How a king plays 64 chess tips from a kid champion

Eleven-year-old Vietnamese American chess champion Oliver Boydell shares 64 tips (one for each square on a chess board) with fellow chess players of all levels. Basic chess knowledge is required, however. Spanning a succinct one or two pages, each tip comprises a short introduction, an explanatory paragraph or two, and a pithy, summative conclusion, such as, "So, depending on the position, don't be afraid to move your king" or, "for real protection, aim to protect your passed Pawns with other Pawns." While offering his advice, the kid champ addresses readers directly through text that's accessible and persuasive. Including both tactical and strategic suggestions, the tips progress roughly sequentially, from the opening to the middlegame to the endgame. Interspersed among them are quotes from legendary chess champions and strategists, like Bobby Fischer, the only American World Chess Champion, and Mikhail Botvinnik, the sixth World Chess Champion and founder of the Soviet school of chess. A glossary of chess terms concludes this comprehensive guide that will inspire casual players and budding champions alike.

An 11-year-old champion offers 64 tips for better chess playing. Chapter by chapter, Boydell, who lives in New York City with his Vietnamese mother and White English father, offers solid tactical advice to young players. His tips for deploying chess pieces are straightforward, easy to remember, span the game from beginning to end, and are conveniently summarized as chapter headings. They include such points as developing pieces, playing for the center, and putting Rooks on the seventh rank. As he notes in his preface, some chess concepts, such as thinking ahead and turning problems into solutions, can be applied to life itself. The author began playing chess at the age of 5 and enjoyed the experience of explaining his favorite game to friends and, later, entire classrooms of beginners. This history has served him well in organizing his material, presenting it in an easily understandable way, and including just enough repetition of ideas to make learning easy. Still, an occasional illustration would have been helpful since developing players may not yet have his facility in visualizing the board. Readers are expected to have some preliminary knowledge, such as the movements of the pieces and the numbers and letters used to identify each of the 64 squares of a chessboard. Relevant quotations from other famous players support Boydell's good suggestions. As an extension for those looking to improve their chess games, this is a winner. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-15) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.