Softcover

ISBN 10: 0671795023 ISBN 13: 9780671795023

Publisher: Touchstone, 1995

A first-of-its-kind encyclopedia for chess players, this volume features detailed explanations and invaluable illustrations for new chess players, those intent on improving their games, and anyone who needs to brush up on both the basics and more advanced play. 140 detailed illustrations.

About the Author:

Bruce Pandolfini, a National Master in U.S. chess competition, is the creator of the highly acclaimed Fireside Chess Library. He is a renowned instructor, a consultant on chess for the media, and a frequent commentator on the Radio.

From Booklist:

Pandolfini is well known to chess enthusiasts, having written several introductory works as well as studies of major players (Fischer and Kasparov), chess openings, and endgame play. His new dictionary contains more than a thousand brief entries and many illustrations which clearly show what is taking place on the chess board.

The author's introduction contains an excellent explanation of "algebraic notation," which is a way to record moves using a combination of letters and numbers. This is an essential feature for beginners wishing to make good use of any book on chess. A classified index lists entries under such subject headings as Tactics, People, Game Variations, Endings, and Pawns. The author's "Short Chess Course" helps anyone understand major moves, rules, and principles.

The new dictionary earns library space by its easily understood, brief explanations and associated illustrations. Two other reference works, The Encyclopaedia of Chess (St. Martin's, 1976) and The Oxford Companion to Chess, (2d ed., 1992), are superior in coverage and designed for the seasoned player. They include short essays on history, hundreds of major players, strategies, chess commissions, laws of chess, tournament results, photographs of chess champions, and more detailed explanations of terms. A third work, The Chess Encyclopedia (Facts On File, 1990) is strong in biographical information, including play-by-play accounts of famous games. As a dictionary for terms, it is not as useful. Compared with these three works, Chess Thinking is more suited for the circulating collection.