Chess 101: Everything a New Chess Player Needs to Know!

by Dave Schloss

Because this book is for the beginner player, it does not include strategy. Chess 101 was written to provide brand new chess players with basic information that will prepare them to play chess, such as how to set up the board, how the pieces move, (including castling and en passant), how to write chess notation, chess etiquette and more. Endorsed by Chess.com. What chess experts are saying about Chess 101: "The moment I opened Chess 101, I knew Dave had accomplished something a truly simple guide to learning and enjoying the game. Many attempt this feat, but few beginner chess manuals really succeed in keeping things simple while highlighting the best parts of the game of chess!" DANIEL RENSCH International Master and Vice-President of Chess.com and ChessKid.com . . . . . . . . . . "Whether you want to know anything from setting up the board and moving the pieces, to the rules and etiquette of the game, to competing in your first tournament, you'll find it all and much more in Chess 101. Dave has given us a delightful introduction to the royal game. Enjoy and learn!" BRUCE PANDOLFINI Chess author and teacher who was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the film Searching for Bobby Fischer . . . . . . . . . . "Chess 101 stands alone among chess books for beginners because of its clarity and organization. In Chess 101, Dave Schloss moves seamlessly from the board setup and piece description, to the moves and relative values of the pieces, to chess notation, and then on to elements of chess strategy. This work fills a void as the beginner's book of choice, for chess students grade four or older, through adult, who want authoritative information. The reader will also learn all about how to get started in chess tournaments and how to get more involved in the fascinating game of chess." MICHAEL ROHDE Grandmaster and former U.S. High School Champion, U.S. Junior Champion and U.S. Open Champion . . . . . . . . . . "It doesn't seem possible with all of the chess books available today, that a small brief beginner's guide could fill any unmet need, yet this little book is worth a beginner's attention - whether adult or child - either on one's own or in a beginner's class." GEORGIA CHESS MAGAZINE

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction

79 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chaz Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a chess book that will teach you strategy or tactics, this isn't the one for you. However, if the only thing you know about chess is how to move the pieces (or even if you don't know that much), this book is a fantastic resource for learning the basics of setup, movement, notation, and etiquette.

If you want to improve your chess skills but don't know where to start learning, Schloss gives some great tips for what to focus on.

[Abdul · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I chess newbie, I picked up this book for two reason:

1) it was short (77 pages)
2) it had good reviews on Amazon.

I was very surprised that this little book was the perfect quick introduction to chess for a beginner.
It covers everything you need to play and with plenty of suggestions and tips.

What it does not cover is chess strategy or openings, mid or end game strategies. That is beyond the scope of the book.

I actually learnt enough about the game, setup, rules and etiquette of friendly chess games and tournaments.

The author surprisingly kept it very concise and engaging unlike my initial perception of all chess games (complex, aimed at chess nerds and threatening to be as mundane as a law book. No offense if you are a lawyer!).


I'd recommend it for any hobbyist, total beginner or even someone who casually plays chess. Guaranteed you'll learn a thing or two.

Now go play and beat your friends :)

[Jon Hartley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a fine book, but that's about it. I basically read it because it was a Kindle Unlimited title and I wanted a quick primer on chess notation. I saw it wasn't that long, so I just read the rest of it, too, despite not needing help on things like how the pieces move.

I'm not going to say it's bad; it just doesn't attempt to give the reader a whole lot of information. It is a little strange to have a title claiming it includes "everything a new chess player needs to know" as that's clearly not the case. It's also a bit strange to tackle things like tournament etiquette in a book that doesn't really even go into the basics of actual strategy. You're not going to be playing in tournaments anytime soon if you're learning how the pieces move and reading this book to figure it all out.

There are a handful of beginner puzzles that are extremely simple. I feel like more of those could have been included without a lot of extra effort on the author's part. Like I said, it's an OK book. I'd only recommend someone read it if they can do so for free.

[Raghuraj]

A Chess book for those who have never seen a board - Don't purchase it.

This book has nothing apart from basic moves and etiquettes. It is a good book for someone who has never seen a board and knows nothinh about chess. But most people in most countries will have this much information by the time they are 5 or from a General Knowledge book .

It was a waste of money for me as even as a beginner book i expected to learn about basic openings and how to procede through the middle game. Instead this book just says, dont give up in all stages of the game. Most other beginners books will have this much info in their forewood or the first chapter.It seems waste of money for this piece of advice.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Skinny: Super quick but helpful primer on chess. No strategy guidance, just a baby food explanation on chess.

The Good: Useful for an overview on the game almost like it's a Wikipedia page or a pamphlet. Can read in an hour.

The Bad: Almost too brief and I think it really needs a chapter to explain super basic moves just so that after you put this game down you can start a game without being in the dark.

[Nithesh · Rating 1 out of 5]

By "everything a new chess player needs to know" they mean "everything someone who's never heard of the word chess before in their life needs to know to start sounding like they know something about chess."

[Manasik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, may be more than it should be. Good for anyone looking forward to learn the basics, in one setting.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super short, but pretty informative for an absolute beginner like me. Enough to pique my interest :) More of a leaflet than a book.

[Ashuna]

a QUICK read

[mrym · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hook basically is for people who don’t know how to play chess
But as a chess player I enjoyed the book it explained everything clearly
Recommend

[Mahmoud Al Moufti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start/introduction to the amazing chess world.

[Joe Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect for beginners

Excellent book. It doesn’t go over tactics but it does go over the basic movements of each piece. Short and to the point.

[Stephen Antczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea how much the pieces on the chess board were worth in relation to each other before I read this. The beginning of my journey to learn chess and maybe someday enter a tournament.

[Muhammad Zidan]

kk

[Mhazo Sagne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leans towards total beginners, even tho it has useful information here and there for who know the basic. It aims at new player and did it quiet well

[Sedra Haffar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good It's easy to read and helpful

[Bruno Peralta González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool beans.

[Navid Nowroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's for a complete beginner and great to read. But, if you have just a little bit of experience, it's not foy.

[John Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I read this book and considerate a good training aid. It was very well planned and thought out. It is a very good training aid

[a]

I think it’s about time I learned chess.

[lonelyboy15 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because it seems to be the most recommended one for beginners. It's not really for beginners though, it's for people who have never played chess before (who also for some reason want to compete in a live tournament). It's a how to play, how to make chess notation, what types of chess games there are and how to behave yourself over the board manual. I read the whole thing because I couldn't resist the temptation to finish such a short book.

[Nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is a great book for people who know very little or even nothing about chess but want to start playing it. It explains everything in an easy way. Everything I learnt at first about chess was thanks to this book and just with that I was able to “win” a few games. If you're looking for a light reading to introduce you into the chess world, I would say this is your book!

[kding]

watched the queen’s gambit on netflix and now i’m here 😅😅 erm…