Winning Chess: How to perfect your attacking play

by Irving Chernev

Winning Chess is a truly classic chess book, beloved of chess-mad teenagers since it was first published in 1970, updated and repackaged in algebraic format. Written in lively, conversational style by two prolific and popular chess authors, it is aimed at players who have gone past the beginner stage and want to take their game to a whole new level. Its imaginative themes and instructional method are timeless, and the whole book is shot through with fun and humour.

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction, Games, Reference

682 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 1970

Reviews

[Roy Lotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the chessboard, surprise is nothing more than logic that packs a wallop.

If someone had told me a year ago that in 2019 I would be reading books about running and chess, I would have laughed. But here I am, a newborn runner and chess fan. This was largely thanks to a friend and coworker, who was an avid runner and a skilled chess player. Having him soundly beat me several times was enough to peak my interest in the game. This book was a gift from him.

This is the first book I have ever read about chess, so I have nothing to compare it with. But for me it was extremely useful. The authors introduce some of the most basic techniques of chess: knight forks, pins, discovered attacks, mating strategies, and so on. And they do this in snappy prose, with a minimum of jargon. The chess notation they use is slightly different from what I am used to (the book is over half a century old), but is not difficult to use; and for the most part the diagrams are easy to follow, since they illustrate the technique in just a couple moves rather than an entire game.

As someone who was raised with video games—some of them immersive online worlds, with whole maps to explore and thousands of techniques and items—I had assumed that chess would be rather limited. To the contrary, the apparent simplicity of chess conceals an unbelievable amount of subtlety and complexity. Indeed, chess has proven itself to be almost inexhaustible, far more than even the most brilliant video games. No matter how much you play, chances are you will soon be confronted with a novel situation that requires both creative thinking and careful analysis.

This combination of artistry and logic is what can make the game so captivating. A brilliant move can seem to come out of the blue, or at first glance be obviously foolish. But if it is truly brilliant, its success will always due to mathematical precision. Yet the game also has a psychological element—a human side—that prevents it from being an exercise in pure calculation (well, that is until computers get involved). As you can see, I am quite taken with it, and I hope to further improve. In the meantime, this book has been an excellent primer.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simplified but extremely useful manual of tactics. The third Chernev book I've read with the typical method of repeating advice over and over and making almost random quotes of chess wisdom from past grandmasters. Enjoyable and very effective (more so than the tedious collections of painstakingly analysed games that are so common), for its training in basic pattern recognition, which is the foundation for everything else. Four stars, going on five.

[Matthew Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on chess for beginners like me. Many pictures, minimal reliance on notation. Sections provide many examples of different types of maneuvers. Clearly explains which moves work, why the moves work, and how the moves work.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best chess books for the casual player!
There is a new ebook version out with algebraic notation:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PPHK7EW

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best fundamental chess tutors out there!

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on chess tactics. It's a book that I plan to read again periodically to refresh my tactical skills in chess. It gives a strong foundation for chess puzzle books and more advanced chess books.

[André Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still my favourite chess book, although it has the weird habit of making me worse before I get better.

[Josiah Coolen · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤓🤓🤓🤓

[Psycroptic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this 5 stars based on its coverage of simple tactics. It really does a great job of explaining pins, forks, skewers, etc. You don't need a board to play through the examples as everything is kept fairly concise. Most examples are shown in two parts so that you can see the initial position as well as the critical position before or during the main tactic. If there is a down side it is that the games at the end of the book have many faulty analysis lines. You can certainly tell that there were no computers available for analysis when this was written! There are many lines listed as ideal where the computer finds dramatically better (ie 4 or 5 points higher) continuations. Or in some cases a line is listed as losing whereas the computer says its perfectly fine. The games still work though as examples of tactics in action so that point can be ignored.

Some people may also be bothered by the old style notation (KKt4, PQR3, etc.) but I didn't find it that big of a deal since the examples don't have that many variations as to make it confusing.

[Tom Ewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction to the tactical side of chess, and my all-time favorite chess book. Chernev and Reinfeld give show you a tactic (e.g., "removing the guard"), demonstrate it, and then give you several fairly straight-forward problems in which you put it to work. This is not a complicated book. No need to set up a chessboard for this book. If you're ready to tackle your first book on tactics, I recommend this one; if you've successfully gone through Polgar's "Chess Tactics for Champions" or others of that type, this will be far too easy for you.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good foundation for basic understanding of tactics and strategy, including the pin, knight fork, double attack, discovered attack, discovered check, etc. There might be more current versions of the book, but the edition I read seemed a little outdated in the style of notation used (I much prefer the more modern algebraic notation).

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The single best book on chess tactics I have ever read.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked it!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. My go-to chess reference.

[Vader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[Fred Schadek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I read this book many years ago, I recall that its approach to teaching was very effective. It explores various strategies via board diagrams with clear explanations of the goals and purpose of the moves. It is an excellent tool for beginners that want to improve their game.