The Best Chess Primer?

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ChessDimLad

I have been asked to recommend a Chess Primer for an adult.

Which is the best & reasons why please.

Is it Lasker, Tarrasch or Capablanca?

Thank you.

Alec289

Reuben Fine's Chess the Easy Way

Misleading title because it's not easy it's a no nonsense primer that will help any student who is very serious and really studies his book diligently make rapid progress about 1760-1850 strength the opening section is stale but the student can look elsewhere for that part and do his own independant work and research the principles that he teaches in the book are solid and timeless. For 185 pages not bad. In descriptive notation.

Best results depend on hard work sweat and practice the old fashioned way.

The Game of Chess by Siegbert Tarrasch

Systematic approach to Chess his idea is you play Chess with him as your progressing through out the book and only when you mastered all the material after months of hard work you play actual play games.

The Soviet Primer by Ilya Maizelis

http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/231/the_soviet_chess_primer_by_ilya_maizelis/

A primer with Russian flavor Kasparov and Karpov both studied it Quality Chess has just released it in English the author is one of the co-writers of Yuri Averbakh's 4 Endgame Books (excellent series especially the book on Rook Endgames)

jpr1

A superb book, though not really for absolute beginners, is Martin Weteschniks Chess Tactics From Scratch.   

ipcress12

Please God, none of the above.

Capablanca perpetuates the "Learn the endgame first!" concept that no one, including Capa, learned by, but is useful if you've reached 1600 without ever thinking about the endgame as many do.

Lasker is dry, slow and out-of-date and wouldn't hold a modern beginner's attention.

I've never even seen the Tarrasch primer and suspect the same.

Frankly I liked "Chess for Dummies" when I was returning to chess a couple years ago. It's stupid and accessible without any pretensions whatsoever.

You can bop around in it from soup to nuts, learning the basic rules to the powers of the pieces to mating strategies to pawn formations to the opening, middlegame and endgame plus the greatest players and the greatest games -- not to mention how to find chess resources in the 21st century.

ChessDimLad
Alec289 wrote:

Reuben Fine's Chess the Easy Way

Misleading title because it's not easy it's a no nonsense primer that will help any student who is very serious and really studies his book diligently make rapid progress about 1760-1850 strength the opening section is stale but the student can look elsewhere for that part and do his own independant work and research the principles that he teaches in the book are solid and timeless. For 185 pages not bad. In descriptive notation.

Best results depend on hard work sweat and practice the old fashioned way.

The Game of Chess by Siegbert Tarrasch

Systematic approach to Chess his idea is you play Chess with him as your progressing through out the book and only when you mastered all the material after months of hard work you play actual play games.

The Soviet Primer by Ilya Maizelis

http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/231/the_soviet_chess_primer_by_ilya_maizelis/

A primer with Russian flavor Kasparov and Karpov both studied it Quality Chess has just released it in English the author is one of the co-writers of Yuri Averbakh's 4 Endgame Books (excellent series especially the book on Rook Endgames)

The Soviet Chess Primer has just been published in the UK by Quality Chess. The book is getting good reviews. I will visit Waterstones to see if they have a copy I can view. Thank you for the advice

ChessDimLad
jpr1 wrote:

A superb book, though not really for absolute beginners, is Martin Weteschniks Chess Tactics From Scratch.   

I have Weteschniks book (2nd Edition). It is very instructive. Thank you.

ChessDimLad
ipcress12 wrote:

Please God, none of the above.

Capablanca perpetuates the "Learn the endgame first!" concept that no one, including Capa, learned by, but is useful if you've reached 1600 without ever thinking about the endgame as many do.

Lasker is dry, slow and out-of-date and wouldn't hold a modern beginner's attention.

I've never even seen the Tarrasch primer and suspect the same.

Frankly I liked "Chess for Dummies" when I was returning to chess a couple years ago. It's stupid and accessible without any pretensions whatsoever.

You can bop around in it from soup to nuts, learning the basic rules to the powers of the pieces to mating strategies to pawn formations to the opening, middlegame and endgame plus the greatest players and the greatest games -- not to mention how to find chess resources in the 21st century.

Another book I will be seeking out at Waterstones. Thank you.

ipcress12

Dan Heisman gives a big thumb's up to "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" by GM Patrick Wolff. But I haven't read that one, so I couldn't recommend it directly.

https://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/General_Book_Guide.htm

premio53

Dan Heisman's "The World's Most Insturctive amatuer Game Book" is rapidly becoming my all time favorite chess instruction manual. 

http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Most-Instructive-Amateur-Game/dp/1936277433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419091297&sr=8-1&keywords=worlds%27s+most+instructive+game+book

The mistakes are exactly the ones I make at the amateur level and the advice on why different moves and strategies are wrong hit home.  Here is a sampling of advice he puts out in separate block windows throughout the book.

* Once you determine that a decision is close, and likely non-critical, that's a red flag that taking extra time is not wise.

* Never begin a game without the intention of using almost all your time.  If you don't feel like thinking that long, then play a shorter time control.

* (Concerning learning systems like the Colle or King's Indian and other "universal systems" to avoid getting in trouble early)  "If you are trying to become a good player - and I assume most readers are interested in improving - then masking your weaknesses is not the way to go for the long haul.  Work on eliminating them."  (He suggests playing tactical openings that require aggressive play and learning from your mistakes.)

* Slowly rotating your openings, and including common "fixed pawn structure" openings like the French Defense and King's Indian Defense into your repertoire for at least a few months, seems extraordinarily beneficial.

* Give a 1200 a pill that allows him to memorize an entire book on the Caro-Kann and, if he plays hasty moves like Black's last few, he will stay near 1200.

* Never trade into a king-and-pawn ending unless you are almost certain to get the result you want.

* Chess is not a game where you "turn it on" and "turn it off."  Play with only two gears - try your best or resign.

* Gambits are good openings for inexperienced players.

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