Beginning Chess: Over 300 Elementary Problems for Players New to the Game

by Bruce Pandolfini

Make the first move with National Master Bruce Pandolfini in this accessible guide for beginning chess players​. Pandolfini has taught the game of chess to hundreds of players of all ages and levels and this is his prized collection of lessons for newcomers.
What makes this book different from others of its kind is its simplicity. Every problem can be answered in one move, and no problem requires more than ten pieces on the board. The most common tactical themes are featured, including forks, pins, skewers, underminings, x-rays, and traps—giving the novice a well-rounded introduction to the game.

Genres: Chess, Games

271 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

About the author

Bruce Pandolfini (born September 17, 1947) is an American chess author, teacher, and coach. A USCF national master, he is generally considered to be America’s most experienced chess teacher. As a coach and trainer, Pandolfini has possibly conducted more chess sessions than anyone in the world. By the summer of 2015 he had given an estimated 25,000 private and group lessons.

(Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jerzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for a beginner like me. The book starts with an overview of 10 or so *really* useful tactics (pin, fork, skewer, etc.) which I wouldn't necessarily have come up with on my own. Then each problem requires you to use one of those tactics to find the best move. There are no hints in each problem describing which tactic is best, so (unless the solution is obvious) you have to think about all of them. This seems more realistic than looking only for checkmates; here, as in a real game, you're just looking for the greatest possible advantage at each step.

[Opetoritse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong introduction to the rules and fundamental tactics of the game, accompanied by an array of modestly challenging puzzles. The grading system at the end of the book seems fairly inflated (apparently I should have won a handful of tournaments by now, even though I still struggle to beat my chess computer at 1300 ELO), and there's very little attention given to strategy.

[Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable puzzles. Though, based on your overall score across the 30 tests, the book tells you what level player you are. I think this must be mistaken as it claims I'm at the level where I could place in a tournament, which is nonsense as I would be utterly destroyed.

[Danielle Wonsewitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A short part 1 outlines the basic rules as well as direct, tactical attacks. Part 2 consists of 300 chess problems, grouped in tests of 10. Each problem has a one move solution that performs one of the attacks outlined in part 1. Part 3 has the answers that also give a small description on why that particular move gets the job done. Pandolfini also offers "tactical tips" in the back that are surprisingly very helpful, especially for anyone wanting to know how to make study time productive.

The problems themselves were pretty easy for me and I'm a beginner. All of the attacks used are intuitive and I've used them in games before, just not knowing the names. Even so, they really help you see the board and know where to look to attack. I had fun doing them and there were a few challenging ones along the way.

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book to teach chess to a 4-6 year old child