July 20th is International Chess Day! Brush up on your chess skills and try them out at our next all ages Chess Club (register here).
To Learn & Improve:
How to Play Chess: Lessons from an International Master - Kanopy | Hoopla | DVD
"Chess is a sport, a science, and an art. For more than a thousand years, people around the world have enjoyed this game of skill and tactics and intellectual prowess. From Parisian nightclubs to Hollywood films to everyday dining rooms and dens, you can find people furrowing their brows in concentration over their next strategic move. The fun of the game is that anyone can play, and there is always something more to learn—especially with the right guide." -From the Publisher
Chess Basics: The Quickest Way to Learn to Play (and Win) by Nigel Short
"This book offers a complete, concise introduction to the rules and basic strategies of chess, perfect both for people completely new to the game and for beginners who know a little about the game but want to improve their skills. Author Nigel Short quickly explains the rules of chess and how to use chess notation; diagrams on every page make it easy to follow along. Frequent chess problems accompany the text, helping readers make sure they're fully absorbing the book's information. Once the basics are covered, readers will learn about opening moves, defending against attacks, special tactics, checkmating opponents, and more. Buying this book is the right move for anyone interested in chess!" -From the Publisher
10 Most Common Chess Mistakes by Larry Evans
"A fascinating collection of 221 typical errors committed by the world's greatest players challenges you to test your skills by choosing between two moves: the right one, or the one actually played. You will be amazed at how even world champions make errors in critical situations and violate the basic principles of chess. From neglecting development and king safety, misjudging threats, and premature attacks to impulsiveness, snatching pawns, and basic inattention, you get a complete course in exactly what not to do." -From the Publisher
1000 Checkmate Combinations by Victor Henkin
"1000 Checkmate Combinations contains a wealth of elegant and sophisticated chess tactics as well as systematic and effective instruction. Each chapter covers a different piece or combination of pieces that is able to deliver checkmate, and provides illustrative templates for just about every mating formation. By working through the book, readers will develop their ability to recognise the potential for checkmate, as well as the know-how to execute one. Clearly written and beautifully organised, it will appeal to all chess players but particularly club players." -From the Publisher
Chess for Everyone: A Step-By-Step Guide To Rules, Moves & Winning Strategies by Al Lawrence
"Chess is a refreshing pastime for most players, and an all-encompassing obsession for a few. And yet much of chess literature—heavy on notation, low on useful illustrations, frustrating for the beginner—is directed at those already in the know. Knack Chess for Everyone provides an alternative: a clear, understandable, and fun entry into chess that doesn’t ignore the complexities and challenges. Photographs of actual game boards, often paired with a diagram, represent the perspective of the player looking at the pieces. The book clearly explains the rules of play and movement of pieces, and then gradually introduces various tactics and strategies." -From the Publisher
Mastering Chess Logic by Guannan Song and Joshua Sheng
"What exactly makes the greatest players of all time, such as Magnus Carlsen, Bobby Fischer, and Garry Kasparov stand out from the rest? The basic aspects of chess (calculation, study of opening theory, and technical endgame ability) are of course of great importance. However, the more mysterious part of chess ability lies within the thought process. This book will tackle this woefully underexplored aspect of chess: the logic behind the game. It will explain how chess works at a fundamental level." -From the Publisher
To Observe & Enjoy:
Players and Pawns: How Chess Builds Community and Culture by Gary Alan Fine
"A chess match seems as solitary an endeavor as there is in sports: two minds, on their own, in fierce opposition. In contrast, Gary Alan Fine argues that chess is a social duet: two players in silent dialogue who always take each other into account in their play. Surrounding that one-on-one contest is a community life that can be nearly as dramatic and intense as the across-the-board confrontation. Fine has spent years immersed in the communities of amateur and professional chess players, and with Players and Pawns he takes readers deep inside them, revealing a complex, brilliant, feisty world of commitment and conflict. Within their community, chess players find both support and challenges, all amid a shared interest in and love of the long-standing traditions of the game, traditions that help chess players build a communal identity." -From the Publisher
Pawn Sacrifice - Kanopy | Hoopla | DVD | Blu-ray
"In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. PAWN SACRIFICE chronicles Fischer's terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world." -From Kanopy
The Queen's Gambit (book) by Walter Tevis - Physical Copy | eBook on Libby | eAudiobook on Libby | eBook on Hoopla | eAudiobook on Hoopla
"Eight year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appearances unremarkable. That is, until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control. By the age of sixteen, she’s competing for the U.S. Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting." -From the Publisher