Resources for Chess Beginners and Intermediate Players
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Chess Lessons From a Tutor in Murray, Utah
Whitcomb is the author of the book Beat That Kid in Chess. Although that book is for the raw beginner, he can tutor students of a wide range of chess skills, including tournament players rated over 1500 by the United States Chess Federation.
Review of Some of the Best Chess Books
The following five chess books were chosen, for this review, not for head-to-head competition but for comparing different skill levels of chess players.
Chess Tournaments for Children
Hundreds of children competed in a chess tournament in Central Park, New York City, on September 20, 2014 . . . the 14th annual Chess-in-the-Parks, this year with about 800 players. Most of the participants were from the “Chess in the Schools” program.
Tactical Puzzles From Chess Books
When used wisely, chess problems can develop a player’s tactical abilities, including the ability to calculate in looking ahead. But aside from gaining a greater ability to imagine future variation moves, chess puzzles can help us to see basic patterns in tactics.
Best Chess Books of Different Kinds
Five mini-book-reviews:
Fundamental Chess Openings
Winning Chess Strategies
Fundamental Chess Endings
Beat That Kid in Chess
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
A club player shares his thoughts on a game he played in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah in 2015 (at a Senior Citizen center).
Strange to tell, but I was unprepared for this obvious and simple response to Nf3. I would have done better to have begun with c4, for I was better prepared for playing the English Opening. My greatest weakness, at present, may relate to knowledge of openings.
Three chess puzzles, with solutions at the bottom of the page
This book [Winning Chess Tactics for Juniors] has 534 tactical puzzles for intermediate chess players (not necessarily just teenagers). The following one is #254 on page 55, a lovely little two-move combination. It’s not for beginners but is easy for advanced players.
Few chess books include much about queen-versus-rook endgames (one exception is the book Winning Chess Endings by Yasser Seirawan), for only a very small percentage of formal tournament and match games end up with these four pieces on the board.
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