Books : Chess Tactics for Kids

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by: Murray Chandler

: Chess Tactics for Kids

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 794
EAN: 9781901983999
ISBN: 1901983994
Label: Gambit Publications
Manufacturer: Gambit Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 128
Publication Date: 2003-10
Publisher: Gambit Publications
Sales Rank: 8665
Studio: Gambit Publications



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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Chess enthusiasts of all ages and levels will find this book an instructive delight. In a simple, easy-to-understand format it explains how to bamboozle your chess opponents using commonly occurring tactical motifs. The illustrative positions, all taken from real games, show the 50 Tricky Tactics that experienced chess master use to win their games. Recognizing frequenly-occuring tactical ideas is vital to success in chess. One of the fastest and most enjoyable ways to improve at chess is by learning these thematic maneuvers. Beginners will benefit from the clear explanation of basic concepts, such as how to utilize a fork, pin, or skewer. Advanced players will delight in the many devious middlegame tricks--some classified here for the first time--which can catch out even grandmasters. "Chess Tactics for Kids make improving easy and fun, and is full of helpful explanations on how to approach chess games with confidence--and success.



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Great Tactics Intro
This book is a very good introduction to a number of essential tactical concepts. For novice players looking to improve quickly, attention to the lessons in this book will be a big help. The lessons build from simple concepts to more complex motifs in a logical manner, which makes the material easy to grasp.

I recommend the book.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Chess tactics and combinations to make you a more powerful player quickly!
This is a great book that compliments "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess." It covers various chess tactics that come up or can be created to win material, gain positional advantages and impose checkmate.

Overall, the book is highly readable with good diagrams and easy to follow text. It is thorough in covering important and commonly used tactics, but not overwhelming for new players.

I think Chess Tactics for Kids is a misnomer in a sense since this book is appropriate for almost any adult and probably wouldn't be very useful to kids under 12 years old unless they have more than a casual interest in chess. However, younger kids could certainly grow into it as their interest peaks and they master more fundamental skills.

I've been playing chess for years and got a lot out of this book. I think it's perfect for teenagers and highly recommend it to adults who have not read seriously on chess and are somewhat intimidated or bored by move-by-move type chess books. I also recommend it to younger kids with more advanced chess skills or who are serious doing their homework to improve their skills.

I wish this book was available when I was learning to play chess. It would have saved me a lot of time learning things the hard way and wading through a lot of overly complicated move-by-move type books that I wasn't ready for.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Chess Tactics, Traps and Combination books - the best way to get better
When you are a beginner there is nothing better than studying books on Tactics, Traps and Combinations in chess. This is because the mind of a beginner can certainly understand 1 + 1 = 2. The value of the pieces is clear and coming out ahead can be calculated. This is a point that is a first step in learning chess! Tactics, at any point of the game are important to learn. Knowing what they are, how they work and recognizing them at a glance is necessary if you are going to become a good chess player. "CHESS TACTICS FOR KIDS" works on the most important starting tactics by showing you what they are and giving brief examples. This is not a tactics workbook where you will find hundreds of examples (a good book to get after this) or a traps book (a book also good to get) where you can see the tactics arise from the first move of the game. It is a book where you will learn the "mechanics" of the tactics. The brief chapter on each tactic is a great way to get started!


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Another awesome book for fast improvement
A few years ago the author of this title wrote his How to Beat Your Dad at Chess, an original and popular book which taught checkmating patterns. In Chess Tactics for Kids the lessons are all about learning chess tactics which win material, for example winning a pawn or a piece.
The format is very similar to the DAD book and equally effective.

To improve at chess, the best chess teachers will tell you to study a variety of chess books. If you are interested in the opening stages, and are confused by all the choices, go for a book like Understanding the Chess Openings by Collins. This gives a useful overview of all openings.

If you want to study middlegames try a move-by-move book or study a collection of games played by a great player. But if tactics is your thing, you can't go wrong with Grandmaster Chandler's two books.

As a pair, How to Beat Your Dad at Chess and Chess Tactics for Kids cover all the basic tactical themes a chess player is likely to encounter. The motifs are grouped by, well, motif, and the concept of pattern recognition is introduced in a way that is easily understood.
There are several hundred diagram examples per book, including tests and puzzle positions to solve.

The best thing of all is how often these themes, tricks and traps occur. I found that I had been getting numerous opportunities to win in my own games, only I just didn't realize it! Chess Tactics for Kids teaches how to spot the patterns where a tactic is likely to be lurking.

It is amazing how quickly winning combinations can be found, once you know the patterns.




Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Aimed at children but good for adults too
This is Murray Chandler's follow up to his highly successful "How To Beat Your Dad At Chess". The book presents 50 common tactical ideas - pins, skewers, forks, stalemate and many more - each one explained and illustrated in a double page spread. Only themes which occur fairly commonly in practice are included, and there are six diagrams per double page. The explanations are in simple language, and each diagram is accompanied by a brief commentary pointing out the salient features of the position. The continuations are very short (usually only one or two moves) so they can be followed easily without the need for a board.

Three or four examples are given of each tactical trick, with the aim of getting the reader to recognise certain patterns, and hopefully apply this newly acquired pattern recognition to his/her own games. To test how well the patterns have been absorbed there are 54 test positions for the reader to try. If the reader is unable to spot the continuation, a hint is given by way of a reference to the number of the tricky tactic that is being tested. So you can refresh your memory by looking back at the illustrated examples and then hopefully spot the same theme in the test position. All of the illustrative positions and test positions are taken from actual play (though there are no game references given), and there are no artificially composed positions.

Although the book is aimed at children in the first instance, it could be used equally profitably by adult beginners who wish to sharpen up their tactical awareness.

This review first appeared in the magazine En Passant.


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