432 of 434 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chess For Juniors Series: "Winning Chess Tmts for Jrs", March 18, 2005
This review is from: Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors (Paperback)
THE SERIES IN GENERAL:
There are currently three books published in what I consider to be the best series of chess books for ages 9 on up (this would include adults too!) that take an absolute beginner to an advanced level of play. I have noted that there will be a fourth, most advanced book in this series called "More Unbeatable Chess for Juniors" (expanding on "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors").
BACKGROUND:
"Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" was published in 2004 and is the third book in the series. The author, Robert Snyder's students won numerous National Championships. After doing research I found that the author is a strong master, rated USCF over 2300 and internationally over 2400. He also has produced 36 first place championship winners at national championships (a national record). His chess teams travel around the world and nation on a regular basis and compete. The author has extensive experience in introducing chess to beginners holding another record by having taught over 170,000 children at school programs over many years.
STRUCTURE OF "WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS": This is the perfect book to continue from the author's "Chess for Juniors" book. It is designed as a training guide and also provides a lot of structured material for study to compliment the other books in the series.
There are eight chapters many of which cover a lot of material not seen in other books. This makes "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" very unique! I consider this a good thing. I found that this book is just packed with information that will help you do much better in tournaments, and in many cases can make the difference between you becoming a great player or lapsing into a disorganized state. You are certain to be making many mistakes that this book will correct! Because of what "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" covers it is difficult to explain its structure without looking at the material covered. I will say that this book contains some extreme humor that goes way beyond the basic "Chess for Juniors" book. Kids may fall out of their chair laughing.
MATERIAL COVERED:
a. Chapter One is all about what it takes to be a successful tournament competitor. It will help you know exactly what to look for when trying to find the right chess teacher for you. It suggests other books for reading and helps you to form a good, well rounded chess library. It covers how you should practice and gives good ideas and advice (i.e. it tells why playing irregular forms of chess like bughouse hurts your overall game). It explains how to condition your self for tournaments.
b. Chapter Two tells you all about how tournaments work (parents should read this and the first chapter!). You will learn the inner workings of the most important tournament rules (including some complicated ones) that is guaranteed to help you do better in tournaments. Getting the rule book alone is not good enough. It doesn't explain how to use these rules to your favor or what to watch out for. "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" will make you a shark in the sea of rules!
c. Chapter Three is on Chess Psychology. I haven't seen any other books that cover the practical use of chess psychology that are directed at a scholastic player. I want to say this is the most useful chapter yet, but then realize just how important the other ones are - so I won't go there! Setting realistic goals in chess, building self confidence, what to actually do during play and the reasons why we make mistakes in analysis is the main focus of this absolutely fantastic chapter.
d. Chapter Four is all about preparing an opening system. I found it to provide not only very important ideas in what to look for in your own openings, but how to set up the main lines of your system in chart form for easy study. An actual complete opening system is provided - so you in effect also find this book to be an opening book! It doesn't provide the ideas behind the moves in the system it provides, but you will find that the ideas behind the moves to the exact opening system it provides are found in the other books in the series.
e. Chapter Five is a complete tactics workbook! It organizes the most important tactics for you to learn by type of pattern. It is rather comprehsensive and this is the largest chapter in the book.
f. Chapter Six is on the endgame. The author continues with the most important endgames from where his "Chess for Juniors" book left off. I you combine these two books you have comprehensive coverage of all the basic endgames.
g. Chapters Seven and Eight are on six of the author's national scholastic chess champions. Each player has at least one game with analysis along with pictures and information on the life of these superkids. You will find the games and players to be interesting.
WHO IS THIS BOOK IS FOR:
I would recommend this book for children ages 9 on up of average reading ability or better, or for adults (don't be fooled by the "Juniors" in the title in these books as they are just as much for adults). A knowledge of basic strategy (as covered in "Chess for Juniors") is necessary to get the full value of this book. If you are a player rated above 700 and under 1900 you will find you are at the right levels for this book. Consider getting the author's "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors" book as it perfectly compliments this one with additional and non-repetitious material (an advantage of reading the entire series by this author). I would recommend getting the author's most advanced book, "More Unbeatable Chess for Juniors" which I have been informed will be out in May, 2005 and will expand on "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors" with many current games and a heavy focus on opening theory but keeping the concept of analyzing very move in every game (I cannot wait until it comes out!).
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166 of 168 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How do national scholastic champions become champions?, November 3, 2005
This review is from: Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors (Paperback)
This book tells you exactly how a professional chess trainer's national chess champions did it! Besides providing actual training material on all parts of the game, profiles of the lives and annotated games provide an interesting insight into what the trainer has done to create a national record of thirty-six first place individual winners in championship sections at the national scholastic championships. There are some great stories - some very humorous.
Along with the actual chess training methods provided is one of the highlights of this book, PSYCHOLOGY behind the training. Everyone who is either a chess coach, player, parent, teacher, whatever, this is a must read (Chapter three).
A most interesting and informative book!
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134 of 136 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Train with the Master!, November 3, 2005
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors (Paperback)
"Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" will guide you through all of the most important aspects of knowing as a practical player how tournaments work.
A SMALL EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU WILL FIND:
Tournament preparation, how and what to study, the inner workings of the thought processes which cause error in analysis, what to look for in an your personal opening system (the use of charts for study, neat sample system), endgame preparation, pattern recognition (over 100 important tactics set up as building problems to work on) and a look into the lives and games of top chess kids.
NO OTHER BOOK HAS EVER BEEN PUBLISHED THAT CONTAINS SO MUCH USEFUL INFORMATION FOR PRACTICAL TOURNAMENT USE - A TRUE GUIDE TO CHESS TRAINING!
As a gifted student with a 180 IQ I endorse the entire CHESS FOR JUNIORS series - Bravo!
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