Winning Chess: How To See Three Moves Ahead Paperback – April 15, 1971

Any Irving Chernev book on chess is going to be really good. This one is no exception, one of my favorites. This book has probably helped my game more than any other book, with the possible exception of one of his other books, "Logical Chess Move By Move: Every Move Explained".This author in my personal opinion is the best teacher of chess you will find in chess books, period. He has a very unique skill set which makes him head and shoulders above the rest.He has a great vast knowledge of chess, and clearly loves the game. But his his biggest skill is his teaching ability. In addition to be a very high level player in his own right (played with and even beat some world class masters); He is even better at teaching.In this book the author will give you a diagram on the left page with the current chess positions. In the description next to the diagram he will tell you who moves next and give a brief explanation of the board positions - then give the best move and explains why it is the best. He does all this in just a couple easy to understand sentences. Then on the opposite page (on the right) there is a diagram showing the board positions after the move and the opponents response. Then again there is another short description next to that diagram on what the next move should be and why - in the end winning strategy is easy to see. The diagrams side by side like this is what makes this teaching method so effective - along with Irving Chernev's insights.And he puts all these examples in a structured sequence - teaching each tactic one by one and very naturally leading you into more complex scenarios. There are sections teaching on:the pin, the fork, the double attack, the discovered attack, the discovered check, the over worked piece, removing the guard and more with multiple examples in each section.The only negative aspect is that the chess notation is the old style chess notation - not modern. This is not a huge deal - with the diagrams it is easy enough to figure out, but the notation does take a while to get used to. It may just be the copy I have - I bought an old used copy so it may be different in some other editions - I don't know.I definitely recommend this. You will learn how to see three moves ahead if you study this book - and it is an easy book to study because of the authors' unique gift at teaching.

This is one of my all time favorite chess books. It is a tactical primer, and even though countless dozens of such books have been written since, this still remains as one of the very best. It covers all of the basic tactical motifs, such as pins, skewers, N forks, weak back ranks, and overworked pieces. The examples are well chosen, and all seem to come from practical play, with no esoteric studies. The level of difficulty is really ideal, with many basic and easy problems, with a nice selection of more difficult ones thrown in. But what really sets this book apart is its literary merit. It is written with wit, charm and includes a large number of literary quotes that you seldom find in chess books any more. (IM Cyrus Lakdawala is one current author who does write with literary flair today.) Quizzes reinforce your knowledge, and as noted, the quizzes are designed to boost your confidence by being fairly easily solved. There are a few solutions that don't stand up to computer checking, but this in no way subtracts from the value of the book. If you are 'gung ho' about your chess, and only care about ratings points, there are other tactical books that will serve you as well or better. But if you want to be entertained and even educated as you learn, and want to bask in the charm and humanness of this classic, you will never find a better tactical primer. Ever. Highly and warmly recommended.

I just received my 3rd copy of this book. I bought my first copy back in 1985 after getting schooled in the school chess club. After my substantial turn around in play, someone stole my copy. My 2nd copy I bought as a refresher in the early 2000's after having not played since the late 80's. The ex-wife stole that one. Now with the Queen's Gambit resurgence in chess, I'm on copy 3. I've recommended this book countless times over the years because it presents the concepts in an easy to understand manner and the concepts are reiterated through easy to remember mantras such as "a pinned piece is a paralyzed piece" and "observer every possible check or capture". The only real caveat is that the book uses descriptive notation instead of algebraic.

As a high school sophomore I went to my second chess tournament in Syracuse, NY. I had a 1350 rating. On the way up in the school bus, our coach handed out books to everyone. My book was "Winning Chess." I read that thing cover to cover on the way up and was a terror in my section. I even took 1st U1800 in the NY Speed Chess Championship, beating a few class A players along the way. Back at school, I went from 5th board to 1st board.I'm a bit stronger now and read more advanced tactics books, but I haven't come across one as good as this. I still recommend it to friends who are taking up chess. It's gentle and doesn't leave the reader in the dust. Each problem is broken down into two parts with lots of explanations. After a few puzzles it just clicks and you'll be solving the puzzles from the first position without reading the text.

This book has been the most helpful of any of the hard copy chess books that I own. I'm not a great ches player, but I love the game. But it's no fun struggling to figure out what to do next without any guidance. This book has helped me to see moves and patterns like no other chess book that I own. You don't need a board to do the exercises, and you don't need to be an expert to understand the concepts Chernev is trying to teach. The futher along I went in this book the easier the lessons seemed to be. But that was because I was learning lots, and my "chess vision" was improving with each page. Like all the other reviewers, I highly recommend this book. Too bad it isn't curretnly in print. In my opinion this is one of the most helpful instruction books on chess ever published.