The chess player's bible Illustrated strategies for staying ahead of the game

For those new to chess, or for those who want to improve their game, it is often hard to find a starting point. Yet chess expert Eade's (Chess for Dummies; The Chess Player's Bible) latest is a solid choice. Starting from the beginning (setting up, rules of the game, piece valuation), the book moves on to a survey of some standard openings, common checkmates, tactics, strategy, and basic endgames. It concludes with analysis of some famous classic games. Instead of the flat schematic diagrams used in older volumes, here the board positions are shown as three-dimensional projections seen from the white side of the board. While this may be off-putting for the experienced reader of chess literature, it is a view commonly used in many programs. Thus, it may be comfortable for new players today, who learn and practice playing against computers. The illustrations, which form the heart of the text, are eye-catching but can be somewhat busy looking-cluttered with arrows, side-boxes, and text tucked in around the sides and bottom of the page. VERDICT Overall, this is an excellent first book for the novice player or as a text for a school or library chess club.-Harold D. Shane, mathematics emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.