How do I read chess
"... In this column I want to give an overview of the sophisticated e+Chess app by e+Books ..., which can be used on both IPad, IPhone and touch IPod. ... The app itself is free from the Apple itunes store; what you pay for are the books you choose to download. ... You get a free sample book, Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals, ..." - IM John Watson (2013)
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-107-of-eplus-and-chess-praxis
Old chess notation--same as "normal"--you just need to get used to it.
I think that the free electronic version of Capablanca's book is in modern (1 e4 e5) notation. However, not everyone (perhaps not even Capablanca himself) has thought that Chess Fundamentals was necessarily a good choice for beginners. Don't feel bad if the book does not seem to work for you.
Below I list a link to a legally free Algebraic Notation, pdf-file, version of Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals in English but note there are a lot of old but still excellent chess books that are written in Descriptive Notation so it's worth knowing both notation systems.
There are some free books that are old but excellent for giving you a good basic understanding of all aspects of the game at the introductory tournament level.
One is Chess Fundamentals by 1920's World Champion Jose Capablanca. It's here in English. This link is the legally free ("public domain") 1934 edition, to which a group named "Caissa Lovers" changed the old descriptive notation to modern algebraic notation and is the book is complete - about 121 pages.
http://www.sources.com/SSR/Docs/Capablanca-ChessFundamentals.pdf
Also, there are public domain books by the 1894-1921 World Champion Emanuel Lasker. His Common Sense in Chess and his Manual of Chess are worth doing a google search to find. They may be only available in descriptive notation, but it is not hard to learn. Here are those two in descriptive notation:
http://www.simardartizanfarm.ca/pdf/-_Lasker_s_Manual_of_Chess.pdf
https://ia801408.us.archive.org/14/items/commonsenseinche00laskrich/commonsenseinche00laskrich.pdf
I found the following account of a 2013 comment explaining which old but-excellent chess books are now in the public domain (http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1365847618):
"... 'Chess Fundamentals' ... does not deal so minutely as this book will with the things that beginners need to know. ..." - from Capablanca's A Primer of Chess
"... For let’s make no mistake, what ground Capablanca covers, he covers well. I enjoyed reading Capablanca’s presentation of even well-worn and standard positions. ...
Still, when compared with other instructional books for beginners and intermediate players, Capablanca’s Chess Fundamentals would not be my first choice. Other books cover the same or similar ground with a less confusing structure and more thoroughness. The following works come to mind as equal or in some ways superior: Lasker’s Common Sense in Chess; Znosko-Borovsky’s series of books; and Edward Lasker’s Chess Strategy. Later works that equal or surpass Chess Fundamentals would include Reuben Fine’s Chess the Easy Way and any number of Horowitz tomes.
Capablanca’s work has historical interest and value, of course, and for that reason alone belongs in any chess lover’s library. But there are better instructional books on the market. Certainly the works of Seirawan, Silman, Pandolfini, Polgar, Alburt, etc. are more accessible, speak a more modern idiom, and utilize advances in chess teaching and general pedagogy, etc. ..." - David Kaufman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20131010102057/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review564.pdf
Hey,
I'm new to chess so I bought the book 'chess fundamentals' by Capablanca as I had heard a lot of good things about it. When I received the book, however, I couldn't read what was explained because the notation is different from what I'm used to, I'm assuming they had a different notation in early 20th century.
One such example is 1 K - Q 7, K - Kt 1; 2 K - K 7, K - R 1; 3 P - B 6, P x P. Talking about 3 pawns and of course the two kings.
I would appreciate it if someone could explain to my how to read this notation.
Thanks