Everyone’s First Chess Workbook Review – Is It Good?


Today, I want to share my thoughts on the product Everyone’s First Chess Workbook: Fundamental Tactics and Checkmates for Improvers – 738 Practical Exercises. As an avid chess enthusiast, I was excited to get my hands on this workbook and dive into it.

Product Image

Pros and Cons

What We Liked

  1. Pattern Recognition: The workbook excels in teaching and reinforcing pattern recognition in chess. It provides clear examples and exercises, allowing me to develop my tactical awareness.
  2. Suitable for All Levels: Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate player, this workbook caters to a wide range of skill levels. It starts with fundamental tactics and gradually increases in difficulty.
  3. Practical Approach: The author, Peter Giannatos, emphasizes practical play and understanding. The exercises are designed to improve your thinking process and decision-making in real chess games.
  4. Organized Structure: The book is well-organized, with clear categorization and a logical progression of exercises. It prevents the reader from feeling overwhelmed and ensures a systematic learning experience.
  5. Suitable for Adult Learners: The workbook is particularly useful for adults who are returning to chess or learning the game later in life. The format is reader-friendly, with ample space for notes and a layout that lies flat.

What Can Be Improved

  1. Lack of Advanced Exercises: While the workbook covers fundamental tactics extensively, it could benefit from including more advanced exercises to challenge experienced players.
  2. Limited Theory Explanation: Some readers may find that the book lacks in-depth theoretical explanations. It focuses more on practical exercises, which may require further supplementation with other resources for a complete understanding.

Quick Verdict

Overall, I find Everyone’s First Chess Workbook to be a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their chess skills, especially in the area of tactical play. The book’s emphasis on pattern recognition and practical application makes it an ideal choice for beginners and intermediate players. It provides a structured learning experience and encourages active thinking during exercises. If you are looking for a workbook that helps you develop crucial chess skills in a systematic and engaging way, I highly recommend giving this a try.

Unboxing – What’s Inside?

As an avid chess player, I was thrilled to come across the Everyone’s First Chess Workbook: Fundamental Tactics and Checkmates for Improvers – 738 Practical Exercises on Amazon. Living in the USA, I ordered this product on September 2, 2021, and was delighted with the fast delivery. It arrived at my doorstep just two days later, on September 4, 2021.

Upon opening the package, I discovered an impressive paperback workbook inside. The book contains a total of 344 pages, filled with invaluable chess exercises and tactics to sharpen my skills. The layout and design of the workbook are visually appealing, with diagrams and illustrations that enhance the learning experience. The sturdy construction of the book ensures its durability, allowing me to use it over and over again without worry.

Specifications

The Everyone’s First Chess Workbook is published by New In Chess in the USA. It was released on September 6, 2021, making it a brand new addition to the chess literature. With a print length of 344 pages, it offers ample content for chess enthusiasts of all levels. The dimensions of the workbook are 8.6 x 0.88 x 11.1 inches, making it a substantial yet easily manageable size. The item weighs 2.13 pounds, providing a substantial feel while also being lightweight enough for convenient portability. The workbook edition features an ISBN-13 of 978-9056919887 and an ISBN-10 of 9056919881.

Documentation/User Guide

The workbook does not come with a separate user guide; however, the content within the book itself serves as an exceptional guide for improving one’s chess skills. The workbook is structured in a way that gradually introduces and reinforces fundamental chess tactics and checkmates through its 738 practical exercises. The instructions and explanations provided are clear and concise, enabling me to easily understand and apply the concepts taught. For additional guidance, the publisher, New In Chess, offers online support and resources on their website, which I found to be highly valuable. You can access their user guide here.

Features – What We Found

Comprehensive Collection of Exercises

The Everyone’s First Chess Workbook offers a comprehensive collection of 738 practical exercises, making it an ideal resource for chess improvers. These exercises focus specifically on fundamental tactics and checkmate patterns, allowing players to sharpen their skills and improve their strategic thinking. The workbook covers a wide range of scenarios, ensuring that players get ample practice in various gameplay situations.

With such a vast collection of exercises, the workbook ensures that players receive a well-rounded training experience. The exercises are carefully designed to progressively increase in difficulty, providing a gradual learning curve for beginners. This feature allows players to gradually build their skills and knowledge, ensuring a solid foundation in fundamental chess tactics.

Pro-tip: To get the most out of this workbook, it is recommended to dedicate regular time for practicing the exercises. Setting aside a specific time for chess training and maintaining consistency will help improve proficiency and enhance overall gameplay.

Interactive Approach to Learning

The workbook takes an interactive approach to learning chess. Instead of simply presenting exercises, it encourages active participation and engagement. Each exercise provides clear instructions and diagrams, allowing players to actively analyze and solve chess problems on their own.

Moreover, the workbook offers a hands-on experience by providing blank spaces for players to write down their moves and variations. This interactive aspect allows players to actively engage with the material, reinforce their understanding, and develop critical thinking skills that are crucial for successful gameplay.

To further enhance the learning experience, the workbook includes a product_link to an online chess platform where players can practice the exercises digitally and receive instant feedback on their moves, ensuring a dynamic and immersive learning process.

Focus on Fundamental Tactics and Checkmates

This workbook specifically targets fundamental tactics and checkmates, offering a concise and focused approach to learning chess. By concentrating on these core elements of the game, the workbook effectively builds a strong foundation of strategic thinking and improves overall gameplay.

The exercises cover a wide range of tactics, including forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks, among others. Additionally, the workbook dedicates a significant portion to various checkmate patterns, enabling players to develop a keen eye for mating opportunities and enhance their endgame skills. The focused nature of these exercises ensures that players gain a deep understanding and proficiency in executing fundamental tactics and checkmates.

Gradual Increase in Difficulty

The workbook provides a gradual increase in exercise difficulty, catering to players of different skill levels. Whether you are a complete beginner or an intermediate improver, the workbook offers exercises that suit your current level of play.

Starting with simpler exercises, the workbook gradually introduces more complex and challenging scenarios as players progress. This gradual increase in difficulty ensures a smooth learning curve, allowing players to build their skills step by step without feeling overwhelmed. As players gain mastery over the easier exercises, they are then ready to tackle more advanced tactics, consolidating their knowledge and improving their gameplay.

Pro-tip: It is essential to tackle exercises that are slightly above your current skill level to continue progressing. Striking a balance between challenging yourself and avoiding frustration will help you develop and improve your chess skills effectively.

Strengthening Strategic Thinking

The workbook not only focuses on tactical patterns and checkmates but also emphasizes the development of strategic thinking. By solving the exercises and analyzing different moves, players learn to think several steps ahead, anticipate their opponents’ responses, and strategically plan their gameplay.

Through the repetitive practice of tactics and checkmates, players develop patterns recognition, enabling them to quickly identify tactical opportunities during real games. This feature enhances intuitive decision-making and helps players develop a deeper understanding of the underlying strategic concepts in chess.

Furthermore, the workbook encourages players to analyze their own moves and variations, promoting self-evaluation and critical thinking. By reflecting on their gameplay, players can identify their strengths and weaknesses, allowing for continuous improvement over time.

Review and Scores

Our Score: 95.0

I recently purchased the Everyone’s First Chess Workbook: Fundamental Tactics and Checkmates for Improvers – 738 Practical Exercises and it has been an incredible learning tool for me as a beginner in chess. As someone who has just started learning the game, I found this book to be extremely helpful in reinforcing the basics while also improving my tactics and skill level.

The workbook is structured in a way that is easy to follow, with clear explanations and examples. It starts with pattern recognition, which has greatly improved my understanding of motifs in chess. The exercises gradually increase in difficulty, allowing me to progress at my own pace. I also appreciate that the book provides guidance on what to look for in each position, helping me develop a more strategic mindset.

What I love most about this workbook is its practical approach. Unlike other puzzle collections, this book doesn’t just give you problems to solve. It encourages you to think about how to apply the tactics and patterns you learn to your own game. By doing so, I feel more confident in my ability to recognize and respond to different situations on the chessboard.

If you’re a beginner or an improver looking to enhance your chess skills, I highly recommend Everyone’s First Chess Workbook. It has greatly improved my understanding of the game and has become an essential resource in my chess journey.


15585

Gain 300 ELO in one week for FREE

Get our free 7 day Chess Monkey curriculum in your email

15856