Chess Training for Budding Champions

Rating:
Summary: Fun book to read but analysis is lacking
Review: I enjoyed this book. However, it may not be the sharpest tool in the shed (as my father says). It has many good pointers. Some of the stories can be a bit silly. I collect chess books at the age of 12. Older, but a better book is CHESS FOR FUN AND CHESS FOR BLOOD.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Chess Courses Around
Review: This book will be equally useful for an individual ambitious to improve, or for a chess trainer looking for stimulating course material. There is a tremendous depth to the program of instruction here, with sections on openings, middlegame concepts (closed center, open center, isolated pawns) and endgames (queen endings, pawn endings, knight endings). Computers and databases are covered (2 pages), with the emphasis in that section (as indeed with the whole book) being as much on HOW to study as on the study itself.
A beginner might enjoy this book, but the most benefit will be obtained by players who have some experience but feel they have reached a plateau - a quite common situation in my experience. Gambit is well known for only publishing quality chess books, so this is a self-improvement work you can rely on to improve your game and rating.

Rating:
Summary: Crammed full of ideas
Review: why has no-one told me about this fantastic book before? There are sections on the endgame, analyzing your own games, how to study position-types and so on. Hall clearly writes from personal experience, and the method worked for him: he is a strong international master. The title is a little misleading in that it might imply the book is aimed at novice players, when the book could be useful for even club players. My chess library consists of around 300 books. This is one of the best self-improvement works in it.