Starting Out in Checkers (Paperback)

by Richard Pask (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Checkers (known as Draughts in the UK) is perhaps the world's best known board game with its history being traced back more than 3,500 years.

The attraction of the game is that, despite the great simplicity of the rules, highly complex play can result.

In this user-friendly introduction to the game, Checkers grandmaster Richard Pask provides newcomers to the game with a thorough grounding in the essentials of play.

From the Back Cover
Checkers (known as Draughts in the UK) is perhaps the world's best known board game with its history being traced back more than 3,500 years. The attraction of the game is that, despite the great simplicity of the rules, highly complex play can result. In this user-friendly introduction to the game, Checkers grandmaster Richard Pask provides newcomers to the game with a thorough grounding in the essentials of play. (6 3/4 x 9 1/2, 128 pages, diagrams)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Everyman Chess; 1st edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857442636
• ISBN-13: 978-1857442632
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #206,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings, March 15, 2004

By	Brandon Corfman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's no question that Richard Pask knows what he's talking about, but I am a beginner in checkers, and I found this book very daunting. After a quick introduction, the book begins to teach 9 basic strategies (2-for-1, 3-for-2, fork, rebound, breeches, etc.) along with presenting several examples of each. After that, the book then shows many miscellaneous illustrations of other moves that don't fit into the previous 9 strategies. By this time, the book is well into over 100 examples (!) with only terse commentary. I just don't find it very easy to read, and I lost interest before even getting to the later chapters.

I was much happier to find Millard Hopper's book "How to Win at Checkers" at my university library. I'm sure it is not as complete as Pask's book, but for me, it is actually enjoyable to read. I also get the feeling that the Hopper book builds on each example, introducing only one or two more logical steps between board configurations. This is something that Pask's book could have used: fewer examples, with better connections between them.

Sorry, I really want to like "Starting Out in Checkers". It seems there's a lot of good material there; it's just presented too quickly and without enough explanation.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Starting Out In Checkers" - a great book, July 26, 2002

By	MR IAN G HUNT (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I have completed a first reading of all the material in this book and I am now involved in studying it more deeply. Already I can say that this is a fantastic book, with everything you need to get started and to reach an advanced level if you are serious about wanting to get good at checkers.

Some sample pages that I previously saw on the web were extremely unrepresentative of the book and they put me off buying it - but then I saw it in a bookstore - and I changed my mind!

What I particularly like about the book is the way that all the major elements of the endgame, midgame and openings are dealt with in a very systematic, methodical and thorough way. Many more key situations are dealt with (and given memorable names) than I have seen in any other book or website.

The explanations and also very clear and the examples well chosen.

Study methods and the general approach to the game are also discussed as well as the technical details. Each chapter also has a useful summary.

For the sake of this review, I looked hard for something to criticise - sorry, I couldn't find anything! Enjoy.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Course of Study of High Quality, August 25, 2002

By	Mr. Fred (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This book is the highest quality, best organized, and most thorough book on the market for beginner to intermediate study. It amounts to a complete course in checkers.

The book contains material about all facets of the game, presented in careful order, with good illustrations and other excellent learning devices (such as easy-to-remember names for various game themes). The book offers a very rare combination of accessibility for casual browsing when time is limited, and material for serious study over a more extended period. But obviously to benefit the most, a serious study of the complete book is in order. Mastering this book, in fact, should put you well ahead of the average club player, and in a good position for study of more advanced literature.

The book treats openings a bit lightly, keeping the rating from just quite reaching five stars. Four and a half stars would actually be a better call.

If your library includes this book, Reinfeld's book, and Pike's two puzzle books, you have a great checkers collection at a very modest cost.