Rating: 
Summary: Puts the 'C' in Comprehensive. (whatever that means)
Review: Whoa. This book is indeed mammoth. It covers a huge range of topics - strategy, general opening guides, tactics, endgames, etc to even stuff like correspondence and online chess. Although probably the content is suited best for the novice to intermediate range, I'm sure other players will find something useful in this. Its tactics and strategy section contains many masterpieces played between former legends, e.g. Mikhail Tal, Botvinnik, etc, as well as basic, simple examples to introduce newcomers to general ideas, e.g., pins, forks, play for centre.This is good value. And as someone earlier pointed out, the British Chess Federation doesn't give out their Chess Book of the Year award easily -- it has got to be top notch. Want to improve your game in all aspects, from openings to endgames? Try this one out.
Rating:
Summary: It's REALLY Mammoth.
Review: Wow! A really cool book. (Bad books do NOT become BCF's "Book of the Year.") !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's see. What do you get? A section on: beginning chess, Openings, Middlegames, Endgames, Tactics, Attack and Defence. You get a section on the chess clock, on-line chess (somewhat dated), Correspondance chess, etc. Call it potpourri unlimited. (A little of something for everybody!) In fact, there is a something of almost everything about chess in here. (500+ pages!) [Maybe a little slanted towards the British side of everything.] Two minor criticisms: Organization could have been a little bit better. And the paper is somewhat yellowish and see-through. The book has NOT fallen apart, but the cover and binding of my book is showing wear and tear. (But its been through a lot. I used to take it to school EVERY DAY when I taught at a local school last year!! The kids just loved thumbing through it.) Many pluses, one being some of the most comphrehensive indexes I've ever seen in a chess book! However, all this is nit-picking. Everyone I know who has bought this book has LOVED it. And the bonus? It costs about 1/3 [or less], of what the average chess book sells for!! Buy it. If you don't like it, a friend will surely take it off your hands!!
Rating:
Summary: It's REALLY Mammoth.
Review: Wow! A really cool book. (Bad books do NOT become BCF's "Book of the Year.") !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's see. What do you get? A section on: beginning chess, Openings, Middlegames, Endgames, Tactics, Attack and Defence. You get a section on the chess clock, on-line chess (somewhat dated), Correspondance chess, etc. Call it potpourri unlimited. (A little of something for everybody!) In fact, there is a something of almost everything about chess in here. (500+ pages!) [Maybe a little slanted towards the British side of everything.] Two minor criticisms: Organization could have been a little bit better. And the paper is somewhat yellowish and see-through. The book has NOT fallen apart, but the cover and binding of my book is showing wear and tear. (But its been through a lot. I used to take it to school EVERY DAY when I taught at a local school last year!! The kids just loved thumbing through it.) Many pluses, one being some of the most comphrehensive indexes I've ever seen in a chess book! However, all this is nit-picking. Everyone I know who has bought this book has LOVED it. And the bonus? It costs about 1/3 [or less], of what the average chess book sells for!! Buy it. If you don't like it, a friend will surely take it off your hands!!
Rating:
Summary: Compact and comprehensive
Review: _One_ great book about chess. There are two parts in this book: the first about playing and the second about other aspects of chess. There are a lot of tactical and strategic examples throughout the first part of the book. The combination section is fun. The opening section, though not exhaustive, conveys the ideas of many openings. The attack and defense section exemplifies many common themes such as the Nd5 sacrifice and the h-pawn hack. The endgame section, like the opening section, shows many examples rather than being exhaustive. The second part of the book talks about how famous players started to learn chess, tournaments, clock, computer chess, Internet and chess, and chess & media. Those are very interesting reading mostly because they are written in a tone that engages the reader. The appendixes have basic chess rules, explanations of chess notation (the book talks about the history of it!), basic mates, and glossary. Overall, this book talks about many different faces of chess yet manages to be of very good quality in them.
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