Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess: Basic to Advanced Strategies with America's Foremost Chess Instructor

by Bruce Pandolfini

From America’s foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit comes a comprehensive guide covering all aspects of the game, to improve your technique whether you are a newcomer or a longtime fan.

One of America's best-known chess masters, Bruce Pandolfini has helped millions learn the intricacies of chess through his acclaimed books and workshops. In this exciting volume, he presents a complete overview of the entire game and its culture. Structured as a dialogue between a beginning student and an expert teacher, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess takes the student step-by-step from fundamentals to advanced, highly strategic play. Combining easy-to-follow diagrams with trenchant and up-to-date analysis, Pandolfini puts a new twist on accepted chess theory, offering a seamless beginning-to-end approach,

• a short introductory history of the game
• the moves, rules, and contemporary notation forms
• the basic principles of chess
• how to develop an opening repertoire
• the art of tactical play
• pattern recognition and memory aids
• traps and pitfalls to be avoided
• middlegame play, strategy, and planning
• defense and counterattack
• transitions to the endgame and the endgame itself
• computers and the future of chess
• the best websites for playing chess online

With Pandolfini's expert insight into the history and modern world of chess, as well as several appendices to enhance play and appreciation, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess makes the perfect gift for players of all ages and will be the benchmark title for chess players for years to come.

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction, Games, Reference, How To, Sports, Gaming

383 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2003

About the author

Bruce Pandolfini (born September 17, 1947) is an American chess author, teacher, and coach. A USCF national master, he is generally considered to be America’s most experienced chess teacher. As a coach and trainer, Pandolfini has possibly conducted more chess sessions than anyone in the world. By the summer of 2015 he had given an estimated 25,000 private and group lessons.

(Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Fee Bolden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most chess theory books are super dense and hard to grasp. Even the books for beginners read like a foreign language. This book is a true course and uses one single game and its almost infinite attacks and defenses for black and white as an example which really helped because I never got lost. Pandolfini also actually covers chess commentary terminology pretty well. So if you've been wondering how to capture en passant or what a zugzwang is, wonder no more. I read this from start to end. This book definitely strengthened me as a chess player and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to improve their skills.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for the beginner who knows the rules, has played some games and now wants to take his game to the next level. PUGtC has not presented me with many concepts that I haven't already figured out by myself, but it has greatly expanded my chess vocabulary and polished vague ideas in my mind into clear, solid objectives and rules.

I liked the unusual style of the book - an ongoing teacher-student conversation - it helped present the ideas in a concise and memorable manner. That said, I found the attempts at chess humor somewhat tacky and often cringe-worthy.

****
Four stars.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading for the Chess beginner, or for teaching basic principles to a younger player.

The student-teacher dialogue format wears a little thin in spots, but it does help you to process and retain the information.

Pandolfini is a phenomenal teacher, and he is especially adept at building up an overall thinking process that helps you make the transition from amatuer to ranked player.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid introduction to chess, introducing the key concepts of all three phases and providing a solid base for learning and applying strategy and tactics. It contains a full glossary and reference of terms in the the appendices, making it a decent reference as well, although the format of the book, framing each chapter as a lesson, written in conversation form between a teacher and student, can make locating a reference point difficult - I recommend NM Pandolfini's Weapons Of Chess to better serve this purpose.

An interesting point to note: this book is very similar to another of NM Pandolfini's works, the now out-of-print Principles of the New Chess - in fact, as cited in the appendices, some passages, at least two that I recognized, are lifted word for word from that work. The example game is very similar as well, though I haven't compared them side-by-side to see if they are the same. The difference in format is the most obvious: Principles is written in a standard style, addressing the reader, whereas the Ultimate Guide is written as a conversation. In many way, the newer book is an updated, rewritten, and much expanded version of Principles, though it doesn't advertise itself as such. Be aware that you only really need one of these books, and that the Ultimate Guide is much superior.

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book on chess I’ve read that came across as a lesson rather than a manual. Teaching via Socratic dialogue helped at least a bit, as did the decision to teach most of the lessons via variations on a single game rather than hopping between unrelated examples. As a result, this was also the first book on chess I’ve read that I’d characterize as both an educational experience and a pleasant read. A couple of the examples could have done with a touch more proofreading, and I’m sorry Pandolfini decided not to go ahead and finish the game or at least play it to the point when loss was genuinely inevitable rather than just likely. However, those gripes aside this is a wonderful book if for no other reason than the author’s obvious enthusiasm for the game and his ability to convey his affection on several different levels.

[Tiarnán · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable

[Max Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, good for sub-1000 players. By the end of the book you've witnessed the "student" and "teacher" characters analyze a single game from start to finish while also discussing plenty of alternative lines during each phase of the game. Seeing the student reach for bad moves and seeing the consequences play out was always illuminating. For example, I now understand that playing a3 as white when your c3 knight is pinned by a bishop on b4 can lose time after bishop takes night. That used to be automatic for me, but now I know to at least think twice. The concept of tempo and avoiding overly-timid play are takeaways that I'm super glad for. Practicing going through the motions of analyzing a game was quite useful, too. I thought endgame coverage was pretty lacking, though. 3.5/5

[Dena · Rating 1 out of 5]

i like the idea that the reader is an observer of a student/teacher lesson.

i don't like how i'm having to "enjoy" the author's philosophical lesson that he gives his 8 year old granddaughter. it's a little too "storytime" for my taste.

lay out the skillz and teach the attacks!

[Jed Leishman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot of very good concepts from this book: only advance the e and d pawns unless there is a good reason, play developing moves early, don't bring the queen out early, control open files with rooks, create passed pawns by moving unobstructed pawns first, trade when ahead on material, knights and bishops are more valuable early Vs late, castle early but not into trouble if you have a solid middle.

The book was heavy on concepts and so it is expected it was quite wordy. In saying that I think the book would have benefited from more pictures which could illustrate the key points a lot faster than paragraphs of back and forth. It became especially difficult to follow the reasoning when I was reading the book in small chunks and the author was on a tangent 10 pages from their original point.

[David W. Cofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for a beginner who either knows the rules only or has not yet learned the rules and ways the pieces move. It might be okay for a player who knows the basics and wants to know a little more as the book contains some tips and ideas for developing players. But for anyone who has played for years or is a tournament veteran, it is a waste of time.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole teacher-student back and forth got a bit tiring for me halfway through. There's a lot of valuable information in this book. especially for inexperienced players. I will definitely revisit it later but I had to move on to something else.

[Animesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book for a beginner with a wonderful dialectic format. But the kindle version is pretty old with lot of diagrammatic errors. However, the sutras conveyed are universal and will help one enjoy chess.

[Wes Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs better formatting on kindle

Information was great and the format interesting. Only problem was several of the diagrams were wrong or misplaced/switched with other diagrams through the text. Would recommend the paperback version.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

A good introduction to chess if you're an absolute beginner. Gives a good base on the fundamentals but doesn't go too much beyond that. There's really nothing in here that can't be found online nowadays though.

[Vanjr · Rating 2 out of 5]

First ever book I have read on chess. I am barely at beginner level chess, so little experience to know how good it is-my rating is based on how engaging I found it. I did learn however.

[John DuBois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well,the book has a lot of tactical discussion,so for a newbie such as myself,it just makes more sense to play and learn as I go,instead of reading about it. That being said, I do plan to read more of Pandolfini's books.I play against the computer character and learn at chess dot com.
So,if you enjoy math,you will probably like the theoretical discusssions presented in the book.
As Pandolfini says,chess is a geometrical game. Given that Pandolfini is a chess master,I plan to read every word he has written,or a lot of it as I go forward in my chess journey.
Just as a side thought,I also study guitar and sometimes play for fun,sometimes for work,practicing the scales and such. My approach to chess is the same.

[Sean S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pretty Good and Accessible book about chess for the uninitiated. Reading it in digital format on my phone led to me flipping back and forth frequently to compare potential moves to the board layout (blindfold board vision I have not), and aside from the corny jokes liberally sprinkled throughout, solid analysis and advice is used to develop a single game and explore the most common tactical and strategic themes. Having ramped up my chess play the last month and more, I was familiar with the various terms and techniques, but it is good to always be studying and reinforcing good ideas in practice.

[George Stenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I coach a grade school chess team and am always looking for the best chess book for new and intermediate players. It explains the options for a single game from the opening to the end game.

There is lots of good information for new players. However, I'm not sure if my players would like the format of an ongoing student teacher dialogue. There was clearly an excess of philosophical meanderings about chess.

All of my students would benefit from reading and understanding the concepts presented but not sure if any would complete the book. I will offer to loan it to the students this fall and it will be interesting to see if anyone reads it!

[Raehoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title sums it up pretty well. This book is targeted for a chess beginner, who wants a better understanding of basic ideas in chess gameplay. The topics are covered at a high level, easy for beginners to comprehend. Organized as a conversation between a teacher and a student and accompanied by diagrams, the book reads pretty easily. Pandolfini divides the book into sixteen lessons, going through the three phases of the game - opening, middlegame, and endgame, so it's great in conceptually grasping what the different phases entail. I strongly recommend it as one of the first chess books for beginners to read. Anyone with some prior chess training might find the book to be redundant.

[Ian Root · Rating 4 out of 5]

very useful

to his book really helped develop my chess game. it does a great job of exploring the tactical and strategic nuances of a given move. the conversational style between the student and teacher is sometimes a bit hackish, but so be it. i found this book very well thought out and helpful

[Wilnex Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good beginner book

Get you up to speed with the basic philosophy of chess. The electronic version of the book makes difficult to follow the moves since the diagrams fall pages after or before their descriptions.

[Daniel Tkocz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is written as a dialogue between a teacher and a student.
It gives diagrams for each position that is talked about and references the diagram.
Builds up from 0 up to a very solid knowledge about chess.
I would instantly recommend it to a beginner.

[Phantomrush · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ideal book for beginners, it is an easy to follow book to create basic foundation of start to end of a chess game. The conversational pattern of a teacher and student are engaging and helps grasp the content better unlike other textbooks.

[Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great foundational book for any beginner looking to learn the art of Chess. The book starts with how the pieces move and ends with some basic strategies, all of which are well within the grasp of anyone interested to learn.

[Joe Haack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only chess book I have ever finished, which is something. The best virtue (which some may deem a limitation) of this book is that you never need to set up a board to follow along.

[Emmanuele Salvati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and easy to read. However, I think there is a little too much information for beginners like me.

[Ian Root · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful. my game improved significantly from reading this book. it does a really nice job of digging into tactical and strategic nuances of what makes a given move good or bad

[Joshua Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful introduction to chess – covers all the essential principles. Sometimes a little tricky to follow, especially for the absolute beginner.

[Santhosh Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to set ones basics right.

[John Grogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Be sure to have a chess set in front of you.