Chess for Dummies (Paperback)

Introduction 1

Part 1: Laying the Groundwork for Champion Chess 5

CHAPTER 1: Tackling Chess Basics 7

CHAPTER 2: Getting to Know the Pieces and Their Powers 21

CHAPTER 3: Exploring the Elements of Chess 39

CHAPTER 4: Going after the King: Check, Stalemate, and Checkmate 63

CHAPTER 5: Making a Few Special Moves 79

CHAPTER 6: Got Notation? Reading and Writing about Chess 85

Part 2: Gaining Chess Know-How 97

CHAPTER 7: Trying Out Tactics and Combinations in Hand-to-Hand Combat 99

CHAPTER 8: Sacrifices: Understanding When It’s Better to Give than to Receive 125

CHAPTER 9: Building Pattern Recognition 137

CHAPTER 10: Recognizing Advanced Pawn Formations 157

CHAPTER 11: Mastering Mating Patterns 171

Part 3: Game Time: Putting Your Chess Foot Forward 189

CHAPTER 12: Selecting Your Strategy: The Principles of Play 191

CHAPTER 13: Coming on Strong in the Opening 209

CHAPTER 14: Making Headway during the Middlegame 227

CHAPTER 15: Exiting with Style in the Endgame 239

Part 4: Getting into Advanced Action 263

CHAPTER 16: Playing in Competition 265

CHAPTER 17: Hitting the Net with Computer Chess 279

Part 5: The Part of Tens 289

CHAPTER 18: The Ten Most Famous Chess Games of All Time 291

CHAPTER 19: The Ten Best Players of All Time (and a Few Others) 321

CHAPTER 20: Ten (or So) Cool Facts about Kids and Chess 345

Part 6: Appendixes 349

APPENDIX A: A Glossary of Chess 351

APPENDIX B: Chess Resources 371

Index 375