 We are told how the pieces move and capture, what check and checkmate and stalemate are, how to write out the moves in algebraic notation (but not in descriptive, that s apparently gone by the wayside), and pretty much all the basics.
Reviewed by P.P.O. Kane
Learn Chess Quick
By Brian Byfield and Alan Orpin
Illustrated by Gray Jolliffe
Batsford, March 2010
ISBN: 9781906388669
This is a clear and straightforward and often times witty introduction to the game of chess.
It is written for adults, though the cover and general appearance of the book might suggest otherwise. Certain allusions in the simplified and highly readable text (which might also be seen as misleading, with regard to the book s intended readership) and certain of Gray Jolliffe s illustrations make this clear.
In one cartoon a suitor appeals to a maiden: I may not be a pawn forever I could become a knight. The maiden, evidently unimpressed, replies: Or a queen. A child may not quite get this joke. Again, there is a cartoon in the chapter on checkmate where a naked king is chained in a dungeon (his speech bubble: I like this game. It s dangerous. ) and at the mercy of a dominatrix with a whip. And this cartoon, too, may not be easily appreciated by a child.
We are told how the pieces move and capture, what check and checkmate and stalemate are, how to write out the moves in algebraic notation (but not in descriptive, that s apparently gone by the wayside), and pretty much all the basics. There is a clear and careful explanation of the en passant rule. Some simple tactics (the fork, discovered check, double attack, etc.) are covered too, together with a few simple openings and tactical puzzles. Nothing too complicated, mind.
For someone who simply wants to learn the rules of chess and get a grasp of what the game is all about, this is a fun and relatively painless first port of call. When someone (but a grown-up!) asks you for an easy and simple guide to chess, this is the book to recommend.
About the reviewer: P.P.O. Kane lives and works in Manchester, England. He welcomes responses to his reviews and you can reach him at ludic@europe.com
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