Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but there are better choices
Review: This isn't a bad book. It's just that there are so many books in this category which are so much better. The most obvious comparison is to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, by Patrick Wolff. Wolff's book, like so many others, is so much better than this one that one wonders why this one is still in print.The book is well written and entertaining. I enjoyed the cartoons, which begin every chapter, a fixture of the Dummies series. The material is accessible to the beginner. On the other hand, this book only takes you so far, and I was left very unsatisfied. Eade's biggest mistake is to delay presentation of chess notation until Appendix B, at the very end. This means that the notation is not available anywhere in the book as a means of presenting more material in the pages available to him. The result is a book with lots of pictures, and the reader doesn't have to spend a lot of time visualizing the moves or taking out a chess set. On the other hand, it really limits the amount of material Eade can present. Other authors have managed to surmount this challenge in books without notation. Bobby Fischer's book certainly comes to mind. Unfortunately, Eade never overcomes the limitation he has placed on himself. As a consequence, he presents the material very well but runs out of space before he can move to the next level.
Rating: 
Summary: This is where your addiction begins.
Review: This lightly written, clear and concise book will tell you everything you need to know in order to start enjoying chess. After that it all goes downhill. You start saying things like "Hey, that story can be paralleled to a chess game I played yesterday!" , or maybe "Yeah, he's/she's cute, but they can't handle a queen's pawn opening to save their life..." I'm warning you now- it's NOT just a game. Have fun! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Great book and loads of fun
Review: Well, I started playing chess this summer when my parents came to visit us from England. Well, I got a bit fed up with always losing to my dad, but quickly fell in love with the game, so I went out and bought this book. There are other books on playing chess, but to me, this one is the best. It is very easy to follow, written in a way that anyone can understand, and lavishly illustrated with diagrams of various chess situations. It also has a lot of humour in it too, which makes it an enjoyable read as well as very interesting with it's various points of interest scattered throughout, like 'Chess Talk' and 'Rule of Thumb' and 'Warnings'. I highly recommend this book to anyone just starting out or wanting to improve their game.
Rating:
Summary: Good reference, tries to do a lot in a little space
Review: What I like about this book is that it actually explains exactly what's going on in plain English. It assumes that you know absolutely nothing about the game and doesn't attempt to make references to stuff you haven't read. James Eade's book is a great companion to any other reference you have. The main problem with this book is that Eade tries to explain rules, etiquette, tactics, strategy, openings, middlegame, and engame -- all in the same book. Longer books have been written that cover only one of these categories! Naturally, this would lead to incompleteness. I wouldn't suggest a beginner pick up this book and try to learn the game or a novice use it solely to improve. However, it is a very good reference and review for all of these categories.
Rating:
Summary: Not a doorstop ...
Review: What is your goal from chess? Do you want to have fun? Do you want to beat the club pro? Or would you just like to beat that loud-mouthed, bragging neighbor? What you want out of the game should largely determine what you buy. If you really want to get better, then buy a specific book on the the phase of the game that you want to improve on. The material in this book is fair to good. A rank beginner could learn something from this book, but that person would probably have to work hard to do so. I have a slight problem with the way this book is laid out. For instance, the Chapter on the openings entitled, "The Opening: First Things First," is chapter 10 and starts on page 155! Some positive things about this book is it has lots of explanations and pictures. (Diagrams.)If you are familiar with IDG books, and like their work, (XXXX for Dummies)you will probably be satisfied with this book. If not, then don't pin all your hopes on this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: When I bought this book I had the intention of seriously learning chess. This book was a great step on that path. It taught me about chess openings and defenses, a bit about tactics and rules as well as information about playing in tournaments. I suggest that any one who wants to learn to play chess well but as a hobby buy this book in conjunction with Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. These two books will be a great start. If you know little about chess but wish to take your studies a bit more seriously then I suggest these two books with the game Chess Master.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for aspiring tournament players, too.
Review: You can't ask for much more from an introductory book on chess. Mr. Eade combines informative but lighthearted instruction with the easy-to-read format of the Dummies books. I recommend Chess for Dummies as the first stop for any novice who wants to play with a friend or who wants to beat the local "know-it-all" who relies on tricks instead of on principles. Because of its high quality, however, Chess for Dummies is also good for players with U.S. Chess Federation ratings up to 1600, because Mr. Eade constantly repeats the ideas that lead to victory. The only addition I would like to see--and it may have been left out to avoid scaring off beginners--is a bibliographical essay or bibliography broken down by category (openings, middlegames, collections, etc.) of books for different levels of chess players. Jeremy Silman provides such a list in his How to Reassess Your Chess, 3rd ed
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