Rating: 
Summary: Basic, but good.
Review: After about 15 years off, I started playing chess again about three months ago. I did so badly -- I couldn't beat my PalmPilot at the easy level! -- I realized I needed help. Alhough unrated, I would probably clock in somewhere between 1000-1100 (According to the Chessmaster 9000, anyway. Take that as you will).
I've read two of Robertie's books, this one and "Winning Chess Tactics." Both of them deserve the same review:Although this is a very basic book, it's PERFECT for a beginner like me. He starts out with simple concepts and then builds up, and spends his time teaching the basic ideas, whereas other books emphasize material too advanced for a beginning player. Quite a few typos, however.
Rating: 
Summary: Only Opening Book Beginning Chess Players Need
Review: Bill Robertie covers 25 of the most common openings at a level helpful to the beginner player. He correctly covers only the first several moves of each opening and an occasional variant. Face it, even mastering one opening could take a lifetime for the average player. In the Sicilian Defense alone, there are hundreds of variations and sub-variations. The author presents an extremely well annotated game for each opening to demonstrate the principles and strategy behind each opening. Beginning chess players spend far too much time studying openings. Until you start playing against expert players you don't need an extensive knowledge of openings. The trouble with memorizing openings is that as soon as your opponent makes an out of book move, you are left wondering what to do next. My advice to the beginning chess player is to pick a few openings and learn them well by playing them constantly. Spending your time studying tactics and end game strategy will lead to much quicker improvement in your playing ability. Winning Chess Openings will give you all opening move knowledge you need to become an intermediate level player. Larry Coonrod
Rating: 
Summary: Less than satisfactory
Review: Bill Robertie's book is a book on 25 openings. it provides less than no details on how to use them, and only goes 5 moves into the main lines. If you are a beginner and would like to learn more about chess openings, this isn't the book for you. If you wanted to get this book it would be because you would like to learn the absolute most you can about openings, including Robertie's. If you want to learn more about openings try Nunn's Chess Openings (Everyman Chess Series).
Rating: 
Summary: Skip it.
Review: I have read several of Roberties books. I have enjoyed all of them at least some what. Especialy Master checkmate strategy. This book is the exception. It offers nothing that is not covered in most basic chess books that have opening info. I could recomend many other superior beggining opening books. The thing that atracted me when I bought it was the low price for the large numger of openings presented. After reading it entirely I feel strongly that it was a waste of money. The reason so many openings were covered was because he had little to say about any of them so he had to present a lot of them to fill up the pages. That is the impression I take after reading this book. It did little to nothing to improve my understanding of the oppening. The only reason I even give it to stars was because of the Price. (wich has gone up scince I purchased my copy). I already sold mine to a used book store because i will never need to come back to any of the info presented in it. It was that superficial. To say the least this was the most dissapointing book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I love this book! At a GLANCE you can understand the strategic ideas behind an opening. (Great for a quick refresher of the memory!) And because concepts are so clearly explain...they actually STICK to your brain! (Something I can't say for most other opening books.) No this isn't MCO or ECO, but it was never meant to be. This is a book for the true beginner, and I think it does a great job!
Rating:
Summary: Thumbs up!
Review: I picked this title up at the bookstore; just skimmed it with out really reading it; and was able to play a tactical trick that night while on-line. A very good book!
Rating:
Summary: Not a good value
Review: Like all of his books, Winning Chess Openings is a chess book for those with only limited aspirations in chess. The openings in this book are covered only in the most superficial manner. There are many other books out there that do a much better job at this level. For a similar price, Horowitz' classic, How To Win In The Chess Openings does a much better job of describing the dynamics of the openings. For a more updated treatment, albeit at a higher price, Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings offers greater depth and the analysis and insight of a grandmaster. Look elsewhere for a beginner's opening book.
Rating:
Summary: Skip it.
Review: The book offers little to no detail, mainly focusing on the most simple main lines of the openings, skip-it and get a better book.
Rating:
Summary: This book is bad.
Review: The first thing one notices when they examine this book is the picture of the author on the back. From this photograph, it becomes apparent that Bill Robertie has no self-respect or commitment to quality, because he looks like a total doofus.
When one finally stops laughing at the utter dorkiness of Bill Robertie and opens the book, the results are much the same. Instead of taking the time to explain why each opening is done and some basic variations or continuations on it, Robertie instead elects to either just tell one what the opening is, or use a game illustrating how two masters use the opening. This sounds like a good idea until one realizes that Robertie included a game with himself in it. In said game, Bill Robertie is playing the black pieces. He goes on to brag about his performance in this game by inserting such uneducative and stupid sounding lines like 'black played a complicated line of moves' (why?) and 'black has beat off an apparently vicious attack.' This section angered me, not because Bill Robertie was bragging, but because he attempted to hide it by referring to himself in the third person. What a worthless man!
In conclusion, this book is basic and depthless. If one wants to know what each chess opening is, there are plenty of free resources online for doing just that. If one wants to delve deeper into openings, this book is not right. If one wants to laugh at a picture of a dorky looking man who brags about himself in the third person, I give this book my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the Money!!!
Review: This book has all the main essential openings. Before this book I only knew a couple of openings. Now I know over 25 strong openings that has increased my rating greatly. It goes through each move and why or why not its a good move this book is a must and for the price how can you go wrong???
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