How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond

As someone who already plays the game, I found this book to be a great refresher. It reminded me of important concepts (basics actually) and helped me brush up on my skills. One thing I loved was learning new concepts, like Zwischenzug (an in-between move). I also feel that the book has helped me improve my endgame skills. For example, I now know how to calculate if my opponent’s King can catch my pawn before it promotes. This has made me more confident in close games. Top of head, Levy also talks about keeping tension in the game and not trading pieces unless it helps -something I am not good at as my old strategy was to have a good pawn structure, then trade immediately to reach end game. This tip really changed how I think during matches. Another thing I like is that his writing is friendly and easy to understand, which makes the book fun to read. In fact, I think if you watched any of his YouTube videos, it would feel like he is just right there coaching you as you read. Lastly, I appreciate that he included links to videos for extra help. The book was so good that I am playing with the idea of buying the physical version to reread it later. As for my recommendation, I am recommending this book to everyone. Whether you are new to chess or you already play. It is a fantastic guide that is easy to follow and full of useful tips! Thanks, Levy!

I am 71 years old and first played chess aboard ship on a westpac in 1974. My Chess Library is over 200 books from all the top grand masters who wrote teaching books going back to the 1970s. My only video teaching is from DVDs and Workbooks narrated by Elliott Neff. I have the Chess Genius Pro Computer that I use often. I have a small 10 inch magnetic chess set that I take with me on the road and also join my old chess master friend for lunch once a week at our favorite restaurants and play while waiting for our lunch to be served. Now the constructive criticism based on just receiving the book and not reviewing it totally cover to cover, yet. The book starts off with a five star rating because of the spiral binding advantages over all paperback and hard cover books I own. The only negative is the dark squares are too dark making it difficult to differentiate the dark chess pieces when on the dark squares. The teaching in the introduction chapters is very well written and in total agreement with the teachings in the better chess teaching books I own. The trouble with paperback and hardback books is that as you move through them it is difficult to read the pages close to the binding. With this spiral book, the spiral is heavy duty and the cover is hard and the pages are also heavier. You can easily lay the book flat and also open the book 360 degrees easily. I love it. With the more complex books, I use my 10 inch chess set to lay out the board to agree with the book for a better learning experience. The authors do not always have the best moves, and we really need to think for ourselves and not just use textbook direction. This book should be used with and without a good chessboard with the file letters and rank numbers for quickly teaching beginners. Eventually as you become an intermediate to advanced player you should play on a board without the file letters and rank numbers for serious tournament playing. As the authors recommended playing better players as I do is the best experience to advance your play. About me. I am a retired Electrical and electronic engineer and engineering manager. Engineers are by nature your better problem solvers especially after they gained some practical experience. My much younger educational years was with shops in wood, metal, and machine shop. Since I been retired, I used my hand and machine tools to make my children and grandchildren Chess Boards and Chess Pieces out of quality hardwoods. I also purchased he same small 10 inch magnetic chess sets and chess books for kids for the grandchildren who are more into playing and learning. PS: I will update my review after I reviewed the entire book at least once. After going through over 200 other books, I will be able to provide an update on the quality between the covers. The author said this is a book for beginners up to the intermediate level, so we should not expect to become a grandmaster from just reading this book. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z9G456?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079RKQDN3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Chess-Board-Set-User-Friendly/dp/B0CHW3V5LS/ref=sr_1_7?crid=OA3I62YT8Z7Q&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qOfhrsMl-3kR7Q0VBV-dDo_c_Vp5G1q3gz_HQy0t7fOPZdRrg7AXN_9BM_4OkyJdvXGOXOHYUtkULlWBBTqwd5TF_vXQLkjOMcyQH-djyNxeBbfYw18Ab5iQdl1qdyzlh55wB6ZH4KhNEyZOnwtQNh68CVLW6ixVbyJOUNAXdCOT_msilUPNDbS931UMTF9jNG2lAm6zO_tt_T3X-WrnoBPK2TT5jHl-blEkW-oeIVdzRDoe-NvkI24pOqHc-ZH5zfXE7HvrjINb2euJWRGguk9KBDHXtp6iQ85cbjoKIZY.fIDM53sZAGVS3tCrDYraHfMD4leMl2TopHOeRi2BVvc&dib_tag=se&keywords=millennium+chessgenius+pro&qid=1752176051&sprefix=Millennium+ChessGenius%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-7

An author that can communicate. Written to explain what the other books don't. Clear and analytical. May never open another book on chess because this writer can break it down and explain it. A rare book in the chess world. This book will be a classic.

This book is a new and refreshing guide for understanding the fundamentals of chess, and most importantly, how to study openings and develop a strategy (notice I didn't say "it outlines openings and strategy." I said "how to study openings and develop a strategy"). It is THE must-have chess book for the 21st century. Levy does a stellar job at writing in a way that is engaging to the reader. The best part is the QR codes that let the reader practice the very concepts the book outlines! You don't need a physical board (which was essentially required for every other book that predates this one). Just scan the QR code, and be transported to Levy's website, where the concepts are explained in further detail, and you can practice! This book is perfect for people who are completely new to the game of chess, as well as those who would consider themselves intermediates. The pacing and flow of the book are nothing short of perfection. And most importantly, it is not a dry read by any means. I have read chess books that were likely written to cure insomnia. This is NOT one of those books.

This is great for those who learnt to play, or became interested in, chess through social media and online videos. That generation will navigate through the lessons just fine. For those of us who started playing before the age of the Internet, it’s a means of getting back into the game.

Great, illustrated book for beginners or if you want to hone your chess skills.

What a great book!

Kapak kısmından hafif yırtık geldi. 4 tane kalın kitabı basit bir zarfa koymuşlar ve tüm avrupayı bu şekilde dolaştı ve tabi üstteki kitap hafif yırtılmıştı.

Great book. Just read 2 Chapters and got 100elo higher.

By sacrificing the ROOK

Finally bit the bullet and got Levy's book. Kid likes it so all good