Board Games Books

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary

Merriam-Webster

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 150 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Official Scrabble Players Dictionary 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Absolutely great book in great condition. Only thing that was unexpected, was that the paperback was definately not as complete as the hard cover book and I really wanted (and needed) everything the hard cover book had. I guess there's no way to know that until you receive the book. But the book came within a couple of days of my ordering it and everything else was great!

The best 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We play Scrabble almost weekly, with a friend. These dictionary's are an absolute must! In fact, this recent purchase was a replacement for the same as we had wore out the original ones. Can't play Scrabble without them!

scrabble dictionary 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This scrabble dictionary is by Merriam-Webster is very easy to read. I keep it near my computer because it's doesn't take up a great deal of room.

Editorial Review:

New edition! An inexpensive edition of the book that SCRABBLE® players call their bible. Ideal for recreational and school play. More than 100,000 playable two- to eight-letter words including 4,000 new entries. Includes variant spellings. Endorsed by the National SCRABBLE® Association.

Practical Chess Exercises: 600 Lessons from Tactics to Strategy

Ray Cheng

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wheatmark Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $10.92

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Exercises, Lacking Theory 3 out of 5 stars.
30 of 37 people found this review helpful.

This is my first foray into the chess book market, so to be fair, I have to stipulate at the start that I don't have anything with which to compare this book. Nonetheless, what I find lacking about this book is any explanation into the theory of good chess play. What are objectives in 'start-game', 'middle-game', and 'end-game' sequences? What are the foundations to a great game? What makes a good player? How does one learn to look at the board? These are questions that are completely ignored by this book. Rather, it has a very brief introduction, and jumps directly into exercises. No theory is provided. No base with which to start.

I felt that the author makes certain assumptions about my chess knowledge. Here, I may be showing my ignorance in not knowing, but I don't know the names of many strategies, and even found it difficult to understand the grid movements on the board.

I like the exercises, and feel I have much to gain from this book. But first I want to read a book that outlines common strategies (such as, control the middle of the board, and why), goals, motives during the game, and maybe gives me some coaching on how to deal with the one's own psyche during the game (i.e. how to react if I miscalculate or lose an important piece during play). I don't know if such a book exists, but I have to keep looking

I want to come back to this book when I want to practice thinking about specific chess positions. At the moment, I'm looking for a book that will boost my foundation and give me a better base in the game I love.

Editorial Review:

Raise your chess to the next level with this program of 600 instructive and challenging exercises covering all aspects of the game. This book will sharpen your tactical vision, deepen your positional understanding, and enrich your knowledge of theoretical positions. It will also strengthen your analytical skills, and instill a sound move selection process. Win more games and increase your enjoyment of chess!

Chess for Children

Murray Chandler, Helen Milligan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent primer 5 out of 5 stars.
25 of 30 people found this review helpful.

This book is an excellent place to start teaching children chess. I almost gave it four stars because I don't think children under 7 or 8 will be able to tackle it themselves without an adult. It would still serve as an excellent guide for older children and teens and with an adult's help any younger child would love it. It has great outlines and pictures of how the pieces move, the rules, special rules (en passant for example) and can be referenced easily by anyone. Great job by Mr.Chandler.

Editorial Review:

With this charming book, children will delight in learning the basic moves of chess - the most popular and challenging strategy game of all. All the rules of chess are clearly explained, step by step, assuming no prior knowledge. The lessons are reinforced by the inventive tales that George is told by his pet alligator Kirsty, self-proclaimed Grand Alligator of chess.

Chess is recognized in many countries as a useful tool for developing creative thinking in children. Although chess can be regarded as a rather complex and mysterious game, the rules themselves are straightforward. It doesn't take long to learn how the pieces move, and even children as young as five can enjoy exciting games. They will also thoroughly enjoy outwitting friends and relatives!

Against the Giants: A Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Huge pack (D&D Miniatures Product)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Good and the Bad 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Let's first start out with the good about the set, which outnumbers the bad. First of all, a lot of the new minis are very good looking, especially the ones that make use of the clear plastic. Noteworthy minis include the Angel of Vengeance, the Blazing Skeleton, Doresain, the Ghoul King, the Death Titan, the Fire Titan, and others. Another good aspect of the set is that it adds epic play back into the game. The product is moderately priced, being fair in my opinion, if you buy it here or somewhere else for less than its retail price. The cards keep their fairly good layout and sharp appearance with the new epic cards being a mustard color rather than a maroon one. Its an odd choice in colors but it works. There are a lot of neat ideas in this set, many of which I hope get carried into other sets.

Now on to the bad. The first bad thing is the large amount of repeats this set has. While they are slightly different, there are repeats from other sets like the Boneclaw Impaler, the Elder Red Dragon, the Xorn Ravager, a third Owlbear incarnation, another Roper, and many others. Another thing is the fact that there are no dragonborn in this set that are not rares, making players who are seeking a dragonborn mini to have to get lucky, buy many packs, or spend $$ on singles. Lastly, the paint job on a lot of the minis are terrible (Storm Giant Thunderer is abhorrent). Plastic is still lower quality than some older sets.

If I could I would have given this product a 3.5, but I can't so I am giving it a 4. The product is generally solid overall, but many of the aspects of former sets that made them truly good falls short here.

Editorial Review:

Fee Fi Fo FUM!

This latest Dungeons & Dragons® Miniatures Game release includes figures based on popular D&D® game characters as well as monsters plucked from the pages of the 4th Edition Monster Manual® and various D&D Roleplaying Game supplements. This set features huge-sized figures, including several iconic giants.

Each booster pack contains:

- Eight (8) randomized, pre-painted plastic miniatures, including one (1) huge figure
- A stat card for each figure, with D&D Miniatures Game statistics on one side and D&D Roleplaying Game statistics on the other
- An Against the Giants set checklist

The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance

Josh Waitzkin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Josh Waitzkin knows what it means to be at the top of his game. A public figure since winning his first National Chess Championship at the age of nine, Waitzkin was catapulted into a media whirlwind as a teenager when his father's book Searching for Bobby Fischer was made into a major motion picture. After dominating the scholastic chess world for ten years, Waitzkin expanded his horizons, taking on the martial art Tai Chi Chuan and ultimately earning the title of World Champion. How was he able to reach the pinnacle of two disciplines that on the surface seem so different? "I've come to realize that what I am best at is not Tai Chi, and it is not chess," he says. "What I am best at is the art of learning."

In his riveting new book, The Art of Learning, Waitzkin tells his remarkable story of personal achievement and shares the principles of learning and performance that have propelled him to the top -- twice.

With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, The Art of Learning takes readers through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.

Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you. Does your opponent make you angry? Waitzkin describes how to channel emotions into creative fuel. As he explains it, obstacles are not obstacles but challenges to overcome, to spur the growth process by turning weaknesses into strengths. He illustrates the exact routines that he has used in all of his competitions, whether mental or physical, so that you too can achieve your peak performance zone in any competitive or professional circumstance.

In stories ranging from his early years taking on chess hustlers as a seven year old in New York City's Washington Square Park, to dealing with the pressures of having a film made about his life, to International Chess Championships in India, Hungary, and Brazil, to gripping battles against powerhouse fighters in Taiwan in the Push Hands World Championships, The Art of Learning encapsulates an extraordinary competitor's life lessons in a page-turning narrative.

Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess, Part 2: Kasparov vs Karpov 1975-1985 (Modern Chess)

Garry Kasparov

Amazon Price: $29.70 List Price: $45.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Everyman Chess Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $29.63

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The history of sport has seen many great gladiatorial clashes: Ali v Frazier in boxing, McEnroe v Borg in tennis, Prost v Senna in motor racing. None however can quite compare to the intensity of the rivalry between those two great world chess champions: Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. Between 1984 and 1990 they contested an astonishing five World Championship matches consisting of 144 individual encounters. This volume concentrates on the first two of those matches.

* The epic 1984/85 contest which was lasted six months before being controversially halted “without result” by the then President of FIDE Florencio Campomanes.

* The 1985 match when Kasparov brilliantly won the final game to take the title and become – at the age of 22 – the youngest ever world champion.

Great chess contests have often had resonances extending beyond the 64 squares. The Fischer v Spassky match was played during the Cold War with both champions being perceived as the finest products of their respective ideologies. The Karpov v Korchnoi battles (three matches between 1974 and 1981) were lent an edge with Karpov being a Russian hero of the pre-Glasnost era whilst Korchnoi was the disaffected dissident. The Kasparov v Karpov encounters mirrored a battle between the new Russia and old Russia with Kasparov seen as a symbol of the new ideology emerging under Gorbachev whereas Karpov was seen to represent the old regime of die-hard Communists such as Brezhnev.

In this volume Garry Kasparov (world champion between 1985 and 2000 and generally regarded as the greatest player ever) analyses in depth the clashes from 1984 and 1985, giving his opinions both on the political machinations surrounding the matches as well as the games themselves.

Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master

Jeremy Silman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For more than 100 years, the world's leading chess players and teachers have told their students to study the endgame. Now, for the first time, a revolutionary, richly instructive endgame book has been designed for players of all levels. Silman's Complete Endgame Course, by famed writer and player Jeremy Silman, is the one and only endgame book you'll need as you move up the ladder from beginner to strong tournament player and finally to master.

Designed to "speak" to a player in a very personal way, Silman's book teaches the student everything he or she needs to know at his or her current rating level, and builds on that knowledge for each subsequent phase of the player's development. Starting at the beginner's level, all basic mates are clearly and painstakingly explained. After that, the critical building blocks that form the endgame foundation for all tournament hopefuls and experienced tournament competitors are explored in detail. Finally, advanced endgame secrets based on concepts rather than memorization are presented in a way that makes them easy to master.

The basic keys to a well-rounded endgame education--Opposition, the Lucena and Philidor Positions, Cat and Mouse, Trebuchet, Fox in the Chicken Coup, Triangulation, Building a Box, Square of a Pawn, Outflanking, the Principle of Two Weaknesses--are vital. But equally important is creating a love of the endgame, which is addressed at the end of the book with a look at chess tactics, minor piece domination, and a discussion of the five greatest endgame players of all time--all things that every fan of chess at every level can enjoy.

If you have found the endgame to be a mystery, if you have found that your confidence plummets once you reach an endgame, if you have searched for an instructive endgame book that will turn your weakest link--your endgame--into your personal field of power, your search is over. Silman's Complete Endgame Course is the key to a world of essential ideas, startling beauty, and stunning creativity.

How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (Gambit Chess)

Murray Chandler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 126 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Amazing book for wannabe attacking players 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Before reading this book, I played chess like a scared chipmunk, obsessing about little details like whether pushing this pawn would weaken my position by a picounit. This book helped me see that the way to win games at the amateur level is to attack, to be aggressive, to go after the enemy king like he is your nemesis, to crank open his position like a sardine can and commit regicide.

The book's title is somewhat misleading in that the book is very narrow in scope (a full book on how to beat dad would have to include discussion of openings, endgames, and more general chess strategy and tactics). Rather, it contains fifty practical checkmating patterns that frequently come up in real games. If the basic mating patterns (e.g., how to mate with a King and Queen versus a lone King) are the alphabet of checkmate, this book is the grammer of checkmate. The patterns consist of beautiful 3-5 move combinations that you will have opportunities to apply in many of your games.

If you are looking for a beginner chess book, get the Idiot's Guide to Chess. That is the best place to start from square one. Then learn some very basic tactics (e.g., Pandolfini's Beginning Chess). Then get and read this book. Over and over. With these patterns ingrained in your mind, you will spot them in the far distance during games, aim for them, and go in for the kill. Sure, sometimes you will crash and burn, but that will only make you more prepared for the next game.

Thanks to Chandler for writing this book. It has made chess fun for me again.

Editorial Review:

This is not just a book for kids - for 'Dad' read any opponent who beats you regularly! This book teaches the 50 Deadly Checkmates - basic attacking patterns that occur repeatedly in games between players of all standards.

Each mating motif is carefully and simply explained, and several illustrative examples are given. A final test enables the reader to grade his pattern recognition abilities, and the last chapter explains what to do if your Dad is Garry Kasparov.

Fun, instructive - and guaranteed to improve your game.

Dvoretsky's Analytical Manual: Practical Training for the Ambitious Chessplayer

Mark Dvoretsky

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Not yet published By: Russell Enterprises, Inc.

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Editorial Review:

This book is aimed first of all at helping strong players complete themselves. This ensures that it will overflow with exceptionally complex analyses and exercises, which will be difficult for even the leading grandmasters to handle. But even amateur players will find something of interest in it. How can it not be interesting to peek – perhaps not as an owner, but at least as a guest – into the world of high-level chess, to see with one’s own eyes what sort of problems chess “pros” have to wrestle with (successfully or not), and how far from being complete even their play is? The many exercises presented in this book differ greatly from one another in their level of difficulty: some are fairly simple and accessible. It makes sense to take a stab at solving the tougher exercises, too; then later, once you have seen the answer, you will have a better grasp of your own abilities, strength and weakness. And finally: the analyses presented in this book include a multitude of most impressive passages, unusual and spectacular moves and combinations – and chessplayers of almost any grade can certainly find enjoyment in beauty. Readers who become familiar with this book will soon see, no doubt, that side variations are often analyzed in far more detail than is necessary to follow the course of battle in the game under discussion. Why would the author do this? Because, first of all, to give an objective assessment of all, or nearly all, the previously existing commentaries, written by other annotators. But chiefly because many of these side variations are interesting and educational in and of themselves, and create supplementary exercises. Look at them simply as lyrical digressions; don’t worry if they seem unconnected to the main theme. Where possible, the author has tried to lay out the principles, methods and rules, ideas and techniques that lie behind the moves.The book was also designed as a practice book, to test and underscore the reader's newly acquired knolwedge. This book takes it place next to the author's classic "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual" as being one of the great books of the modern era, a book from which the serious student may take his or her knowledge and understanding of complex middlegame ideas to the next level.

Chess Tactics for Kids

Murray Chandler

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Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Chess Tactics, Traps and Combination books - the best way to get better 4 out of 5 stars.
281 of 289 people found this review helpful.

When you are a beginner there is nothing better than studying books on Tactics, Traps and Combinations in chess. This is because the mind of a beginner can certainly understand 1 + 1 = 2. The value of the pieces is clear and coming out ahead can be calculated. This is a point that is a first step in learning chess! Tactics, at any point of the game are important to learn. Knowing what they are, how they work and recognizing them at a glance is necessary if you are going to become a good chess player. "CHESS TACTICS FOR KIDS" works on the most important starting tactics by showing you what they are and giving brief examples. This is not a tactics workbook where you will find hundreds of examples (a good book to get after this) or a traps book (a book also good to get) where you can see the tactics arise from the first move of the game. It is a book where you will learn the "mechanics" of the tactics. The brief chapter on each tactic is a great way to get started!

Editorial Review:

Chess enthusiasts of all ages and levels will find this book an instructive delight. In a simple, easy-to-understand format it explains how to bamboozle your chess opponents using commonly occurring tactical motifs. The illustrative positions, all taken from real games, show the 50 Tricky Tactics that experienced chess masters use to win their games. Recognising frequently-occurring tactical ideas is vital to success in chess. One of the fastest and most enjoyable ways to improve at chess is by learning these thematic manoeuvres. Beginners will benefit from the clear explanation of basic concepts, such as how to utilise a fork, pin, or skewer. Advanced players will delight in the many devious middlegame tricks - some classified here for the first time - which can catch out even grandmasters. Chess Tactics for Kids makes improving easy and fun, and is full of helpful explanations on how to approach chess games with confidence - and success.