You don't have to be a genius to enjoy chess. The practical instruction provided here can help anyone progress from first-timer or novice to capable intermediate player in no time at all, while instilling an understanding of the game's fundamentals, and providing a strong foundation for future advancement. The game's history, the basic moves for each piece, and strategies for openings, middle game, and endgame positions are all covered, and you can measure your progress with the exercises that follow each section. Checkmating tips are included, as is advice for salvaging a draw when you have a weakened position. Unlike many other chess books, the lessons included here are designed for "real-world" play, using positions that newer players are more likely to encounter. Also featured is a foreword by renowned chessmaster, teacher, and columnist Bruce Pandolfini, who was the instructor played by Ben Kingsley in the film Searching for Bobby Fischer and the chess consultant for the miniseries The Queen's Gambit.

One of America's best-known chess masters, Bruce Pandolfini has helped millions learn the intricacies of chess through his acclaimed books and workshops. In this exciting volume, he presents a complete overview of the entire game and its culture. Structured as a dialogue between a beginning student and an expert teacher, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess takes the student step-by-step from fundamentals to advanced, highly strategic play. Combining easy-to-follow diagrams with trenchant and up-to-date analysis, Pandolfini puts a new twist on accepted chess theory, offering a seamless beginning-to-end approach, including:

• a short introductory history of the game
• the moves, rules, and contemporary notation forms
• the basic principles of chess
• how to develop an opening repertoire
• the art of tactical play
• pattern recognition and memory aids
• traps and pitfalls to be avoided
• middlegame play, strategy, and planning
• defense and counterattack
• transitions to the endgame and the endgame itself
• computers and the future of chess
• the best websites for playing chess online

With Pandolfini's expert insight into the history and modern world of chess, as well as several appendices to enhance play and appreciation, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess makes the perfect gift for players of all ages and will be the benchmark title for chess players for years to come.

From the author's Introduction of the first edition: Chess is by far the most popular board game in the world. There are millions of players of all ages and the number keeps growing. Maybe it's because you become a general who directs an army against your opponent in an exciting battle of wits. Whatever the reason, chess is challenging and fascinating.This is my attempt to lure you to the royal game. It's based on the very same lessons I have given to thousands of beginners. Their questions and problems have shaped it. Moreover, some of the best ideas in the book were actually suggested by new players I have tried to be as direct as possible. To make your journey a smooth one, the fundamentals have been broken down into short, logical statements. Each idea is numbered, ordered, and clearly stated. For the most part, statements are linked in graded sequence with the easier ones preceding the harder. The format is unique and easy to follow. You should feel yourself learning step by step.You will see how chess players think about their moves. Where desirable, explanation has replaced calculation. The stress is on understanding, not memory. There are plenty of diagrams for almost every idea. Except for one practice section, you can even read this book without a chess set

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes the classic confrontation of Man versus Machine-the match between Kasparov and IBM's chess program. In six games that riveted chess enthusiasts and laypeople alike, world chess champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's chess program Deep Blue fought for the title of best chess player in the world. The games themselves were dramatic events, filled with fascinating strategic moments, but their impact reverberated for beyond the chess world and the world would never look at computers the same way again. Pandolfini follows the tournament in a game-by-game, play-by-play analysis that reveals the significance of this important match. With numerous diagrams and easy-to-follow explanations of the key moves of every game, Paldolfini reenacts the drama of this intense week. Sidebars, tips, and short essays also provide a broader view of the match in terms of the history of artificial intelligence, computers' creative abilities, and whether or not human intervention was the ultimate cause of Kasparov's defeat, as the defeated champion claims.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes the ultimate chess reference-a visual dictionary of over 1,000 moves, rules, strategies, and concepts. For new players needing clarification on a certain position to an expert brushing up on more obscure strategies, Chess Thinking covers the ABC's of chess as never before-from algebraic notation to zugzwang. Comprehensive, illustrated with 140 detailed drawings, and written with exceptional clarity, this is an indispensable guide to any player ready to make a move and belongs on the shelf of every chess player's library.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a comprehensive guide to battle tactics for every square on the board-for players of any level. No matter where your opponent lands his piece on the board, Chess Target Practice teaches you how to successfully attack his position. By analyzing each and every square, Bruce Pandolfini helps players learn the appropriate tactics to zero in on the target and move in for the kill. Because different positions necessitate different attack plans, this one-of-a-kind strategy book offers tactics for each of the squares on the board, as well as outlines of: The Enemy Move-your opponent's last move, which sets up the offensive opportunity The Primary Target-the object of your attack The Battle Tactic-the stratagem that achieves the winning position The Response-the main winning line, no more than three moves deep The Result-the anticipated outcome The Attack Profile-an overview, in words, of the battle Whether it's used as a study guide before a match, or as a reference during the rigors of competition, this guide offers a unique perspective and a decided advantage against opponents.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a collection of 300 winning strategies for players of all levels. Continuing the innovative Chessercizes series this volume offers players the ultimate challenge-to find the move or sequence of moves that will finish off the imaginary opponent in a checkmate situation. A unique and challenging puzzle book for players of all levels, this book features 300 original problems and is arranged by degree of difficulty and ideal for developing tactical, analytical, and combinative skills. Invaluable for practicing traps and winning opening moves, More Chessercizes: Checkmate! is also convenient, as most of the problems can be solved without a chess board.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a unique and challenging chess exercise book for players of all levels. Faced with actual positions from recent tournaments and match play, readers are asked to make the winning move for some of the world's best players, including world champion Gary Kasparov, former champion Anatoly Karpov and future stars such as Hungary's Polgar sisters and Gata Kamsky from the US. Problems are arranged into chapters by tactical themes, so that readers can focus on related attacks and combinations. For beginners and children, it also features a "Little Chessercizes" section with lighter examples that can help less experienced players.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a superbly crafted compendium of brilliant strategies fans can use to measure their skills against the champion, improve their game, or simply have fun. As the youngest world champion ever, Gary Kasparov inspires new chess fans and experienced players alike with his brilliant grasp of tactics. Running the gamut from simple forks and pins to subtle maneuvers and deep combinations, it is his tactical brilliance that catapulted Kasparov to the top. This tactical chess bible traces the world champion's development from school days to world-class competition, analyzing both the actual moves and traps or dead-ends he or his opponent sidestepped in more than 140 carefully selected tournament positions. Includes a glossary and index of individual tactics allowing players to bone up on any specific weakness in the game.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a collection of the 50 best columns from the Chess Life magazine monthly feature-the most respected chess column in the world. Conscientious in its explanation of every step of play, filled with detailed examples and practical suggestions for better chess playing for students AND teachers, this book sets the standard for all instructional series. Organized into 10 sections, each examining a different element of chess play according to novices, intermediate players, and instructors, you can choose to read it from start to finish to learn the basics or turn to the particular section that will help you correct specific problems in your play. With 64 commandments for better chess playing, over 200 diagrams, and standard algebraic notation, this is an essential volume for any home or school chess library.

Improve your chess game with this simple, superior method founded on basic principles, as presented by America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. Drawing on his more than 15,000 hours of teaching experience and the experience of the best of the new generation of teachers around the world, Bruce Pandolfini lays out the fundamentals of the New Chess in a simulated instructional game he developed with top American and Russian students. Giving special attention to the opening and middle game-the phases most important for intermediate players-this master teacher shows you how to make the right moves in any chess situation using flexible and versatile principles, rather than rigid, memorized sequences. Imaginitive, lucid, ad effective, this new approach provides hours of stimulating instruction and authoritative reference, while also making playing chess more fun.

Now you can match wits with world chess champions using this guide to key chess strategies-from America's leading chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. Since 1886, the world chess champion has been determined every few years in dramatic head-to-head competitions. From Steinetz to Karpov, the twelve men who have held the title have shared a desire to succeed and a stunning ability to translate this desire into that most definitive and triumphant of moves-checkmate! You'll discover suspenseful, one-move problems that capture an average of ten games per player in the moment just before the victory-forcing play. Presented in an easy-to-use, interactive format that includes over 100 individual diagrams, the moves are arranged in order of difficulty-from beginning to advanced. Champions include: Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Steinetz, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik Invaluable commentary, analysis, and historical information on each champion make this a book that will provide hours of stimulating and enjoyable entertainment for years to come!

A collection of the most brilliant, ingenious, and outrageous chess moves ever made by legendary grandmaster Bobby Fischer-from America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. Discover 101 chess moves-each one that either forced checkmate or led to an overwhelmingly superior position-from among all of Bobby Fischer's recorded games, most of which were played in tournament or match situations. This easy-to-use, interactive guide was designed by chess teacher extraordinaire and National Chess Master Bruce Pandolfini. Includes diagrams, information on setting and opponent, helpful descriptive hints, incisive analysis, and more. Now you can venture into the mind of a champion, enhanced by Pandolfini's informative presentation and enlightened by biographical details on Fischer himself.

Based on his private course for students, America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit presents an easy-to-use guide that explains invaluable "inner circle" endgame concepts for players of any level. The endgame has always been a particularly instructive phase of chess play. It provides the perfect opportunity for understanding the potential power of each chess piece in every chess situation-from opening move to checkmate. But the endgame is often viewed as an inaccessible area of play by most players whose experience is limited to watching championship games. Now, Pandolfini changes all of that. With one endgame example per page and covering every endgame category in order of difficulty, Paldolfini walks you through all the basic concepts including: --square of the pawn --critical squares --corresponding squares --other new approaches not mentioned in classic references Featuring a glossary of concepts and diagrams throughout, this volume is the not-so-secret password to a whole new realm of chess play and entertainment for the average player.

With Weapons of Chess, National Master and highly acclaimed teacher Bruce Pandolfini brings us the most accessible and easy-to-use chess strategy book ever.

Written for beginning and intermediate players, Weapons of Chess is the first encyclopedia of chess strategies that doesn't rely on the usual baffling chess notation. There are no symbolic chess moves, no charts or sequences in chess notation: every move is explained in words.

Arranged alphabetically for easy use and based mainly on pawn formation, the incredibly detailed and thorough entries in this book talk a player through dozens of common strategic dilemmas, such as "doubled pawn," "bishops vs. knights," and "hanging pawn pair." Diagrams illustrate the terms, first showing the basic position and then strategically moving to more complicated versions of it. Players will learn how to formulate plans once they have reached a middlegame, enabling them to make wiser strategic decisions after the first few moves of the game.

Designed for use as a ready reference during actual practice games, and usable without a chess board, Weapons of Chess is a unique and invaluable resource for any developing chess player.

From the world-renowned chess teacher, a guide to applying the principles of the game to beating the competition in any endeavor.

Fluid and elegant, yet rigorous and rule-bound, chess is a game that seduces, confounds, and hooks. Now, world-renowned chess master and Fortune 500 business consultant Bruce Pandolfini shows readers how chess principles can be simply and logically applied to any business or life situation. No specific chess knowledge is needed, but after reading Every Move Must Have a Purpose, you will share with the most astute chess players the secret to thinking on your feet.

From the celebrated "chairman of the board" comes the secrets of strategy that everyone will find useful.

• Be aggressive, but don't take unnecessary chances
• Answer all threats with a counterthreat
• When exchanging, always get at least as much as you give up

Crisply and engagingly written, with entertaining examples and chess anecdotes, Every Move Must Have a Purpose will improve your strategic thinking so you'll never again debate your next move.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes the best chess drill book for beginners of all ages. From ever-popular chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini comes this entertaining, interactive, and effective book for teaching young chess players and other newcomers to the game. Filled with hundreds of questions and answers, fill-in-the-blanks, and true-or-false posers, Square One combines traditional chess drills with diverting games and problems to stimulate the analytical skills of beginners of all ages. Besides covering the basics-the board, moves, rules, and notation-Square One goes on to include information on attacks, checkmate, draws, and special rules, giving the beginner a broad overview of the game. With more than 200 instructional diagrams, and answers to all questions and problems, it is a complete workbook for chess players starting at square one.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a collection of 200 brand-new openings, drills, and skills for players of all levels. The opening is one of the most important parts of the chess game. Weaken your pawns by mistake, and they're taken. Attack wildly and haphazardly, and your pieces are picked off. Misuse your queen, and it's trapped. Carelessly neglect development, and you're mated. You've scarcely begun, and the game is over. But with this handy guide, you can avoid these perils and pitfalls. Including over 200 traps and 200 zaps, More Chess Openings presents everyday errors in openings and their immediate refutations. With detailed instruction and his usual precise explanation, Pandolfini teaches the defenses necessary to ward off the toughest opponents, including: *Sicilian Defense *Caro-Kann Defense *Modern Defense *Alekhine Defense *French Defense *Pirc Defense *Center Counter Defense

Make the first move with National Master Bruce Pandolfini-America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit-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.

The perfect and necessary addition to any personal chess library from America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. In this comprehensive, accessible reference, National Master Bruce Pandolfini covers every aspect of the game, from chessboard and pieces to history and strategy, and addresses virtually any possible question or situation that may arise. From algebra notation to zugzwang, Pandolfini has created the chess bible for players of all levels. And in addition to answers to over 500 questions, he has included his terrific short chess course plus tournament tips and endgame maxims. You'll learn the difference between a mating attack and a mating net, the best way to gain control of the center in the opening, why the Russians are so successful at chess, what happened to Bobby Fischer, and more! For an edge up on the competition, look no further than Pandolfini's Chess Complete.

Fireside Chess Library

In the first completely instructional book ever written on chess openings, National Master Bruce Pandolfini teaches players how to take charge of the game's crucial opening phase.

Of the three traditional phases of chess play -- the opening, the middle-game and the endgame -- the opening is the phase average players confront most often. Unfortunately, though, many openings are not completed successfully, partly because until now most opening instruction has consisted of tables of tournament level moves that offer no explanations for the reasons behind them. Consequently, these classical opening patterns can serve as little more than references to the average player.

In Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps, Bruce Pandolfini uses his unique "crime and punishment" approach to provide all the previously missing explanation, instruction, practical analyses, and much, much more. The book consists of 202 short "openers" typical of average players, arranged according to the classical opening variations and by level of difficulty. Each example includes:

* the name of the overriding tactic
* the name of the opening
* a scenario that sets up the tactic to be learned
* an interpretation that explains why the loser went wrong, how he could have avoided the trap, and what he should have done instead
* a review of important principles and useful guidelines to reinforce each lesson.

Also included are a glossary of openings that lists all the classical "textbook" variations for comparison and reference and a tactical index. Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps is a powerful, pragmatic entry into a heretofore remote area of chess theory that will have a profound influence on every player's game.

Based on six games played by the "Kasparov generation" of Soviet chess players, America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit presents a complete course in intermediate chess logic. The "Kasparov generation" of Soviet chess players is perhaps the best-trained crop of young players ever to come out of the country, holding the world title for 55 of the last 60 years. With the clarity of instruction for which he is renowned, Bruce Pandolfini illustrates such concepts as Light Squares, Time, Attack, Pawn Advances, and Counterattack in six chapters structured around each of the six games. Featuring a Grandmaster Glossary, 101 diagrams, an index, and algebraic notation throughout, this uniquely crafted volume puts the most valuable concepts in world-class chess at the intermediate player's fingertips.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes essential checkmating strategies and techniques for players of any level. From America's premier chess teacher comes an invaluable new guide to essential checkmating strategies and techniques. In 70 short games, many of which are tournament classics never-before analyzed instructionally, Bruce Pandolfini shares the secrets of checkmate, explaining the games and providing quizzes and problems that will test and hone the reader's skills in this vital area of play. Using teaching techniques from his many years as an instructor and national-class coach, Pandolfini educates the advanced amateur, club, and tournament player in the art and science of checkmate.