© 2015 Jonathan Whitcomb
Chess Books
For the Early Beginner
Beat That Kid in Chess may be the best book for the early
beginner, the player who knows the rules but not much
else. The concepts taught with large chess diagrams can
be understood and enjoyed by readers of a large range
of ages, although the text is more appropriate for those
of teenage and adults years (and some older children).
A new chess teaching method, in this new book, sets it
apart from all other chess books: N.I.P.* training for
tactics. This natural method develops the mind in seeing
the relevant details in positions. It avoids the weakness
that can be prevalent in many chess books, in which a
tactic can so easily be accidentally associated with some
general form of the position. You can be assured that
Beat That Kid in Chess rises above that weakness, for it
may be the only book (or the first one) to use *nearly-
identical positions (nip) in teaching tactics, at least in
a systematic way. Perhaps no other book comes close.
The title may not be ideal, for it can lead one to think
this book is especially for training you to beat a child in
chess. It prepares you to win chess games in general.
For the Post-Beginner and Average
Tournament-Competition Player
Could this be the best chess book for a beginner? Not
for an early beginner, who might be called a “raw”
beginner; but for the player who has the experience,
in over-the-board competition, to know the basics of
the game battles, this could be the most useful book
on chess: if not the best then certainly among them.
Chess Tactics for Kids really is about tactics and you
could hardly wish for more in a chess book, if tactics
is what you want to learn, and you already have some
chess-game experience, beyond the beginner stage.
From the Introduction: “The best way to confound and
confuse a chess opponent is by using tactics — a forcing
sequence of moves that gain an advantage”
These tactics come from actual games, real encounters.
If you’re looking for a chess book to give as a gift, and you’re not sure of the playing strength of the one it’s for,
consider purchasing both of these excellent books on chess. Both of them are reasonably priced on Amazon.
For players of two different levels in chess - two books, one being new; either as a potential gift