How many remember, or still have your first chess book? I was looking though my library today, and came across, the first chess book I ever owned. It was given to me by an elderly Chess Player, about 1965, or maybe 66. He was an old master from Pittsburgh Pa. The Book was by Irving Chernev & Kenneth Harkness, Printed about 1945 or 46. The Title: An invitation To Chess (Hardback)
He told me to take it home and study it. It was his gift to me.
He will never know, what he started in my life. He was quite a character. After months of play(Him beating me) one evening he hung his Queen, which I captured with a bishop, after a long time studying the position for the trap, I just knew had to be there. He never saw it, and was so upset he tossed the pieces and board on the floor, and did not speak to me again for months. Even when we would pass in the halls. Then one day, he just walked up to me by the swimming pool and said. What!! Did you quit playing chess!
Believe it or not, more than 30 years after your story, my first chess book was the same book as yours!
I had a chess set as a kid with instructions for moving the pieces on the box top, but they were missing a lot of details, such as castling, pawn promotion, en pessant, etc. I played a couple of games here and there with my sister and friends, but never really took it that seriously. Over the years, I was been mildly curious about why there was so much attention paid to this game, chess columns in the newspaper, etc, but it wasn’t until I was an adult, around 1999 or 2000, that I decided to look into it more.
First I found a web site for beginners that gave some basic strategy ideas, and I started playing on the internet. Not long after that, I was in a used book store and decided to see if they had any chess books. They had “An Invitation to Chess” by Chernev and Harkness in soft cover for only about $1.50 or something, so I bought it. I’m pretty sure it’s a first printing from the 1940’s, not a reprint. I still have it on my bookshelf, along with about 40 or 50 newer chess books. Of course, there are only about a dozen of those that I’ve actually read cover to cover, and that’s one of them.
I still have mine, “Chess Traps, Pitfalls, and Swindles”. The author’s name escapes me just now. Not the best book for a beginner to learn from, but an interesting read anyway. An old book of mine that I still consider to be my favorite one, is “Judgement and Planning in Chess” by Max Euwe. I have read thru that one a few times over the years, and it’s still an excellent book, IMO.
“The Collier Quick and Easy Guide to Chess” by Richard Roberts. Two nice things about it is that instruction starts with the end game, and it illustrated the K+B+N vs. lone king mate with a diagram every few moves (vs. Reuben Fine’s Basic Chess Endings, which leaves it murky).
As an unrated player in my second rated tournament, I found myself sliding from a R+P vs. B+N+P ending to eventually having to give up my rook for his last pawn. At the time, I was surprised that a 1400-rated player did not know the B+N mate, since I’d assumed that all players learned the game “backwards” as I did.
Fromper,
That is really interesting. The second book I bought myself was " The Complete ChessPlayer" By Fred Reinfeld. It was paper back, printed in the late fifties, or early sixties. I found it in a used book store.
I thought this was an interesting subject, and wondered how many still possessed their first chess books. And what they were.
Thanks to all of you guys . How interesting.
My first chess book was “Chess in a Nutshell”, also by Reinfeld? It was a tiny
paperback. I gave it to my kids to learn from, and I think it is still around
the house somewhere.
Have you ever, ask the guy that has the book & equipment sales. I think his name is Tim or Ted. He was at the US Championships last year in Stillwater. He told me he could get out of print books. Mike Nolan might know his name.
Then again maybe someone reading this thread has one or knows someone with that book. That would make starting this thread worth it.
My first chess book was a small book that came with a chess set I bought from the Montgomery Ward catalog when I was in the 5th grade, I think it was entitled “Chess in 12 Steps” or something along that line. I don’t know where it went to, it might still be in a closet in the house I grew up in, I suppose. (Two of my brothers still live there.)
I do still have my copy of the Rules of Chess book that the Paul Masson winery sent out in the 60’s.
You’re probably thinking of Tim Tobiason, who lives here in Nebraska. You can also check with Fred Wilson Books in NYC, I’ve bought a number of OP books from him.
Recently I acquired a copy of Elo’s book on chess ratings through Ebay from a seller in England.
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Tim Tobiason routinely sells on eBay under TobyChess, I think.
Last year TobyChess sent a sales email to me a tons of other past customers; but the worst part was that everyone’s email address were made visible on the TO line – needed to use BCC.
My first chess book was a hardback copy of “The Golden Treasury of Chess”, which my father had own since he was a teenager. Decades later I saw that a new publisher of a paperback edition had changed the authorship of the book, from Francis J. Wellmuth to I.A. Horowitz. That was ugly.
At my parent’s house I looked for the book once a decade ago, but they had given it away to a library.
I find old descriptive notation too unpleasant to deal with, so I would not use it anymore anyway.
There is plenty of room for improvement in S.A.N. notation too, as it too suffers from context dependency. SAN is designed to be used DURING GAMES while your clock is ticking and you are busy thinking. But later, when reading from book, something even richer than LAN would be preferrable.
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“Chess Strategy,” by Edward Lasker. One of those great old books Dover keeps in print. (BTW, not the same as “Modern Chess Strategy and the Game of Go,” which is also an excellent book.)
I don’t remember the name of the first chess book I ever read, it was checked out of a library. That book touched on the major parts of the game, but all I seemed to absorb were the basic mates and the Scholar’s Mate. My first book was something my dad brought home for me How to Win in the Chess Openings by I A Horowitz. It told me in no uncertain terms why the Scholar’s stinks and for me was the perfect book at that time. I still have it–it is paperback with brown and brittle pages. Eventually I read three more by Horowitz along with various titles by Reinfield and Chernev.
That, a little on the introduction of algebraic notation to the USA, and a discussion on round robins is on my website, address on the right side.
My first book was “Chess the Easy Way,” by Reuben Fine. I found it in an old book store for $1.25. That was back in 1970 when book prices, even for best sellers, were reasonable. The second book was the “Manual of Chess,” by Emanual Lasker. After reading both books cover to cover, I played in my first USCF tournament and earned a rating of 1740. Fine’s book reads well to this day and is the source of most of the “rules” that we use to choose moves. The library I started as a teenager now has over 7000 books, with slightly over 2500 chess books.
My first chess book was “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess”.
I learned chess in 4th grade. In 5th grade I started playing a classmate who always won… so I went to the mall and found that book that seemed just right for me.
After I read it… I started winning !!!.
Then my friend started studying chess and would win again… so I got another chessbook and started winning again.
Our ability see-sawed for a few years, then I joined the Army and leaned about the USCF after I joined the chess club in Ft. Hood. My friend stopped playing chess altogether after I left though. Other than visiting him a couple times while on leave from the army, our paths departed. ( I moved to KY and he still lives in NY).
I still send him a christmas card every year and call him once or twice a year.
What a fantastic Library! I don't know how you had time to read all those books. I have a couple hundred chess books have yet to read them all, cover to cover. I keep telling the wife " Some Day" and she keeps saying " What day of the week is that"
The Fireside Book of Chess Chernev & Reinfeld 1949
It was a gift sometime around 1966 or 1967. And I have long since lost the copy that was given to me.
However A while back there was some discussions about favorite bedside chess reading material without a chessboard. And I remembered this book and was able to get a 6th printing copy. And I am VERY happy to have it once again!
I cherish those old cartoons in it. And some of the stories are hilarious.
A while back there was some discussions about favorite bedside chess reading material without a chessboard. And I remembered this book and was able to get a 6th printing copy. And I am VERY happy to have it once again!