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Summary: Easy to use - Well presented - Essential reading!
Review: As a long-time casual chess player who recently decided to take his chess to the next level and begin to learn more about this wonderful game, I found this book simply outstanding.The layout of the book is uncluttered, with two problems per page and the answers to these problems listed at the bottom of the page. This feature adds greatly to the "user-friendly" nature of the book and avoids repeated excursions to the back of the book, which in a book of this nature (with over 400 problems to solve) would be a major headache. There is instructional content in this book, but it is clear, concise and doesn't detract from the purpose of the book: to impart an understanding of basic mating concepts in chess and a recognition of these patterns in gameplay. I would still consider myself a beginner to intermediate level player but it has helped me immensely in my understanding of this aspect of chess.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for the beginner
Review: I bought this book a long time ago and kept it around because I felt it would be useful later. It has proven to be. My son is just starting to learn chess and for his individual study I have him working through the book. The progressively harder problems have proven a challenge for him exactly as I intended. Many of the other books out there on checkmating are above his level and he would quickly get discouraged. This one is just right: challenging enough where he doesn't get bored but not so hard he just gives up. If you're new to chess, a casual player, or just one who likes running through chess problems quickly, this is a good book. The answers are at the bottom of the pages, so there's no flipping between two different sections of the book. A slip of paper or a bookmark and you can keep the answer hidden until you've made your guess. I would prefer all puzzle books to be written this way.
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Summary: My favorite chess book
Review: I own 20-25 chess books and this is the one I pick up most often. It sharpens my game quicker than any other book I own. After I breeze through the majority of this book (30 min.) my mind is constantly looking for two move tactics on the board. I usually play quick timed games (1 & 2 min games) so the tactics pay off big for me. After tuning my game w/ this book I am a different player. --- Seriously. SW
Rating:
Summary: Incredible. Not just for beginners.
Review: I use this book at the gym while I'm exercising. That forces me to see the patterns without thinking too much. I am trying to see the solutions as quickly as possible. Chess is pattern-matching (i.e. tactics) first, strategy second, and MAYBE memorization of opening lines a distant third. This is the method suggested in Rapid Chess Improvement. After you've completely mastered these positions, so that you solve them instantly, you can proceed to a harder set, maybe something by Reinfeld. The format is designed for children, but that doesn't bother me at all. If it makes you feel better, donate it to a child after you've read it 5 times.
Rating: 
Summary: Good - very basic - instruction
Review: I used to teach both at a private school here in Pensacola, and at the same time - I was teaching a class, once a week, at a local high school. I had the {private} school purchase about 30 - 40 copies, I used to give them out when the kids had trouble or requested help in that area. Children in the age bracket 8-12 who were just beginning to learn chess found it very helpful. If you are basically just a beginner, you have played less than 100 games of chess, and/or you feel your tactics are really bad, then I would highly suggest this book to you. (Then for further study, I recommend Kopec's "Practical Middlegame Tecniques," followed by Reinfeld's "The Complete Chess Player.")
Rating: 
Summary: The Accent is on Simple
Review: If you know next to nothing about chess and would like an unchallenging exercise in learning the basic mates, then this book is for you. If you are above the rank beginner stage, you can spend your money better buying another book. Koltanowski & Finklestein's "Checkmate!" entertains as it educates, and it challenges your grey matter too. Renaud & Kahn's "Art of the Checkmate" is another good primer, probably more scholarly than "Checkmate!" but not as entertaining. Once you've read either of those two books, go to Fred Reinfeld's "Win at Chess," a brief collection of mating problems divided into 1 movers, 2 movers, and 3 movers. When you get through with that, buy Reinfeld's "1001 Checkmates," and unless you're an expert or master, you'll have all the mating problems you'll ever need for practice.
Rating:
Summary: The Accent is on Simple
Review: If you know next to nothing about chess and would like an unchallenging exercise in learning the basic mates, then this book is for you. If you are above the rank beginner stage, you can spend your money better buying another book. Koltanowski & Finklestein's "Checkmate!" entertains as it educates, and it challenges your grey matter too. Renaud & Kahn's "Art of the Checkmate" is another good primer, probably more scholarly than "Checkmate!" but not as entertaining. Once you've read either of those two books, go to Fred Reinfeld's "Win at Chess," a brief collection of mating problems divided into 1 movers, 2 movers, and 3 movers. When you get through with that, buy Reinfeld's "1001 Checkmates," and unless you're an expert or master, you'll have all the mating problems you'll ever need for practice.
Rating:
Summary: A core skill-builder for our school chess club
Review: Our small year-round school (3rd-12th grade) has used this book regularly since the chess club was founded. New club members join every quarter but are generally not strong players, so they seldom reach checkmate opportunities in club play. We give each student a double-page spread (4 problems) to solve without marking up the book: we cover the answers, then students must point out the checkmate to an adult or a stronger player. This way the book can be used again and again. Solving 4 puzzles or 8 in the course of a club meeting is a nice short exercise for even the most hyper students. Students start out with the 1-move puzzles and move on to 2-moves as they get stronger. This practical, repeated exposure to basic mates starts showing up in their own games. I've seen a 10th grader improve his skills by regular practice with the book, but have also used it successfully with my 6-year-old daughter (who plays USCF tournaments). I definitely see a correlation in beginners who use these puzzles often and their growing skill in tournament chess. Of course, as the other reviewers have pointed out, this is only one element of chess training.
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Summary: Excellent next step for the beginning player
Review: This book begins with a few diagrams showing standard mating positions with various configurations of pieces and pawns. It then givesthe student 116 diagrams with White to mate in one. The early positions are very simple and they get more complicated as the book progresses. The second part has over 300 mates-in-two. Again, the early ones are painfully simple and progress to more sophisticated positions. This is a perfect book for young (and older) beginners. It bridges the gap between learning the rules of how the pieces move and having it be a perceptual habit. It demands work from the reader but rewards the reader with many opportunities for success. Highly recommended for scolastic coaches and chess teachers.
Rating:
Summary: Helps develop real insight
Review: This book does a great job of helping the reader develop a really strong feeling for the strategies of chess. All of the exercises are in the form of mate-in-one or mate-in-two puzzles, but they are carefully crafted to illustrate the power of different pieces, and how different pieces may work together. This new insight improves one's games tremendously. You don't have to be a rank novice to benefit from this book. It can be of help even to people who have played the game, but who just want to broaden their understanding. Also, since the material is presented in the form of puzzles, it doesn't contain wordy discussion of strategies. This is good in two ways: 1) it helps develop your ability to see the strategies directly on the board during a game, and 2) it makes this a perfect book for kids (I've used it with kids as young as 8, with a lot of success).
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