Tips for Young Players

Rating:
Summary: Also good for experienced chessplayers
Review: A word or two of explanation before I launch into my review. I'm an 1800 player, i.e. average to strong club strength. This review is directed at other club players.

The title of this book is a misnomer. There is a great deal of wisdom in the 160 pages of this book. Though most club players will know the tenets given here in one form or another, it is still helpful to see them in one place, given clearly and illustrated with appropriate examples. I remember that Tal used to watch chess instruction programs on television designed for beginners. His argument was that one can't sufficiently overlearn the basics. This is the way I feel about this book. It is a manual of chess wisdom, as easy to read as a book of zen aphorisms and with as much depth.

Sadler improves with age. I have his earlier books on the Slav and the Semi-Slav. I recently bought his book on the Queen's Gambit and this book of Tips. These last two are filled with insights useful to a club player such as myself.

This book (Tips) has material covering building an opening repertoire, principles of endgame play, the definition and role of the initiative, dynamic versus static advantages, weak squares,building up the strength of a position, simplifying positions to capitalise on advantages and so on. The cognoscenti will immediately recognise these topics as non-trivial and not elementary at all.

You can't go far wrong with that.

Rating:
Summary: A "how to" book that chess beginners will appreciate.
Review: An 'Everyman Chess' guide to chess provide tips for beginners, Matthew Sadler's Tips For Young Players tells how to spot tactics and develop chess strategies and introduces the second level in chess playing. This is a highly recommended, first rate "how to" book that chess beginners will appreciate.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining And Educating: You Will Finish This Book!
Review: I am rated 1801 USCF and I still found the book both interesting and useful. Sadler surveys many chess themes in a style that will neither bore nor frighten "younger" (and/or newcomer) players. For instance, in the middlegame chapter, he clearly explains the dynamics of developing a plan, implementing it, changing course when necessary, and so on. I think that this slender volume will be one that you can finish without dreading it as "study." Then you'll be ready for the really hard stuff. Or not, since you'll already have enough info to crush casual players - if you're into that.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining And Educating: You Will Finish This Book!
Review: I am rated 1801 USCF and I still found the book both interesting and useful. Sadler surveys many chess themes in a style that will neither bore nor frighten "younger" (and/or newcomer) players. For instance, in the middlegame chapter, he clearly explains the dynamics of developing a plan, implementing it, changing course when necessary, and so on. I think that this slender volume will be one that you can finish without dreading it as "study." Then you'll be ready for the really hard stuff. Or not, since you'll already have enough info to crush casual players - if you're into that.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK FOR STARTERS
Review: I HAVE PERHAPS 30 BOOKS ON CHESS IN MY OWN LIBRARY AND WAS LOOKING FOR ONE OR TWO THAT WOULD GET MY 8YR OLD GRANDSON STARTED OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT.

AFTER REVIEWING 10 OR SO I CONCLUDED THAT THIS ONE AND "STARTING OUT IN CHESS" (JACOBS) WERE THE ONES THAT GAVE A YOUNG PLAYER A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND HOW TO GO ABOUT IT. THEY BUILD A FIRM FOUNDATION (WITHOUT TALKING UP OR DOWN) FROM WHICH MOST CHILDREN CAN LAUNCH A SUCCESSFUL AND ENJOYABLE CHESS FUTURE.

Rating:
Summary: Chess = fun!
Review: Now I finally understand why my boyfriend is so fond of chess. And this book gave me a head start! It is both informative and entertaining. And not just for young players!

Rating:
Summary: Not a children's book
Review: Practically demonstrates basic opening, middle, and end-game strategies. I like the presentation of this book better than the older classics. A bit simpler, and broader in scope, than Seirawan's "Winning Chess Strategies".

I don't know if this is really the best book for "young players". Not bad, especially for high school age, but the lay-out and language are not suited to young beginners.

This book is ideal for improving players who have played a few dozen games and want to know a bit of strategy. Use this along with a book of fairly simple tactical puzzles, like "Simple Checkmates" and "Chess Tactics for Juniors". (Drilling tactics is more important than studying strategy or memorizing openings.)

For USCF 1200-1400 rating range, I think.

If you're at the high end of that range, the early part of the book will be a useful summary of what you already know.

The meat of the book is the incredibly lengthy annotation of (mostly) just a single game played by the author.

In one chapter he uses the game to show opening principles and goals, particularly in the author's chosen opening scheme, the "London System". This is more useful than the "opening ideas" books, which just tell a sentence or two about each opening, and much more useful than the repertoire books, which go far too deep into variations.

Later, he walks into the middle-game, showing the sort of attack on the castled king that he looks for in this system, some sound positional strategies in reasonable depth, and a particular position that harbors a clever tactic which would ordinarily be much too deep for a beginner, but which (on page 116) he breaks into digestible pieces so that by the end of the page you feel as if you understand something brilliant.

Then, he demonstrates important rook-and-pawn end-game themes by following this very game to its conclusion.

This single game justifies the price of the book. I have no idea where else you might look to find so much beginner-level exposition concentrated on just one game. An excellent precursor to Silman!

Combined with all the tips throughout, it's a very nice package.

Rating:
Summary: Clear, fun and exciting - for all ages
Review: This book is full of common sense and down to earth explanations of the basic principles of Chess. Within the first few pages the author starts to demystify areas of the game that have always seemed complicated to me. Written in a fun and informal style with lots of examples I was amazed to find myself enjoying and reading it so quickly. I always knew what each piece on the board did but not what I should be aiming for to win, and thought that reading a chess book would be very hard going. Well this book is fun! The author has said that he wanted to write the kind of book that every good Chess player wished they could have read when they began. It covers everything from the general principles of the opening, middlegame and endgame, to discussing attacking, positional and endgame plays. There are also exercises to do which kept me challenged when I was unable to find anyone of my basic level to play with. Having tried Chess when young and then left it for twenty years - now having read this book, I am intrigued by the game and want to learn more! When I watch other people play I can see the principles in action and share the excitement and tension of the game. Anyway I have raved enough! If you have ever thought about learning Chess then buy this book and you will never look back.

Rating:
Summary: Clear, fun and exciting - for all ages
Review: This book is full of common sense and down to earth explanations of the basic principles of Chess. Within the first few pages the author starts to demystify areas of the game that have always seemed complicated to me. Written in a fun and informal style with lots of examples I was amazed to find myself enjoying and reading it so quickly. I always knew what each piece on the board did but not what I should be aiming for to win, and thought that reading a chess book would be very hard going. Well this book is fun! The author has said that he wanted to write the kind of book that every good Chess player wished they could have read when they began. It covers everything from the general principles of the opening, middlegame and endgame, to discussing attacking, positional and endgame plays. There are also exercises to do which kept me challenged when I was unable to find anyone of my basic level to play with. Having tried Chess when young and then left it for twenty years - now having read this book, I am intrigued by the game and want to learn more! When I watch other people play I can see the principles in action and share the excitement and tension of the game. Anyway I have raved enough! If you have ever thought about learning Chess then buy this book and you will never look back.