© 2015 Jonathan David Whitcomb
Chess Books
Three Chess Books
From different times and for three
different purposes, these books
are Practical Chess Endings,
Modern Chess Openings (MCO),
and Beat That Kid in Chess.
The End Game
The Opening
For the Beginner
From the Introduction:
“The book is designed to improve
the skill of the practical player
who is interested in winning the
ending clearly, simply, and
efficiently. The dilettante, though,
who revels in artistry in an ending,
has not been neglected. Many fine
compositions whose chief purpose
is to entertain have also been
included. Thus, the author hopes,
all needs will be served.”
The first few end games are simple
king-plus-pawn versus lone king.
This type continues but with some
gradual increasingly challenging
examples, still with those three
pieces: two kings and a pawn.
Many other end games are given
in other chapters.
This chess book is not without any
faults but the vast majority of the
examples are very practical for
preparing for competition.
Practical Chess Endings
by Irving Chernev
Published originally in 1961
318 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0486222080
This is for the 14th edition of MCO:
Modern Chess Openings, whose
major writing architect was the former
U. S. Champion Nick de Firmian.
From the Introduction:
“Modern Chess Openings (MCO) has
been the standard English language
work on chess openings for almost a
century, each new edition presenting
the latest strategies.
“The book seeks to give the reader a
clear and concise presentation of
whichever chess openings he (she)
chooses, using the simple algebraic
chess notation.”
From page 53 (Ruy Lopez with a6):
“The value of 3 . . . a6 was recog-
nized by Paul Morphy one and a half
centuries ago, and now it is the usual
move. If White plays 4 Ba4 (as in
all lines except the Exchange
Variation) Black can always break
the pin with . . . b5.
“. . . The Exchange Variation,
4 Bxc6 . . . has the strategic idea
of obtaining a kingside pawn
majority after playing d4 . . .”
From page 140:
“In the words of the Swedish
grandmaster Jonny Hector,
‘The best thing about the
Latvian Gambit is that it is
not as bad as its reputation.’
“. . . First mentioned by
Damiano in 1512 and known
as the Greco Counter Gambit,
it was adopted by Latvian
players, notably Behting and
Nimzovich in the 1920’s and
30’s. . . .”
Yet page 141 contains an error:
In the (d) line of column 1, it
gives two possible continuations
for white, neither one of which
is Qe5# (checkmate).
Modern Chess Openings
by Nick de Firmian
14th edition published in 1999
734 pages (Mckay version)
ISBN-13: 978-0812930849
Beat That Kid in Chess is a recent
addition to chess literature. Unlike
most chess books, it was written
especially for “early” beginners
who know little more than the
rules of the game.
From the introduction:
“You are the one . . . to decide
how easy or challenging these
lessons will be. If you want to
win just one game against a raw
beginner, a casual reading might
do the trick, with limited mental
exercise needed on your part.
Yet if you later want more, come
back to these lessons and put
more effort into remembering
and applying them. You’ll win
more games or at least win the
admiration of someone who
appreciates a reasonable game.”
Beat That Kid in Chess
by Jonathan David Whitcomb
Published in September, 2015
194 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1508856221
