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Summary: Wonderful book.
Review: Study of this book will have a great effect on how you think when you play chess. What a pleasure to read; Chernev really knew how to write. A must.
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Summary: A must read for chess beginners
Review: I only wish I had read this book sooner. Chernev really drives home the important themes.
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Summary: One of the Best for Beginners
Review: For those who know at least the rules of the game, this book is easily the best chess book for beginners. Chernev set the standard for chess writing that is accessible--and sometimes even scintillating--to us beginners. Among my chess books, it is the one that I return to time and again, discovering new facets to the game that were not obvious the first time. If you are going to buy only one chess book, buy this one.
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Summary: Simple explanations that help you learn quickly!
Review: I recently acquired this hard to find gem that is one of the most popular chess books ever written in my opinion. Chernev is GREAT at explaining the process one move at a time. I have played many years, and have read many books. This one has the gift of teaching. Many others just go through specific games, and you still can't play well after reading them. The step by step process leads to deeper understandings of the game. I especially like the commentary that begins in detail from the very first move. the obvious comment about the need for controlling the center squares was unnecessary All chess players know that! A minor point. His teaching takes you through the process of learning the depth of a game and why certain moves are important, why a certain piece is critical to move at a certain time. The simple advice of "develop all your pieces before starting any combinations" is one gem. He gave me a fresh way of looking at the game. I recommend a strong buy here! A must have for serious players wanting to improve their game.
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Summary: THE GREATEST CHESS BOOK OF ALL TIME/ Chesslab.com
Review: Jude Acers/ Chesslab world wide- permanently archive this as THE GREATEST CHESS BOOK OF ALL TIME (Chesslab)..a complete review, Acers memories of Chernev are featured.#
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Summary: EXCELLENT1
Review: As others have said, this book really had a "lightbulb" go off in my head, and I now understand certain principles that I did not previously. This is one of my favorite chess books, alongside "How To Reassess Your Chess" by Silman. A must!
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Summary: A 'must have' for the serious student of chess.
Review: Anything written by Irving Chernev on chess is well worth reading. This book has been around a while but it is nothing short of brilliant for those wishing to progress from wood-pusher to seriously competitive club player.
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Summary: Best Chess Book Ever!
Review: I own 40+ chess books, all receiving good reviews from Amazon or IM's I have talked to. They cover opening, middlegames, endings, annotated games, tactics, strategy, etc. Well, this book has it all! Explaining EVERY SINGLE MOVE of 33 games, it is impossible not to see the recurring themes of succesful attacks. Lessons on every phase of the game rolled up into one!
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Summary: Best chess instruction available bar none !
Review: I have read the older descriptive notation copy of this book 3 or 4 times when I was rated 1300-1500. This book should be every novice players first chess book (prior to Nimzovich My System or Tarrasch's The Game of Chess).I had read several other titles first with limited results. The owner of a chess bookstore recommended this book highly. I decided to read it and everything in the other books I had read started to make much more sense. Any player who carefully reads this book will increase playing strength by 100-200 rating points within a relatively short period. The opening chapter explaining how to attack the weakened king position is worth it alone.
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Summary: This should be every chess player's first chess book
Review: I totally concur with everything the other reviewer said. This is the best beginning chess book out there. It was my first book and helped me improve immensely. Now I am a chess teacher, but unfortunately I have lost my copy of the book. I have been searching for another copy of it for a while now, for my beginning students.
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