Great Moves: Learning Chess Through History

by Sunil Weeramantry, Alan Abrams, Robert McLellan

Overview

What’s the best way to learn chess? Great Moves: Learning Chess Through History blends the intricacies of chess play with the game’s compelling and colorful history, putting real people at the 64 squares.

Tracing the development of chess from its origins in ancient India, the authors take the student on a far-ranging journey through the palaces of medieval and Renaissance Europe to the cafés of the Enlightenment and the dawn of the Industrial Age, with a focus on the leading personalities of the royal game and on their contributions to understanding of it. Rogues and champions, tragic as well as inspirational human stories all serve as the backdrop for illustrative games and exercises of increasing complexity highlighting their discoveries, and invite the student to grasp the potential of chess to fascinate.

Much more than a primer for beginning chess players and their teachers, Great Moves shines a light on the lives of famous players of bygone eras, helping experienced players to fill in the gaps in their chess culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936277797
Publisher:	Mongoose Press
Publication date:	10/01/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	372
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Sunil Weeramantry is a FIDE Master, chess teacher, and Executive Director of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. A two-time New York State Champion, Sunil is better known these days as the stepfather of GM Hikaru Nakamura, one of the world's elite grandmasters. Sunil is the author, with Ed Eusebi, of Best Lessons of a Chess Coach (Random House, 1993).

Following a career as owner of a retail business, Alan Abrams now teaches chess in New York and Connecticut. Leading public-school chess programs at PS291 and MS15 in the South Bronx, he helped underprivileged children become national champions.

Robert McLellan was Executive Producer for the award-winning chess documentary film, Brooklyn Castle, and served two years as marketing director for the U.S. Chess Federation before joining the National Scholastic Chess Foundation, where he develops and manages teacher training programs.

Editorial Reviews

Introducing an active book that offers both a historical and instructional journey of chess through time that will please both the chess amateur and master. While novices can begin to learn to play the game, experienced players will be primed for a masterful strategic crush.
Great Moves: Learning Chess Through History is a unique book that starts at the very beginning, first exploring the origins of how chess was created, along with how the game was passed on to different cultures and people dating back to the 7th century BC. This foundational review of chess provides historical context about the game, and then begins to add in specific strategies and moves that relate to the moment in history when the game was being played.
The authors take readers through a deep analysis of the game’s ties to politics, culture, and religions through the years, creating a fascinating timeline about how the modern game was shaped by the past. The rich tapestry that is woven together by the authors truly demonstrates to chess players the nuances of how the game has adapted, and how these nuances can influence strategy for the present-day.
This intense, fact-based book is laid out in a way that will allow readers to take in the knowledge at their own pace. The book’s sections are organized with a reference-book approach in mind. The eager chess player can read chronologically or at will, based on their topic of interest. The authors have provided tools throughout the book to support readers as they make their way through the history of chess. Sections include discussion questions and exercises to complete, with an index and an answer key at the end of the book. Additionally, the chess terminology introduced throughout the book is highlighted in bold and defined in footnotes.
This book would be a great fit for serious chess enthusiasts looking to gain knowledge about the game and how best to improve their skills. It would also be suitable for teachers or chess experts, as the journey of learning this classic game through history could be a great adventure for chess players of all ages.

The Children’s Book Review, January 4, 2018 - Leah Sylvan