to be able to later back up a step and find that same mate again one and then two moves away. In this light the book starts with checkmates. It shows you positions that are checkmate. You will see some patterns you haven't used yet. Even if you are an adult player, do not underestimate this. If you keep the book somewhere that you will have a moment or two to stare at it, ( like by your phone, ) you will discover that over time you get familiar with many patterns. Then you find the checkmates in one and the ones later in two come a lot easier.

Another advantage to this book is because it is light material, it is suitable for times when you just want something really light, such as right before sleep.

If you dont own the book, get the book. It is very inexpensive.
I own 2 copies.

I also like the fact that the answers are at the bottom of the page which keeps a student from having to flip through the book to check their answer.

BR>yes real girls play chess

This book begins with a few diagrams showing standard mating positions with various configurations of pieces and pawns. It then givesthe student 116 diagrams with White to mate in one. The early positions are very simple and they get more complicated as the book progresses. The second part has over 300 mates-in-two. Again, the early ones are painfully simple and progress to more sophisticated positions. This is a perfect book for young (and older) beginners. It bridges the gap between learning the rules of how the pieces move and having it be a perceptual habit. It demands work from the reader but rewards the reader with many opportunities for success. Highly recommended for scolastic coaches and chess teachers.

Our small year-round school (3rd-12th grade) has used this book regularly since the chess club was founded. New club members join every quarter but are generally not strong players, so they seldom reach checkmate opportunities in club play.

We give each student a double-page spread (4 problems) to solve without marking up the book: we cover the answers, then students must point out the checkmate to an adult or a stronger player. This way the book can be used again and again. Solving 4 puzzles or 8 in the course of a club meeting is a nice short exercise for even the most hyper students.

Students start out with the 1-move puzzles and move on to 2-moves as they get stronger. This practical, repeated exposure to basic mates starts showing up in their own games.

I've seen a 10th grader improve his skills by regular practice with the book, but have also used it successfully with my 6-year-old daughter (who plays USCF tournaments). I definitely see a correlation in beginners who use these puzzles often and their growing skill in tournament chess. Of course, as the other reviewers have pointed out, this is only one element of chess training.