Simple Checkmates (Paperback)

by A.J. Gilliam (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Here is the classic guide to winning chess for beginners. Recommended by chess coaches the world over, it presents a wide range of specific chess positions and asks the reader to find the next move or series of moves that lead to checkmate -- with two diagrams per page and the answers spelled out underneath.

The beauty of Simple Checkmates is that it turns learning into a game. It's fun, it's fascinating, it's fundamental -- an invaluable tool for anyone who wants not only to play chess, but to win at chess. With more than 430 diagrams in all, this book is certain to take you -- or your children -- to a whole new level op play.

From the Inside Flap
Here is the classic guide to winning chess for beginners. Recommended by chess coaches the world over, it presents a wide range of specific chess positions and asks the reader to find the next move or series of moves that lead to checkmate -- with two diagrams per page and the answers spelled out underneath.

The beauty of Simple Checkmates is that it turns learning into a game. It's fun, it's fascinating, it's fundamental -- an invaluable tool for anyone who wants not only to play chess, but to win at chess. With more than 430 diagrams in all, this book is certain to take you -- or your children -- to a whole new level op play.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034540307X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345403070
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #165,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Beginner's Book to Practice Checkmates, July 20, 2006

A Kid's Review

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!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible. Not just for beginners., February 4, 2003

By	C. Dunn "independent thinker" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Accent is on Simple, July 1, 2000

By	George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.