64 Things You Need to Know in Chess

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best for Improving Players
Review: I am a strong (A) player with a large library of quality books. I purchased this one to use in teaching my friends the joys of this ancient game without scaring them off with reams of variations. The beauty of this book is that it presents the most essential chess concepts in a manner that will not scare off newer students to the game. I especially enjoy how the book starts with the endings and tactics and then progresses to strategy.

I am a HUGE fan of Tarrasch's the Game of Chess and Lasker's famous Manual--however both of these works are quite verbose and will not foster a love from the game in most newbies. Get this book and use it to teach your friends how to play a solid game of chess. Get this and use it in combination with some of the classics (may I suggest art of the middlegame?) and begin the climb to expert status!