For the early beginner to win
The best lessons for the raw beginner
to quickly learn to win chess games
(reading level: teenagers and adults)
THE best chess book for beginners
Learn to win at chess
Excerpts from the introduction in the book
“If you know the chess rules but almost nothing about how to win, this
book is for you. We’ll keep to the basics that you need most, when you
are still learning how a reasonable chess game works.
“Have you ever observed someone’s reaction to a chess game between
raw beginners? Did the observer walk away after grimacing or stiflng
a laugh? If that reaction could have come from almost any move made
in that game, it was not a reasonable game of chess. You can learn to
avoid that kind of embarrassment. You might even win somebody’s
admiration, after you apply what you learn in these chapters.
“Take the lessons in this book seriously and your ability to play chess
may advance further than if you had struggled through losing twenty
games. It might not take the place of seriously struggling through
eighty games, however, for over-the-board experience teaches in its
own way. Yet you might soon see your opponent struggle in competing
with you, as you apply these lessons and teach that person humility.
It’s about time.”
From Chapter 1
“A common weakness in the games of raw beginners is failing to see
the many possibilities. When you see that a particular piece can move
to a particular square, compare the resulting position with what it
would be if you made a different move.”
From Chapter 2
“This is a book for the raw beginner, so we’ll not dive into handicapped
pawn structures, namely doubled pawns. Keeping to the basics, notice
black is slightly ahead in material in Diagram-17 . . .”
Beat That Kid in Chess
The book to help you defeat
your young chess companion
(or any other beginner)
Chess is an excellent intellectual exercise
Back cover of this book on chess
Beat That Kid in Chess by Whitcomb
Quality paperback of 194 pages
5.5 by 0.4 by 8.5 inches
Suggested retail price: $13.40
ISBN-10: 1508856222
ISBN-13: 978-1508856221
Reading level: Older children but
mostly for teenagers and adults
Beat That Kid in Chess -
for the novice competitor
The ideal chess book for the novice
who knows how to play but wants
to learn to win more chess games
Why is this the best chess book for the beginner?
Beat That Kid in Chess may be the first publication that regularly
uses the new chess instruction method: nearly-identical positions.
It also concentrates on exactly what the early beginner needs to
see and understand, to prepare to win against other novices to the
royal game. It’s all about tactics (in contrast to strategy, which is
more for the intermediate or advanced chess player).
From the first page of the first chapter, a large diagram shows a
chess position that is almost the same as the positions shown on
the next few pages. The slight changes, however, train the reader
to see what is essential in learning how to win. In one diagram,
checkmate is possible but not in another. This is exactly what is
needed for simulating what happens in a real game of chess: The
positions change gradually and each move can require a different
choice. In the many thousands of chess books previously written,
which ones (if any) systematically use this important method of
training the beginner to think like a more advanced competitor?