Despite the title, this book is definitely not for beginning chess players. ![]() It's also very nice to have the chapters on "Mixed Motifs" where each problem can have several tactical ideas and you don't have a hint like "look for a skewer." For the most part, I think the puzzles are well chosen with a variety of difficulty levels.Īs fun as this book is, there is something to beware. The last chapter, "Curiosities," is also unique and a lot of fun. Most of this is very standard stuff for a tactics book, but the chapter called "The missing piece" is unique: you have to place a designated piece somewhere on the board to deliver mate or gain a winning position. The puzzles are grouped into the following themes: mate in one, mate in two, the missing piece, double attack, discovered attack, discovered check, pin, skewer, deflection, decoy sacrifice, pawn promotion, drawing tactics, mixed motifs (White), mixed motifs (Black), mate in three, mate in four, and curiosities. A page typically contains 12 small diagrams. This book has many more puzzles than most tactics books. But there's something special about learning from a book and getting offline. Nowadays, you can play unlimited tactical puzzles online for free. Also easy to find as a free PDF online (at least at time of posting). Overall, a solid workbook for starting players that anyone 1300 (or less) can find value in. Not that they necessarily needed their own dedicated chapters, but I think they should've been included in the glossary at least. They appeared in a few problems, but without any explanation. The only (minor) fault I can really attribute was the lack of presence of a few tactics, namely desperado and interference. It's also useful to test some of the puzzles in an engine (I used the one on ) after completing it to test out other candidate moves and why they don't work, especially when it isn't discussed in the solutions section. I recommend completing about 12 puzzles per day, making sure to assess the checks, captures, and threats (in that order), and I think anyone will see steady improvement in their play. Taking your time with each exercise, rather than checking the solutions after a few minutes, to find the moves (and anticipating the opponent's response) is where the educational value comes in some of them even took me a few hours to properly understand. ![]() I was already familiar with the tactics, but the selected puzzles helped iron out my understanding and recognition of them. Author Franco Masetti and International Master Roberto Messa do an effective job selecting informative puzzles that, when known by heart, make similar positions simple to navigate. I started the workbook as an 1100-1200 rated player (having played for about 4 months) and I found this immensely helpful. The puzzles are assorted by theme and each theme typically begins with a succinct introduction/explanation of the concept, including a brief hint for each problem. 1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners is exactly what the title suggests: a compendium of instructive chess positions (often studies or positions from actual games) that illustrate important tactical motifs and combinations for new and lower-rated players, ranging from common checkmate patterns, double attacks, skewers, deflections, and drawing opportunities.
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