Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest of all time!
Review: I am currently a 1400-1550 player in standard games on the ICC. I started my adult chess interest about 6 months ago, my initial rating being 900 for several weeks. I have read many books and played many games in the last six months to make this modest improvement I've made. I've read them all, Silman, Nimzovitch, the Microsoft Chess books, etc (all good in their way), but this one book took me from 1200-1500 in one week, by far the biggest single jump of all (about 300 points or so). And that level of play has stuck, showing it's really in the head, for good. It's basically like strength training for your chess muscle. Just carry it around, do random puzzles to keep from getting bored. Work on the same puzzle (sometimes for days . . .) until YOU get it. Then check the answer. If you spend three days and can't get it, don't look it up, just go to a different one. If you use it in this disciplined way, it is incredible what changes occur in the WAY you look at the board. All the positional concepts that I currently know are really are about getting your pieces active, and avoiding potentially dangerous positions for your pieces. If you can't extract tactics out of a good position, the best position in the world won't help you. While I'm sure at a higher level of chess, there is really more to positional chess than just tactical potential, for anyone like me, or really anyone from 1100-1800 this book would be indispensible for improvement. Simply the best chess book (for us average joe's) EVER written, hands down, just look at the other reviews!
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY AWESOME
Review: I bought this book after being inspired by one of the reviews. I found a fantastic improvement in my tactical eye to see combinations and potential combinations, and I'm not even half way through it yet! You may find alternative solutions than the ones given in the book, but what does it matter? In fact, you will be extremely proud of yourself if your solution is better than the one in the book!! I didn't find the descriptive notation to be a burden, since this is a book of puzzles and not of complete games. I can only imagine that if one goes through this book over and over again, that their victories in the black and white battlefield will be difficult to be counted.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value for problems book
Review: I bought this book after reading Seirawan's "Winning Chess Tactics" in hopes of improving my knowledge base.First, I should start by saying that this book is not perfect. It does have a couple of errors in it (and those errors come up in discussions of this book on occasion), but most books these days do have some imperfections. This one is no exception. As another reviewer stated, if you can find errors, fix them and be done with it. This book divides up various tactical themes into logical chapters and then by white/black to move. Each section gets a very brief description of the theme before plunging the reader into the problems. This is strictly a problems book -- no hints and VERY few suggestions (in the form of passing comments in the theme description). The problems are designed for *practice* instead of *teaching* and the reader must bear this in mind when evaluating this book. Each chapter has at least a dozen problems to work through, and most have many more than that. The problems go from fairly easy and straightforward 2-move combinations to several levels deep. Most of the problems in this book are beyond the reach of absolute beginners. I am a Class B player, and I struggle with some of the problems, even with the solutions in the back. However, with a basic understanding of the various tactical themes, most players can work through the assorted themes and glean some nuggets of knowledge and gain a better grip on said theme. The book is in descriptive notation. For some readers, this may present a problem in itself. However, this was the standard at the time the book was written -- algebraic took precedence later. It would be nice to have an updated algebraic version, but it's simple enough to translate between the two notations if one is willing to take the time to do so. The best feature of this book is the price. It's dirt cheap for all that you get in this book. If you are looking for a book to instruct and teach tactics, there are much better choices. However, if you know tactical themes already and want to get better at using them, then this book answers the mail. I gave this book 5 stars, based on its value. As I stated above, it's not perfect, but at this price, it's plenty close enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Your basic Tactics handbook.
Review: I very seldom give a flat-out endorsement to a chess book. But this is one of those times. I am a USCF Life-Master. If you want to get better, you have to practice tactics. This book is a fun, easy, doable way of learning your tactics. The problems are grouped into sections by theme and content. Spend an hour or two, once a week with this book, and I'll guarantee you'll get better. Many of these examples are so stunning, you are not likely to forget them. This book, and its companion "1001 Checkmates," belong in any aspiring World Champion's library. Probably the most bang for your buck you will find here.
Rating: 
Summary: Great content, but horrible printing
Review: I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but I can't. The printing is the worst I've ever seen in a chess book. Sometimes, you can't even see the black pieces when they are on black squares. Use the "Look Inside This Book" feature and you'll see exactly what I mean. Books are made up of two components: content and presentation. The content here is very good, if you can get past the presentation. I wish a publisher like Dover or EveryMan Chess would get the rights to this book and publish a quality printing.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for mastery of tactics
Review: In addition to the other good reviews below, I'd like to mention that this shouldn't be the first book on tactics for the beginning player (under 1500). The first book you should read is 'Winning Chess: How to See Three Moves Ahead' by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld ('Chess Tactics for Students' by Bain or 'Winning Chess Tactics' by Seirawan are good alternatives.) 'One Thousand...Combinations' is, in many ways, meant as a follow-up to one of these books and further instills the concepts of tactical analysis learned from them. 'One Thousand...Combinations' is a barebones book. Each chapter gives a one-page highlight of the tactical motif about to be covered, then on to the diagrams! Each page is diagram after diagram with no analysis or descriptions. The end of the book lists the correct answers for each position. This book is great for what it is: a cheap, small, lightweight, coat-pocket sized book, that lets you practice your tactical analysis anywhere you go. As noted, some of the answers are not necessarily forced-lines. For those diagrams, and ones that you have trouble with, using a chess program like Fritz, Chessmaster, Crafty, etc., will help. As far as people agonizing over descriptive notation - it's not really that bad! COUNTLESS classics exist ONLY in descriptive notation. If you sit around and wait, hoping they'll be re-released in algebraic, you'll be missing out on some of the best books ever written. Many people recommend using this book along with Reinfeld's, "1001 Brillian Ways to Checkmate." Studying 5 diagrams from each of these books everyday, and your tactical vision will become second nature. This is a proven technique that allows an experienced beginner's rating to soar. It will take time and work to make this happen, though, possibly
1 1/2 to 2 years. The key is re-reading this book more than twice. Don't give up!
Rating:
Summary: Tactics, tactics, tactics
Review: It is not a secret that many games are full of tactical errors where lack of pattern recognition and calculation played a big role. Simple things like pins, weak back ranks, unprotected pieces and other themes plague a game of chess. Being able to confidently spot these tactics, calculate, and execute them over the board is a must and to learn these abilities you have to practice. This book is just a bunch of diagrams with a heading "White to move" and the theme written on the bottom of the page. Your job is to spot the tactic and come up with the line of play. Nowadays there are even files with these diagrams to practice with the computer so this little book can't be that bad... I still use it to and enjoy solving the problems. For a tactics book this is decidedly cheap... The book does sport descriptive notation but still... A good tool...
Rating:
Summary: Tactics anyone?
Review: It is said that "chess is 99% tactics" (Teichmann). That may be an overstatement, but it is widely accepted that it is one of the most important components of the game. This great book is filled with problem after problem that refine your tactical skills in areas such as double attacks, skewers, pinning etc. After you finish each section you will feel armed to the teeth in your ability to recognize and utilize each specific tactic. The tactical skills you obtain from this book will provide you with the tools you will use for many victories in the future. I am a little over a third of the way through the book and I love it. Meanwhile the binding is trashed - but that is probably due to overuse. I also own "combinations, the heart of chess." I bought that one because the title grabbed my attention. That was before I even knew the importance of tactics and combinations. Incidentally, Reinfeld's book is better organized, although the problems are outstanding in both. I now realize that I stumbled upon the two premier tactics books. One thing I love about this book is that it is perfect if you want a book that doesn't require a board to be set up along side it. I always take this book with me on flights and long trips. If you must have one chest book, this might be the best place to start. Strategy/planning books like Reassess Your Chess are also a good place to start, but they require a tremendous amount of hard work and discipline. Anyone who is interested in developing there chess skills should own 1001 Sacrifics and combinations. It is high yield and easy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard slog, but probably necessary
Review: Many consider this book indispensable. Certainly, solving 1001 tactical problems will improve anyone's standard of play, but dedication is required to work through the book. I'm glad I did, but it took a lot of effort. Too many positions have alternative solutions that are not mentioned. Also, on the defender's side, a few `winning' combinations can be thwarted but the solutions only focus on obvious, sometimes faulty defense. A revision, checked by computer, would be useful: this would make working through the book less of a chore. In addition, I found the descriptive notation in the solutions really tiresome to follow. Nowadays most chess literature is algebraic: it is really time for an update. Bang for the buck, perhaps, but I prefer books with a tighter, higher overall quality of selection--using algebraic notation.
Rating:
Summary: Must Have!
Review: O.k., I hate long reviews so I'll keep this one brief. The book is page after page of diagrams to solve. Psychology has proven that repetition and visualization are key to memorization (gee, that's a mouth full). Just a pick a puzzle or two from a section, then move on to the next. After selecting random puzzles to solve, you will develop an eye for tactics. What are you waiting for? Buy the book!
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