Product Description
From America’s foremost chess teacher and author comes a new standard: a comprehensive course covering all aspects of the game, to improve your technique whether you are a newcomer or a longtime fan.
One of America’s best-known chess masters, Bruce Pandolfini has helped millions learn the intricacies of chess through his acclaimed books and workshops. In this exciting volume, he presents a complete overview of the entire game and its culture. Structured as a dialogue between a beginning student and an expert teacher, Pandolfini’s Ultimate Guide to Chess takes the student step-by-step from fundamentals to advanced, highly strategic play. Combining easy-to-follow diagrams with trenchant and up-to-date analysis, Pandolfini puts a new twist on accepted chess theory, offering a seamless beginning-to-end approach, including:
• a short introductory history of the game
• the moves, rules, and contemporary notation forms
• the basic principles of chess
• how to develop an opening repertoire
• the art of tactical play
• pattern recognition and memory aids
• traps and pitfalls to be avoided
• middlegame play, strategy, and planning
• defense and counterattack
• transitions to the endgame and the endgame itself
• computers and the future of chess
• the best websites for playing chess online
With Pandolfini’s expert insight into the history and modern world of chess, as well as several appendices to enhance play and appreciation, Pandolfini’s Ultimate Guide to Chess makes the perfect gift for players of all ages and will be the benchmark title for chess players for years to come.
I bought this book as a novice chess player hoping to improve my chess game. The book overall was ok but I did not care for the Socrates-approach type of teaching. I did like some of the strategies the author put forth but once again, the explanation method used with a teacher/student dampened the book’s usefullness. Ok for the beginner but it would be best to read other books.
Amazon Rating: 3 / 5
I’m not the biggest fan of B.P. but this book is fun to read. Completely for beginners but I enjoyed reading it. Calling it an “Ultimate Guide to Chess” is silly but I would have a young student read this book. The author obviously had fun writing this book.
Amazon Rating: 4 / 5
The book is very good, particularly for chess beginners and step beyond.
The wording of the book, that is a conversation among a pupil and his professor is a little dense.
Amazon Rating: 4 / 5
I have only recently been interested in chess. This is my first book. I thought it was pretty well done. The introduction to the pieces was painful, but I already knew how they moved. I feel this book introduced several key concepts that have improved my chess game. I was looking for a book to start with, and I think this worked out pretty well. The diagrams were great. I didn’t need to follow along with a chess board. In some of the lectures, the student skews away from the subject. However, it was very informative overall.
Amazon Rating: 4 / 5
This book is a pretty friendly introduction to playing, thinking and talking chess. I don’t believe it is the ultimate guide as it is titled ( could there really be such a thing in just one book? ) but it is indeed a stepping stone into the game. All things considered it is good. I think it has helped me break into some of the deeper books of the game. But if you are a well versed player than yes this probably isn’t the book for you unless your getting it to teach someone who is just starting. But I am happy with it and enjoyed it very much.
Amazon Rating: 4 / 5