Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess [Paperback]

Jon Edwards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2006 | Series: Teach Yourself Visually

Chess is a mental game, but you don't have to strain your brain to learn the basics—not with this guide that shows you how to play. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess covers how to set up the board, how each piece moves, opening strategies and variations, attacking themes and common sacrifices, and more. Photos of the board let you see strategies in action. For hands-on practice, you can even set up your board and make your moves as you learn. With this book and practice, you'll be saying "Checkmate" in no time.

• Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review
• Each move or tactic is clearly explained
• Explanations accompany each photo
• Color photos and diagrams show key positions, strategies, and moves
• Helpful tips provide additional guidance

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JON EDWARDS, Ph.D., is a United States Correspondence Chess Champion and a Senior International Master. He has authored seven previous books on chess and has been a chess instructor since 1976. He is the webmaster of Chess is Fun, a site that provides chess instruction to players of all ages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Visual; 1 edition (December 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470049839
• ISBN-13: 978-0470049839
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon Edwards won the 10th United States Correspondence Championship in 1997 and the 8th North American Invitational Correspondence Chess Championship in 1999. He is a four time winner of the APCT (American Postal Chess Tournaments) Championship and a two time winner of the APCT Game of the Year Award. He received his correspondence International Master (IM) in 1997, his Senior International Master (SIM) in 1999. He has competed on the United States Correspondence Chess Olympiad team, reaching the final round. His correspondence ICCF rating of 2580 places him in the top 200 correspondence chess players worldwide.

He has written more than 20 chess books, notably including The Chess Analyst (Thinkers Press, 1999) which chronicles the success in the US championship, Teach Yourself Visually: Chess (Wiley, 2006), a photographically based chess primer, and Sacking the Citadel: The History, Theory, and Practice of the Classic Bishop Sacrifice (Russell Enterprises, 2011). He is also web master of Chess is Fun [www.queensac.com], a popular chess instruction web site that receives more than 100,000 hits a week.

Jon writes a regular column, Tacticly Speaking, for Chess Life for Kids.

Most recently, Jon has started a new series of instructional chess books, Chess is Fun, right here on Amazon.

Jon provides chess instruction in the Princeton, NJ area. He has taught chess to more than 1,500 students over 30 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very effective presentation, December 14, 2006

By 

chessguy "chess fan" (Northeast US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess (Paperback)

Most chess books for beginners are simply awful. It's quite refreshing to see a book like this. High resolution photographs of the board really make a difference. The writing is remarkably clear and free of jargon. Lots of great players unfortunately are ineffective teachers. Not so here. The author has his chess accomplishments, but more important he has taught the game for 30 years. It makes a difference and it shows.

What impressed me most is how far the book will take you. There are the usual basics. Some very effective sections on openings, middlegame, and endgame play, including a section on the five steps to victory that you won't find in any other beginner's book on chess. If you casually compare this volume to the other chess books for novices, you'll quickly agree that this is the way to go.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best overview of the entire game to be found, December 4, 2007

By 

Zaine Ridling (Missouri, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess (Paperback)

'chessguy' nails it -- Jon Edwards is a great teacher because of what he does not write. Leaving aside anything that does not get you up and running as a player with a clear understanding of the game's rules, tactics, and traditional strategies, this book is pure gold and betrays its simplistic visual "series" title. There's far more here than meets the eye. If you work your way through the book with a chessboard in front of you, it will go quickly.

As a beginner in 2007, I bought over 50 chess books. However, this book was the most helpful of all of them. If you're buying someone you know who's recently become interested in chess a book, Jon Edwards won't let you down.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Visual Learners, July 14, 2008

By 

Auburn Annie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess (Paperback)

This book is so easy to read, makes the concepts so clear for a beginner, I keep it at my side. Very well written. Every beginner should have it.
Annie