Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a firm believer that tactical work books, books on chess traps in the opening, and going over analysis of instructive games are the best type of books to improve your play.

There are one thousand nicely choosen problmes containing some of the more important tactical patterns that will prove helpful in actual play. I don't like problems that are composed and have patterns that you would never come across in real play.

A suggestion for improving most tactics work books. I would like to see a building of the same tactical pattern. Start of with a simple use of a knight fork, then make it so that the same type of knight fork must be found in two moves, then an even more complicated position that requires ideas to set up that knight fork in 3 or 4 moves!!! Are there any tactics work books that do that with at least 500+ problems? Yet to be seen.

It is all in the selection of the puzzles and their organization. No doubt about it book that teach you tactics that are well written and organized is key to improving to tactical pattern recognition. There are two ways to go about it. Getting books on short games containing traps in the openings (learning tactics and the ideas behind the openings at the same time while using complete short games). Actually that is my favorite way to learn tactics.
The other very good way is to have a book provide tactical problems for you to solve. "The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book" really has gathered over a thousand positions that contain the most important tactical ideas. They are arranged so that you progress logically. I found the organization and selection of the problems in this book by "Emms" to be far better that the massive "5334 Chess Puzzle" book that had so many problems simply insterted to make it "big". Too many, disjointed problems, not well organized in sequence" I feel is just confusing and is not an efficient way of getting what is important across to the student. Big doesn't mean better! And, around 1000 puzzles is just about the right size! Plenty of problmes, but not overwhelming the student with unimportant materal that is just filler. I recomment to improve your tactics get a good book on Chess Traps (opening tactics) and "The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book! You will have it all!

Highly recommended, the best book for tactical improvement. So why do I only give it 4 stars? The reason for this is that some diagrams/puzzles are repeated in this book. For instance, puzzle 53 is the same as 113, 59 the same as 114. Not good, but I think not only Emms is to be blamed for this, but the whole staff at Gambitbooks. But this shouldn't keep you from buying the book; this is an excellent chess puzzle book for tactical training. My advice about books on tactical improvement depending on the rating:

900-1100 : Chess Tactics for Student
1300-1600: Winning Chess Exercises for Kids
1700-2000: The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book
2000-> : John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book.

The book provides clear instructions and you will be able to easily answer the puzzles as the initial sections of each chapter provides useful hints on how to solve them. At the later part of the chapters, there are no hints so you will be able to solve some of them on your own.

It covers all types of puzzles - from easy to very difficult so chess players of all levels can make use of this book. There are also some tests that will allow you to gauge your level in solving puzzles - just don't take the rating so seriously especially if you have already solved some of the test puzzles in the past.

I should have given 5 stars for this book but I just have a slight difference in opinion in puzzle #195. The solution in the book says 1. Bd5!! leading to mate but actually it only gains material and a comfortable endgame after 1... Qxb2 2. Bxg8 Qg7.

White should have won decisively after 1. Rxf5!! Qxb2 (1... gxf5?? 2. Qf6++; 1... Rd7 2. Rf7! Rxf7 3. Nxf7+ Bxf7 4. Qf8+ Bg8 5. Qf6++) 2. Nf7+ Bxf7 3. Rxf7 Qa1+ 4. Kf2 Qd4+ 5. Kf1 Qa1+ 6. Ke2 Re8+ (6... Qe5+ 7. Be4!; 6... Nd4+ Kf2!) 7. Be4!

But overall, this book will help you improve your game. Happy reading! :)

Need to sharpen your skills? Weary of the same, old tired examples you see in most problem books? Would you like a chess problem book that was composed by a Grand-Master? Would you like some elementary problems? Then would you want some intermediate checkmate problems? Would you [definitely] like some very advanced puzzles? Maybe a section drawn from old Soviet Championships? Some tests to check your progress and grade your skills? Maybe some endgame puzzles followed by, "The Ultimate Challenge." ???

If you answered yes to any, most, or all of the above questions, then this is the book for you. GM's like Larry Evans have said basic tactical skill is the very first prerequisite to approaching chess mastery. This is the book to help you hone those most basic of all chess skills. Contained within the covers are 1001 original puzzles, all computer checked to insure accuracy. There is even a section on finding the wrong move! Great practice and great fun too! Highly recommended.

If you plan on buying one book on solving tactical problems, I strongly recommend this one. As the problems have all been computer-checked for accuracy, I think it's worth paying a little more than what you'd pay for other combination books. Also, there are so many similar books that aren't very good, you'll save money by getting it right the first time and steering clear of the junk. John Emms is a good writer and most of the books published by Gambit are first-rate. I don't know any serious chessplayers who would be disappointed by this book.

After reading about the infamous seven cycles, I was willing to give tactics training a try. I had an FICS rating near 1800 (which correlates to about 1640 USCF) and consider myself a fairly strong amateur. After reading the reviews of this and other puzzle books, I selected this one. I've worked through 276 problems in the course of two weeks and my observations are as follows.

The degree of difficulty for puzzles varies widely, and they often go from a string of difficult ones to duh - so easy ones with no warning. Emms says things like "the following puzzles vary in difficulty from 2-4" with no explanation of what that means. None of the problems have a difficulty rating under them, which would greatly ease the use of the book for those, like myself, for whom some problems are just too difficult to attempt. Often, one is required to calculate complicated positions out 14-18 moves, with quite a few variations, in order to solve these problems. (Note: a move is a move by either side, so in notation, 14 moves would conclude with each side making 7 moves.). The presence of these problems with no warning leads to frustration. I can do 8 moves readily, and 10 with difficulty, but only if lines are fairly clear with few options. Once you get three lines 7-8 moves out, I get lost. Other problems are immediately obvious to me, and require no calculation at all - some are 1 move problems!

The first 112 "elementary problems" were about perfect for me. I got most of them, some with difficulty, but still missed maybe 1/10. After just those problems, my rating jumped and I immediately felt a difference in my tactical ability. But now, 1/4 of the way through, frustration with problems that I simply cannot get at this point has led me to put the book on the shelf and I'm getting a book that is a step down in difficulty.

If the book added a star rating for each problem with a difficulty level so I could skip the ones that are over my head, or if they were arranged from easiest to hardest, I would find this book much better. But the random changes in difficulty do not encourage me to keep working. I simply look at the solutions and say, "Oh, I never would have figured that out.". A patzer I my be, but this book is beyond me in its current form.

I am a beginner at chess, and was looking for something like this to challenge my mind in short spurts. The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book is enticing, engaging, and complete enough to make me hate to put it down.

My only complaint is that I wish there was a travel-size edition, as this is large enough to not want to take on the plane.

If you are looking for a book to use with the De La Maza "7 Circles" technique this is a good one. I've played thru most of the puzzles and haven't seen any egregious errors. The tactics are very thematic: forks, pins, skewers and all the stuff you will see in a chess game. One word of warning: This book is not for beginners. Here is quote from the introduction to one of the sections: "These puzzles are taken from the Soviet Championships. These tournaments are recognized as some of the strongest held at the time. The level of play is high and this is reflected in the standards of the puzzles."

Not for rookies. I'm a C-class player and I am able to handle most this stuff. Some of it I have to get out the chess board and move pieces around.

Probably the best chess puzzle book I know.
It has lots of puzzles, for all levels - from amateur to GM.
Also includes self-tests, solutions, and also games reference - which is great. Its always good to solve quickly a move that some GM missed in a game...
Another good thing I found missing in other such books, is the fact that only small part of the book is a mating problems.
Finally - almost all the problems here are brand new from the last years games.
bottom line - highly recommended for everyone.