Chess

Today in history - August 1st, 1972 - Bobby Fischer becomes the first American to win the World Chess Championship.  Here are ten books on chess.

Chess for Kids: How to Play and Win by Richard James - Written as a story--featuring seven-year-old twins Alice and Sam and their quest to stop an impending alien invasion--Chess for Kids will teach your child how to play chess in thirty short, fun lessons. Chess for Kids describes each piece, simply and clearly explaining what moves each one can make and how best to utilize them on the board. Here are the concepts of check, checkmate, and stalemate and basic chess strategy and thinking skills. Peppered with quizzes and puzzles to reinforce what your child has learned, Chess for Kids is the perfect book for any child who wishes to learn this ancient and always popular game.

The Chess Players Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game by James Eade & Al Lawrence - Master the ancient art of chess, the game of kings. Now, novice players can learn quickly and at a glance the key techniques and classic moves of the chess masters. This fully revised and updated edition includes basic and advanced tactics, combinations, sacrifices, pawn structures, and annotated illustrations to help players of every level hold their own against more advanced players. It's a comprehensive and compact reference that will find a ready place in school and private chess clubs. This book will also be a favorite among individuals who wish to discover chess as a pleasurable way to spend a social evening.

Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins by Garry Kasparov - Garry Kasparov's 1997 chess match against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue was a watershed moment in the history of technology. It was the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence: a machine capable of beating the reigning human champion at this most cerebral game.
That moment was more than a century in the making, and in this breakthrough book, Kasparov reveals his astonishing side of the story for the first time. He describes how it felt to strategize against an implacable, untiring opponent with the whole world watching, and recounts the history of machine intelligence through the microcosm of chess, considered by generations of scientific pioneers to be a key to unlocking the secrets of human and machine cognition. Kasparov uses his unrivaled experience to look into the future of intelligent machines and sees it bright with possibility. As many critics decry artificial intelligence as a menace, particularly to human jobs, Kasparov shows how humanity can rise to new heights with the help of our most extraordinary creations, rather than fear them. Deep Thinking is a tightly argued case for technological progress, from the man who stood at its precipice with his own career at stake.

Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness by Frank Brady - Endgame is acclaimed biographer Frank Brady's decades-in-the-making tracing of the meteoric ascent--and confounding descent--of enigmatic genius Bobby Fischer.  Only Brady, who met Fischer when the prodigy was only 10 and shared with him some of his most dramatic triumphs, could have written this book, which has much to say about the nature of American celebrity and the distorting effects of fame.  Drawing from Fischer family archives, recently released FBI files, and Bobby's own emails, this account is unique in that it limns Fischer's entire life--an odyssey that took the Brooklyn-raised chess champion from an impoverished childhood to the covers of Time, Life and Newsweek to recognition as "the most famous man in the world" to notorious recluse.
 At first all one noticed was how gifted Fischer was.  Possessing a 181 I.Q. and remarkable powers of concentration, Bobby memorized hundreds of chess books in several languages, and he was only 13 when he became the youngest chess master in U.S. history.   But his strange behavior started early.  In 1972, at the historic Cold War showdown in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he faced Soviet champion Boris Spassky, Fischer made headlines with hundreds of petty demands that nearly ended the competition.
 It was merely a prelude to what was to come.
 Arriving back in the United States to a hero's welcome, Bobby was mobbed wherever he went--a figure as exotic and improbable as any American pop culture had yet produced.  No player of a mere "board game" had ever ascended to such heights.  Commercial sponsorship offers poured in, ultimately topping $10 million--but Bobby demurred.  Instead, he began tithing his limited money to an apocalyptic religion and devouring anti-Semitic literature.
 After years of poverty and a stint living on Los Angeles' Skid Row, Bobby remerged in 1992 to play Spassky in a multi-million dollar rematch--but the experience only deepened a paranoia that had formed years earlier when he came to believe that the Soviets wanted him dead for taking away "their" title.  When the dust settled, Bobby was a wanted man--transformed into an international fugitive because of his decision to play in Montenegro despite U.S. sanctions.  Fearing for his life, traveling with bodyguards, and wearing a long leather coat to ward off knife attacks, Bobby lived the life of a celebrity fugitive - one drawn increasingly to the bizarre.  Mafiosi, Nazis, odd attempts to breed an heir who could perpetuate his chess-genius DNA--all are woven into his late-life tapestry.
 And yet, as Brady shows, the most notable irony of Bobby Fischer's strange descent - which had reached full plummet by 2005 when he turned down yet another multi-million dollar payday--is that despite his incomprehensible behavior, there were many who remained fiercely loyal to him.  Why that was so is at least partly the subject of this book--one that at last answers the question: "Who was Bobby Fischer?

Game Changer: AlphaZero's Groundbreaking Chess Strategies and the Promise of AI by Matthew Sadler & Natasha Regan - It took AlphaZero only a few hours of self-learning to become the chess player that shocked the world. The artificial intelligence system, created by DeepMind, had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the world's strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength? For Game Changer, Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers and were offered a unique look 'under the bonnet' to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZero's search. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero. Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZero's stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more. The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Game Changer offers intriguing insights into the opportunities and horizons of Artificial Intelligence. Not just in solving games, but in providing solutions for a wide variety of challenges in society.

A Guide to Chess Improvement: The Best of Novice Nook by Dan Heisman - A Guide to Chess Improvement features the very best of Dan Heisman’s multi-award winning chess column Novice Nook, which has run for the past ten years at the popular website ChessCafe.com. This book is full of valuable instruction, insight and practical advice on a wide range of key subjects: general improvement, thought processes, planning and strategy, tactics, endgame play, technique, time management and much more besides.
Heisman has thoroughly revised, expanded and updated his work to produce an easy-to-navigate guide. He has also included brand new and exclusive columns. Any player from beginner to expert who is serious about improving their chess should read this book!

How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances by Jeremy Silman - How to Reassess Your Chess has long been considered a modern classic. Now, this fourth and final edition-completely rewritten and featuring all new examples-takes Silman's groundbreaking concept of imbalances to a whole new level. Designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 rating range and for teachers looking for a ready-made chess curriculum, the author shares a mind-expanding journey that takes the reader through imbalance basics, ensures that every detail of all the imbalances are mastered, and leaves the player/lover of chess with something he always wanted but never believed he could achieve: a master-level positional foundation.

The Mammoth Book of Chess by Graham Burgess - For rookie chess players or advanced players who simply want to hone their skills, this new edition of the chess classic has been fully revised and updated. With this guide, which includes courses in tactics and attacking strategy, a selection of the greatest games ever played, helpful advice on club and tournament chess, and a useful glossary of chess terms, victory will be yours. Checkmate!

Tactics Time: 1001 Chess Tactics From the Games of Everyday Chess Players by Tim Brennan & Anthea Carson - Everyone knows that the way to improve at chess is to solve tactics puzzles.  But why do tactics books make amateurs study grandmaster or master games? How useful is it to analyze games that are unreal for everyday chess players?In the real world of beginning and casual players openings are dubious, positions are messy, material is uneven, and cheap traps and oversights are occurring constantly. Most amateur games are won by rather primitive means, compared to the cool and fancy moves that masters need in order to gain victory.This book only takes positions from amateur games and puts them out there, warts and all. Tim Brennan and Andrea  Carson have assembled thousands of games by everyday players, and selected the most instructive tactical examples.  If you have limited time and energy to devote to chess, you want to study positions that are happening in games you yourself might have played!

U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess by the United States Chess Federation - This comprehensive rulebook is the only guide sanctioned and compiled by the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF), the governing body for chess in the United States. It is designed to be a useful reference for all chess players, especially tournament directors and chess club teachers.
THIS NEW EDITION FEATURES THE LATEST RULES GOVERNING CHESS, INCLUDING-
Guidelines for Internet chess and speed chess
Information about the USCF's national chess rating
system
Explanations of all legal moves
Guidelines for organizing and directing a tournament
A new and improved index for quick reference