Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess

I haven't played chess for over 20 years, and even then only occasionally and to no great skill level. Now, approaching my 60's, for some reason I've become interested in it as a brain exercise. This paperback was cheap and seems to have a lot of favourable reviews so I gave it a go. I can see why it would be great for total beginners, but it's also fantastic for those of us who want to feel good about ourselves - i.e. that our brain still functions at a reasonbale level). I have had great pleasure in realising that by following each of the panels of questions posed in the book, I still grasp the essentials of the game and, more than that, I'm remembering what I used to like about it. It's structure is excellent, and I particularly like the upside down alternate pages...it might seem quirky but it means that all answers to each question posed cannot be glanced at on the open pages...you have to turn over the page if you want to cheat! Maybe only a chess player of repute would come up with that...or it's very common in these kind of books and I'm just poorly read. Overall, for a book from someone considered by many to be the greatest ever chess player, it is entirely unpatronising to us chess neanderthals and it has raised my interest in the game to a new level. For those who are more advanced or even frequent players for fun, this book maybe a little too basic, but for total beginners or those who have been away from the game for years, it's a great way to become absorbed.

This is a natty little pocket sized book that has chess puzzles along the lines of "white to mate in 2 moves" with a picture of a chess board on one page and the solution along with a brief description on the next page. This was originally published when Bobby Fischer was at the height of his fame, i.e. before he started having strange ideas about the world. At this time, programmed learning techniques such as these were new and exciting. Anyone who subscribes to stress + rest = progress theory will love the way that the reader can see themselves evolve into a better chess player throughout this book. The primary focus is mating moves and that is just fine. And the funky thing about this is that once you have finished it, you can turn it upside down and start again reading it backwards. Imagine how ground-breaking that must have seemed in the 1970's?

I bought this to get back into Chess after a 15 year hiatus! I went in blind, and was overall quite happy with the results. Got through the book itself in a few sittings, its an easy 'read'. -The book has a large portion taken up by basic fundamentals, such as how to move your pieces, what is checkmate etc. The first 1/4 of the book was 'useless' to me. -Covers different ways to setup check mate, and how to defend against it. -Bobby Fischers games are referenced a dozen or so times throughout the book as examples showing how to use the tactics in practice. The book was useful to me overall in showing basic ways to apply pressure, doesn't cover openings or much mid game, the book focuses on mid/end game scenarios. The frames/puzzles in the book seemed easy, probably got half a dozen incorrect throughout the book, however I would attribute this to well setup orders and teaching methods. I don't believe this book would be good to people who deem themselves good at chess, only to those who are just starting to look into the theory of chess, and expect the book to be a quick read! Also it does not appear Bobby Fischer had much to do with the book at all, they should re title the book "Learn to Play Chess With Bobby Fischer's Fans".

To me Bobby Fischer is not only the greatest chess player of all time but a great mind. He was heralded as a champion of the USA during the cold war and abandoned and persecuted by that nation for many decades because he refused to be a tool of evil. This book is brilliant, I mean it, whether you have never played or you have been playing for years, this book will improve your game (excepting maybe proffessional players, but who knows) The best thing is you can pick it up for a few seconds or an hour and it doesnt bother you with endless paragraphs, tere are few in fact, you learn through answering chess problems.

This is by far the best book my 8-year-old and I have read in our quest to become half-decent chess players. It's a course that you work your way through, learning the techniques by looking at lots of different examples. It's a v simple format, almost to the point of looking old-fasioned (in a good way!), with a question on nearly every page, then you turn the page for the answer. It's easy to follow and great both for absolute beginners and those who know how the pieces move but want tips on strategy - a stage I've been stuck at for about 30 years!

It's a nice read. I'm a 1400 elo player and I certainly took a few things from the book. As the title says, if you're rated over about 1200 you've probably seen all the concepts in the book and it should just be a refresher.

The content is easy to follow for beginners. However, the book has been printed upsidedown every other page which is slightly annoying.

I first purchased this book back in the Seventies and found it the best book by far to develop my attacking chess. (I used to play in chess clubs, grade highest 149 I seem to remember.) I gave it to someone else and then stopped playing chess for years. Recently I took up chess again and purchased another copy of the book that had helped me best. Some of the smaller board layout position illustrations are almost illegible, but the larger ones that matter are perfectly easy to see and understand. Buy this book and turn from a rabbit into a tiger!

Sayfaların ters-düz/karışık olması gerekiyormuş. Kitabı aldım ve sayfaların bir kısmı ters bir kısmı düz ve sayfalar karışık biçimdeydi. Yanlış basıldığını sanıp değişime gönderdim ve elime ulaşan diğer kitap da aynı şekilde basılmıştı. Ufak bir araştırmadan sonra bu basımın bilinçli olduğunu öğrendim. Kitabı normal düz bir şekilde bitirdikten sonra ters çevirip kaldığınız yerden (sağ taraftaki sayfalardan) devam ediyorsunuz. Kitapta bunun açıklaması mevcut.

There is a reason why Fischer is considered to be one of the best chess players of all times, so needless to say that the book would be high quality as expected. The book is more a strategy book for check mates than a complete chess tutorial. As you work through Fischer's puzzles, it kind of opens you up to the number of ways you can check mate the opponent. The book is quite lucid and exciting as well and focuses on a few strategies. However, if you are a beginner and want to learn about the game as a whole (opening, mid game, ending), then Logical Chess Move my Move is a good choice.

Some of the previous reviewers seem to wish to downgrade this book. Apparently mainly because Bobby Fischer lent his name to it, though he did not actually write it, (so they say) However I, as a novice player, found the method of teaching used to be very helpful, - sort of like having the teacher stand over you, - in comparison to just reading from the book. The teaching method used is what the writers term: "Programmed Instruction" and for me it works perfectly. Rather than go into long explanatory terminology that may engender boredom through its 'wordiness' the writers give diagrams of the chess board layouts with a single, or multiple choice, chess solution to pick from. This is after you have been taught how the pieces move, (should you need that initial instruction.) For instance you will be shown a diagram of a particular possible checkmate scenario and you will be given multiple answers such as: "Can the rook mate in one move" or, "Can the bishop intercede and prevent mate?" and so on. Being asked to fathom these moves on one page before having the answers revealed on the next, appears to be a good way of learning the best moves, while actually working them out. Needless to say, the problems start off in an easy form, and then progressively get more difficult. This, in my opinion is a definitely "must have" in one's book collection, if you want to get into the art of playing good Chess in an easy and informed manner.

Before you buy this book, you need to know three things: 1. This book does not have anything to do with the famous chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer. He did not write it. The publishers merely paid him to put his name and image on the book. But the book is still great, unique, and is of immense help to beginners. 2. The book does not teach you how to think like a grandmaster, but it does teach you how to not think like a rookie. The entire book is focused on basic mistakes. Therefore, naturally, there will come a point in your chess career when you will no more use any of the techniques in this book. At that point, you might think, "that book was a waste of money", but in reality, it has already done its job. 3. You still need a basic chess book to go with it. This is primarily a puzzle/problems book that you practice on the side. Beginners often do not consider the positions of all the chess pieces when they make a move. They focus only on the piece that directly attacks any of their pieces. As a result, they tend to overlook obvious traps and mates. That is what this book teaches. It is essential, and does a great job of doing what it does.

Livro de muito valor para iniciantes no Xadrez (suponho na faixa de rating 300-1500). Aborda conceitos fundamentais de maneira prática, de fácil entendimento através de posições extraídas de jogos do próprio Bob Fischer. Em Inglês mas fácilmente palatável até para os mais resistentes. Vale a pena!