The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess

by Patrick Wolff

This title has been removed from sale by Penguin Group, USA.

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction, Reference, Sports, Games, Education

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah Chess. The game of Kings, and king of games.

A game that I, sadly, haven't really touched since high school.


I had played the game in middle school and high school. At least, by 'played' I mean I understood how the pieces moved and the objective of the game. And I could beat anyone I knew at it, but I didn't ever get any deeper than that. No real tactics, no strategy, no real understanding of the game. I only won because everyone else sucked so much worse than I did.

I stopped playing mostly because of that. What I should have done is got some books and started reading and really understanding the game, but I didn't.

Fast forward today.

I started getting interested in the game again for a couple of reasons. I have been trying to improve myself, to keep myself mentally fit and progressing. You are either moving forwards or backwards. I'm trying to move forward.

It's an excellent book. At least, to my untrained eye and limited knowledge of Chess books in general. It covers the basics very well and gets the reader acquainted with the deeper aspects of Chess. The author is a grandmaster, 2 time U.S. Champion and has been teaching for years. All that experience pays off for the reader.

Wolff explains the principles, illuminates them with examples, then gives the reader a number of problems at the end of the chapter to work through, with answers in the back of the book, to cement the ideas. I really liked the teaching method. Some of the problems were ones he created, some from games he played, and others from great games of the past.

Chess is complex but I didn't realize just how complex it can be until I read this book. Although I claim some previous experience, I now realize I am just an abecedarian at this point, green and unschooled.

Chess isn't for everyone, there is a certain aesthetic about the game that not all will enjoy, even if they posses the needed brain power to play it.

Chess, to me, is beautiful. A well played move strikes a deep cord in me, giving me a thrill. Wolff's problems had number of these types of moves, where after I stared at the board and looked at everything I could see, I checked the answer and got that thrill when the grandmaster made a move that was perfect.

Chess tactics enthrall me, and solid strategies intrigue me. Chess has captured my interest. (Er, no pun intended. Really.)

So now I'm going to get more books and really start improving my game. I doubt I'll get into the tournament aspect, but if I can play a solid game against a computer, I'd feel like I have good handle on it.

I have long ways to go yet, but the longest journey begins with a single step. Or, this case, a single Pawn push.

If you have any interest in Chess at all, I don't think you can go wrong with this book.

[Britt Selvitelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a joke Christmas gift after being continually beat by my dad.

It turns out, this is a fantastic starters or "refresh my memory" book! Wolff does a fantastic job of describing basic techniques, and most importantly, each explanation includes diagrams. This means you can read it on the go, unlike more advanced books that require you to be in front of a board.

It's actually kind of unfortunate that this was placed under The Idiot's Line of books, because it caters to such a wide variety of audiences.

[Manny]

On the one occasion when I met the author, I was at first rather doubtful about his claim to understand the problems complete idiots face at the chessboard. He comprehensively outplayed me several times, following up with a nice little anecdote in one postmortem about how he'd determined that the line I'd used was more dangerous than generally believed after he'd helped Anand prepare it for a Candidates match.

In the last game, however, he thoughtfully overlooked a mate in three in a better position. Okay, Grandmaster Wolff, you pass. But only just.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the basics of play - everything from movement of pieces to tactics and strategies to common openings and endings. Enjoyed the historical biographies at the end. Only skimmed Part 4 about computer chess, books, tournaments, etc. Excellent educational tool for beginners, especially if one were to work the exercises at the end of each chapter and set up and play through the examples in the chapters (I did neither).

[Cassidy Gagnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent beginners chess book to start you down your journey. Although the edition I read was outdated (the 2nd edition), the book looks at all aspects of chess and condenses it down to excellent dialogue and commentary by Wolff, and challenging exercises. Excited to read more in-depth chess books in the future!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've already gotten 5 stars of value out of this less than half way through. Amazing book to go from basic proficiency to "I can beat nearly any normal person" level. Super readable and fun and efficient. Was down 8-3 in a series against my roommate and since reading I'm up to 9-7 with a 4 game win streak, let's go!!!!

[Adam Geisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I mean, it's an idiot's guide. But really that just means there are some complicated strategical concepts explained with humor and clarity. It includes some engaging puzzles and tips that I like to use with my chess club players.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A *terrific* book for beginners to learn the game, or for non-beginners to get back into shape if you've stopped playing for a number of months.

[Adam Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and great way to learn chess for a novice/beginning. Lots of chess historical facts and a the author keeps it entertaining even for people who aren't chess addicts

[Emmanuele Salvati · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must for chess beginners.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the title, I'm not sure whether this book is an incomplete guide for complete idiots, or a complete guide for incomplete idiots.

In either case, I found it useful. I have "played chess" my whole life (i.e. I knew the rules, but didn't play well or often) but have never really played chess. I wanted to get better, so I picked this up, hoping to find some pointers regarding how to think about strategy and how to evaluate positions and choose the best moves in a given situation. Thus, my reading only focused on chapters 5-15 (the sections on tactics, strategy, and a chapter on continued learning). I learned a lot, and really feel that I am beginning to understand the game and its more subtle mechanics for the first time in my life. There are lots of exercises, many of which I have yet to complete, to help practice the skills you learn. I recommend this for anyone wanting an easy introduction to chess tactics and strategy. Wolff gives his own recommendations for where to go after reading this book to continue learning more advanced concepts.

[Krispy · Rating 2 out of 5]

good overview but it seems like he just copied and pasted a lot of stuff from his other book...... hm. also the layout of the book is hella annoying! he'll be like, "look at diagram 1" and diagram 1 will be 2 pages later. hate hate hate... double hate......... loathe entirely. but like i said good chess overview for tactics, strategy, and even chess history! the "patricks pointers" were great as well.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's actually a very good book
has some nice tactical exercises and stuff on chess strategy
and the book recommendations are better than many

For basic chess texts i would probably prefer
New Way: Learn Chess Alexander and Beach - 2 volumes Pergammon
Zak's Improve your Chess Results
Kostyev From Beginner to Expert in 40 Lessons
Kostyev 40 Lessons for the Club Player

[Akeredolu Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! This book is a great guide for beginners and a massive aide to experts. A nice chess book encompassing the history of this game, to the tactics and strategies to adopt to win the game. Patrick did a great job at using simple words to explain great concepts of the game of chess. Thumbs up 👍 for this great book!

[Joel Rockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first chess book when I was 12 years old! I wanted to "re-read" it this year for nostalgic sake. (Thanks to Amazon...I even found a used copy of the 1st edition.) I'm still surprised at how great it is! This is still the best beginners chess book I've ever read. Recommended!

[Hans Ostrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very solid, skimmable overview of chess, with interesting profiles of famous players in the history of chess. The book is also a doorway to other books. A good easygoing tone throughout.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers very basic to very complicated chess material. Like, it literally starts with the very basic rules of chess. A good intro primer for chess strategy and foundations.

[Francesca Strada · Rating 5 out of 5]

God book for beginners with a lot of exercises rhat make you think about what you learned.

[Jason]

This is a good book. But when I have a chess program on my computer that lets me learn the finer points of the game with either of two grand masters through real examples and test on an interactive chess board... well, it's just a lot easier than following along with the book using a physical chess set you have to set up for every example or playing along in my head. And such software can be had for the same price or cheaper than the book. I'd still recommend it to someone looking for a chess book, but I'll stick to Chessmaster.

[Jyotika Varmani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The effort put into this book is commendable. The book is progressively organized, which is vital for a beginner. The supporting diagrams enable better and easier understanding of the text. The exercises and their solutions at the end of the chapter are very useful to improve one's game. Also, the author presents his lessons with enthusiasm which makes the book very interesting. One of the best chess books ever!

[Amar Pai]

Though the title makes me cringe, I have to admit this is a decent introduction to strategy/tactics. I wish they'd change the name though. At the bookstore I saw another book entitled Chess for the Gifted and Busy. Now that's more like it! (Unfortunately, I flipped through that one and found it rather dull. It's too bad; I'd much rather be reading a book that didn't call me an idiot)

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Chess instructional book strats from the basic rules of the game all the way to advanced strategies. Written by a US Grandmaster. Great for those who love the mental workout that chess provides, boring as hell for the 99.9% of everyone else.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This chess instructional book starts from the basic rules of the game and covers all the way to advanced strategies. Written by a US grandmaster. A great read for those of us who love the mental workout chess provides, boring as hell for the 99.9% of everyone else

[Kellan]

britt gave this a fantastic review, have to check it out

[Drew]

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess by Patrick Wolff (1997)

[Danica]

very, very slowly making my way through the exercises. get them wrong half the time. feel like a dolt.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent overall guide to the game of chess. From how to play to tactics and strategy, this is the best introductory chess book I have found.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful and easy-to-read guide to chess. For beginners who don't know a Rook from a Bishop, to experts who are looking to fine tune their strategies.

[Steven Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the 2 resources (along with the Chessmaster 10th Edition tutorial) that took me past the level of beginner. I highly recommend it.

[Anthony Commisso · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT WAS THE BEST BOOK ON CHESS EVER