Product Description

Learn to Win at Chess from World Champion Susan Polgar

Susan Polgar, 4-time World Chess Champion, became a living legend by following the methods taught by her father, Laszlo Polgar, the famous Hungarian chess coach. In A World Champion's Guide to Chess, Susan reveals these masterful tactics and techniques to players of all ages. With coauthor Paul Truong, an 11-time National Champion, she begins with the basics of understanding how the pieces move and leads the reader through checkmate and defense, pawn promotion, and opening and endgame patterns. Accompanying the lessons are personal glimpses into Susan's famous career, including her story of becoming the first female Grandmaster, the highest title in chess.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #208735 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-08
• Released on: 2005-03-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Inside Flap
Learn to Win at Chess from World Champion Susan Polgar

Susan Polgar, 4-time World Chess Champion, became a living legend by following the methods taught by her father, Laszlo Polgar, the famous Hungarian chess coach. In A World Champion's Guide to Chess, Susan reveals these masterful tactics and techniques to players of all ages. With coauthor Paul Truong, an 11-time National Champion, she begins with the basics of understanding how the pieces move and leads the reader through checkmate and defense, pawn promotion, and opening and endgame patterns. Accompanying the lessons are personal glimpses into Susan's famous career, including her story of becoming the first female Grandmaster, the highest title in chess.

About the Author
Susan Polgar is the current World Champion in Women's Chess and the top ranked woman chess player in the United States. As the number-one woman chess player in the world at age 15, Susan bridged the gender gap in chess by becoming the first woman to win the US Open Blitz Championship in 2003 and the first woman to ever earn the title of Grandmaster.

Paul Truong is an 11-time National Champion and is the captain and business manager of the 2004 U.S. Women's Olympiad Team.

Customer Reviews

Not fluffy
I know almost nothing about chess. I suppose a very lucky head of cabbage might mate me in 6 moves (leaving me to make excuses). I don't care about chess. No one will ever pay me a dime to play chess. I do have the sort of mind that is attracted by that sort of geometric strategy game. I wanted a book that would give me quick insight into how "real" chess players might think. I wanted a book that would let me think in a new way---as an exercise---and to see patterns that I missed before.

This is just a splendid book. There aren't thousands of self-serving pages saying how great Ms. Polgar is (she probably is great---I wouldn't know a grandmaster from a lucky head of cabbage). There aren't tens of pages of motivational drivel. It's short, it's to the point. It has CONTENT. It's all about real chess, and it's written in chess language. It doesn't waste any time, and it lets me learn by doing. It is as good as having a decent teacher around to show me how it's really done.

I don't think it would be possible to serve the vast mass of unwashed and uncultured boors---like myself---in any kinder or better way. We get to see how the real people play chess and think about it. Does that mean we get to see everything and all the issues and all their subtleties? No, how could that be possible. But we can go from zero knowledge and zero sophistication and zero chess to at least having some appreciation of that way of thinking.

In the end, the person with the most mental flexibility in their whole life---in all the ways they have to think about any situation---that person wins life, not just chess.

A Great Beginning Tactical Book
This is another book on my way to chess mastery. Maybe not, but the book did improve my skills. The best part of the book was the positions to solve. After each tactic is given, there were numerous tests to complete. This sharpened the skills in being able to see the move on the board. The book is good for an beginner to an intermediate player. It is a book that would be worthy studying again in the future. I liked this book so much that I brought the second book in the series by Polgar.

Excellent introduction to tactics
Yes, the book does spend about 50 pages covering chess fundamentals, but moves directly into "puzzles" designed to build pattern recognition skills, the sort of skills Susan Polgar began learning at age four...

While I'm not at all as gifted as Ms. Polgar and won't ever be able to remember 20,000 patterns, I am confident that I can make progress with her method, and enjoy the game in the process.

A good value.