You will find much strategy at the Chess is Fun site, including my "Five steps to victory." But different players think about the game in different ways. Most beginning to intermediate players will find value in the following books. Use the links below to check out the reviews at Amazon.com
Winning Chess Straegy for Kids, by Jeff Coakley is a chess course for kids aged 7-13. Lots of illustrations and an easy-to-follow introduction to the game.
Understanding Chess Move by Move, by John Nunn, provides a wonderful lesson to the beginner and early intermediate player. The author uses simple language to explain every part of 30 interesting chess games.
Tips for Young Players, by Matthew Sadler, provides general principles for the opening, middlegame, and endgame with exercises to make sure that you've understood the material before you move on.
How to Beat your Dad at Chess, Murray Chandler reviews 50 essential mating patterns in an easy to understand fashion. My kids are annoyed because it didn't help them to beat Dad, but it ought to work in a more typical home.
Best Lessons of a Chess Coach, Sunil Weeramantry is not for beginners, but rather intermediate players. The author uses his own games and a set of honed lessons to guide readers through the thought processes of dealing with often complex positions.
How to Reassess Your Chess: The Complete Chess-Mastery Course, Jeremy Silman is a wonderful book that introduces students to planning, using bishops and knights in the middlegame, the importance of pawn structure and key squares, and playing in imbalanced positions. A wonderful, important book.
Complete Book of Chess Strategy: Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z, Jeremy Silman includes short explanations of many opening variations, and a basic easy-to-read introduction to middlegame ideas. The basic mates are here too! It's all here, but it lacks an overall approach to help tie together all the parts.
Pawn Power in Chess, Hans Kmoch. Another chess classic, that explains carefully all of the important elements of pawn play and basic strategy. Should I take, capture, or look elsewhere. The answers are here.
Logical Chess Move by Move, Irving Chernev. John Nunn's book above took games from the 1990s. This classic looks at 33 games from 1905-1942. The analysis is timeless. Chernev divided the book into three parts, king side attacks, queen pawn openings, and the master explains his ideas.
Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, John Watson. A wonderful book for stronger players with very well, readable annotations in 14 chapters, including the exchange sacrifice, the modern bishop, prophylaxis, and reconsiderations on modern opening theory.
Winning Chess Straegy for Kids, by Jeff Coakley is a chess course for kids aged 7-13. Lots of illustrations and an easy-to-follow introduction to the game.
Understanding Chess Move by Move, by John Nunn, provides a wonderful lesson to the beginner and early intermediate player. The author uses simple language to explain every part of 30 interesting chess games.
Tips for Young Players, by Matthew Sadler, provides general principles for the opening, middlegame, and endgame with exercises to make sure that you've understood the material before you move on.
How to Beat your Dad at Chess, Murray Chandler reviews 50 essential mating patterns in an easy to understand fashion. My kids are annoyed because it didn't help them to beat Dad, but it ought to work in a more typical home.
Best Lessons of a Chess Coach, Sunil Weeramantry is not for beginners, but rather intermediate players. The author uses his own games and a set of honed lessons to guide readers through the thought processes of dealing with often complex positions.
How to Reassess Your Chess: The Complete Chess-Mastery Course, Jeremy Silman is a wonderful book that introduces students to planning, using bishops and knights in the middlegame, the importance of pawn structure and key squares, and playing in imbalanced positions. A wonderful, important book.
The Reassess Your Chess Workbook, Jeremy Silman
Complete Book of Chess Strategy: Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z, Jeremy Silman includes short explanations of many opening variations, and a basic easy-to-read introduction to middlegame ideas. The basic mates are here too! It's all here, but it lacks an overall approach to help tie together all the parts.
Weapons of Chess: An Omnibus of Chess Strategy, Bruce Pandelfini
Attacking Chess: Aggressive Strategies and Inside Moves from the U.S. Junior Chess Champion, Josh Waitzkin
The Art of the Middlegame, Paul Keres
Pawn Power in Chess, Hans Kmoch. Another chess classic, that explains carefully all of the important elements of pawn play and basic strategy. Should I take, capture, or look elsewhere. The answers are here.
Logical Chess Move by Move, Irving Chernev. John Nunn's book above took games from the 1990s. This classic looks at 33 games from 1905-1942. The analysis is timeless. Chernev divided the book into three parts, king side attacks, queen pawn openings, and the master explains his ideas.
Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, John Watson. A wonderful book for stronger players with very well, readable annotations in 14 chapters, including the exchange sacrifice, the modern bishop, prophylaxis, and reconsiderations on modern opening theory.
