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Subject: Re: Learning Chess

Author: Lawrence S. Tamarkin

Date: 21:47:13 12/26/98

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At the chess clubs where I used to hang out and where I'll be hanging out
again!, I heard a lot of critism--mostly from other experts and master's that I
have known--of this book and other's by Reinfeld & Horowitz, the 'Giants' of
chess instruction pulp.  It seems that a lot of the stronger tournament player's
feel this way about their early learning.  Had they been starting today, they
would have used the books I previously mentioned.  But of course, Silman &
Seirawan Books, and especially tutorial software was not available at that time.

I would certainly like to here more opinion's about this from other player's of
all strengths...

mrslug - the inkompetent chess software addict!



On December 26, 1998 at 23:06:39, Jay Rinde wrote:

>Come now, we're talking about a beginner. You've got to start some place. "Move
>by Move" is not as bad as you think. I've seen too many people turned off by
>chess thinking it harder than it could be by getting out of the simple areas too
>fast. One must learn to stand before he/she can walk. Chess Mentor is a fine
>computer tool but "Move by Move" is a book. Keep it simple in the beginning.
>I've seen the meek run....
>
>On December 26, 1998 at 22:01:00, Lawrence S. Tamarkin wrote:
>
>>NOooo, please, not that book again!!.  This is one of those books that I've
>>never really trusted.  I read it when I was in my teens, and suspect it is one
>>of those books that left me scratching my head after bad losses at the chess
>>club, trying to win games in that 'logical move by move', fasion.  It has a
>>pendantic, tedious way of making chess look easier to assimilate than it really
>>is.  Not that chess need be particularly difficult to learn. In fact, Chess
>>Mentor or CM6000 may well be the very best way to invest 'starting money' on
>>chess learning, as CM6000 has many tutorial's, including Seirawan's outstanding
>>writing, and Chess Mentor, has clearly seperated out their introductory material
>>into different units, and the program is one of the most interactive.
>>
>>IMO, a much better 'starter' book would be, How to Reasses your chess, by Jeramy
>>Silman, which can help even masters, and uses modern english language to express
>>its concepts. (But has also been endorsed by my 1200 rated girlfriend, and her
>>600 rated mother).
>>
>>If you really must have a 'logical, move by move' type book, please get someting
>>like Bruce Pandolfini's, 'The Russian's play Chess', which has 7 modern Russian
>>chess games, annotated move by move, but doesn't make it look like one side just
>>totally overwhelm's the other, just by that 'logic'!
>>
>>mrslug - the inkompetent chess software addict.
>>
>>P.S. I'm sorry too have to 'come down' so hard on such a well know & classic
>>author, as Irving Chernev, but that's better than recommending a book that can
>>(potentially), cause more harm then good...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>On December 26, 1998 at 17:39:50, Lin Harper wrote:
>>
>>>On December 26, 1998 at 13:51:31, jeffrey jensen wrote:
>>>
>>>>I am new to computer chess (and chess for that matter) and I am looking for
>>>>resources to improve my chess. I currently hold a rating of 934 over at ICC.
>>>>I am interested in the relative merits of Chess Mentor and CM6000. I am also
>>>>considering on-line lessons. Any suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated
>>>>ps this is a great site...
>>>Hi there, maybe a couple of books to get yourself up to scratch first would be
>>>the way to go. I suggest Irving Chernev's "Logical Chess, Move by Move". I'm
>>>assuming you are a youngster. Be sure you are going to hold your interest in
>>>chess before spending good money.



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