Chess for Dummies. Is it really that bad?

I found a used copy at a local book sale for $1.00. So I bought it. I have the Complete Idiot's Guide and love it and respect its contents.

Came home and  looked on Amazon at all the terrible reviews about the Dummie book.

It doesn't look that bad to me. Maybe a fun non stressful read. (Not anything like the depth of the Wolff book.)

Is it reliable? Contents trustworthy?

What do you think?

stwils

First chess book I read when I was about 800 rated on live chess here at chess.com. The simple advice in the book got me to 1000 within a week or so.

It's a good book for absolute beginners.

Any book that makes you work really hard is "good"! It is your own hard work that leads to improvement.

I found it to be a super cool book, myself.  I was at the local coffee shop/bookstore and it was sitting on a table, so I took a gander.  I was actually really surprised at all the information in it!  Stuff about world champions, history, etc. 

I recommend it myself. :)

Idiot's Guide to Chess is rather better

Fred Reinfeld's The Complete Chess Player is just a tad better in my summation, but not for "dummies", per se.

for dummies is very much inferior to idiot's guide.

Now that I have had time to dip into the Dummie book a little, I completely agree with you, Erik. The Idiot's Guide makes me work - and therefore learn. I found myself sliding around and snoozing in the Dummie book. And the organization is terrible.

I have his Chess Bible which may be a tiny bit better on content, but I despise it. Those 3D diagrams make my head swim. I ordered it because of the spiral  back.

Both Eade books are near to dreadful, in my opinion.

But in fairness, had the Dummie book been my first chess book, I may have liked it.

stwils

I believe you are correct, sir!  I mixed those two up in my mind.  Really, when it comes down to it though, either book is sure to benefit a beginner.

would the, 'idiots guide to chess' be use to me. I have a basic grasp of openings, middlegame and engame (although there is much room for improvement) my online rating here is around 1700ish and my live fluctuates through the 1300 to low 1400's. Any other book suggestions?

 I think the Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess could benefit you or anyone! If I could only have one chess book, that would be it. (Though, I love Chernov, Purdy, so many others.) This book contains so much. And it is beautifully organized.

stwils

You sound like you're at an ideal level for Silman's Reassess Your Chess.

Thank you. I've been meaning to get a book to help myself and I might get both of those books

I plan to write a book called "The Uttter Moron's Guide to Chess" which will far surpass both the the dummy & idiot books!

Narz, I'll sign up for the first copy! Autographed, please.

stwils

I've read part of "Chess for Dummies" and it was interesting, but I probably didn't learn much new stuff. I also have "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" and it's a very good book, besides being interesting the exercises force you to learn the material.

Excellent, my first sale & I haven't even started writing!

It seriously would be fun to write a chess book someday but I currently have no concrete idea what it's theme would be.  I'm definitely not a strong enough player to write for advanced players but maybe a fun anedotally tale of my chess adventures (hopefully the best of which will be yet to come) filled with various problems, tips & trivia.  Who knows!  Probably will publish as an e-book only and sell for $5 or something.

Even better maybe our whole team (Narz's People) could contribute something (anyone who wanted to within the team anyway) & take a slice of the profits.  But the end of it we'd probably each only get 17cents or so a copy but every little bit helps & it would be a fun project.

Most games are won & lost at lower or intermediate levels through tactical errors of one sort or another.

Apart from maybe Chernev's Logical Chess Move by Move, Heisman's Back to Basics: Tactics really is the single best book to help 90% of us improve.  I cannot recommend it enough.

http://tinyurl.com/ngmwyx

You won't regret it!