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"Okay, so you have this guy at the office who has been listening to your tales of adventure down at the chess club, and he's decided he want to pick up the Royal Game and get in on the action. You could get him that introductory book with the cute dinosaur on the cover, but it might be more his daughter's speed. There's always 'Chess for Dummies' and 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess', which are both good introductions; but the titles might put him off a bit. Thank goodness for Jonathan Berry, of Canada, and his 'The Pocket Guide to Chess' - a book that fills a niche in the world of chess publishing, as well as fitting a decent suit pocket. It might very well be what your colleague needs. In fact, the guide does so many things, you'll wonder why it was never advertised as the Ronco Chess-O-Matic! on 'Saturday Night Live'... There is a lot of chess wisdom packed into these pages, more than you would guess at first glance. Beginners will think: 'oh, wow!' Club players will mutter: 'Oh, I knew that'"
- "Chessville"
"Chess has had more written about it than all other games combined; thousands of works already exist, and the chess enthusiast is inundated with a flood of new books appearing on an almost weekly basis. One recent addition is The Pocket Guide to Chess, written by our own Jonathan Berry and published by Master Point Press of Toronto. But considering the chess
literature that already exists, is there a place for this book in the
current market? Does it fulfill a need which has previously been unmet?
Happily, the answer to both these questions is yes! Designed as a ready
reference work, This book is a concise but complete survey of every aspect
of the game of chess: a great first book for the beginner, and a useful
reference for the intermediate player (from the back cover). Berry does not
cover such areas as the use of computers, thought processes, how to improve,
or chess history, but deals strictly with the mechanics of playing a game of
chess.
The production values are good: an attractive cover, wire binding so the
book lies flat, no obvious typos, an 18 by 11 cm size that will fit into a
(largish) pocket. Although published in Toronto, American spelling is used
throughout. In the specific openings section the capitalization of square
names in the opening titles looks strange to this reader, but is not a major
concern. Overall the book well serves its target readership: within its
eighty pages beginners will find a wealth of practical pointers to assist
them, while it provides a handy reference and refresher for more seasoned
players. Recommended."
- Stephen Wright in BC Chess Federation E-Mail Bulletin # 70, May 2005
"Jonathan Berry has written a new book, a very handy pocket guide to chess.
Geared to the general public, casual players, games enthusiasts who have a
newly acquired interest in chess, and those who do not have a chess library
at their fingertips, the Pocket Guide to Chess answers all the basic
principles and basic questions of chess. It is a handy resource tool for the
chessplaying enthusiast.
Jonathan's down to earth descriptions and clear idea illustrations provide
high quality instruction in all the different areas of chess. The book
covers a wide spectrum of chess ideas, and is full of tips and insight.
In my opinion it is the best, most up to date pocket resource chess book on
the market.
Schools should buy in bulk for their students. The perfect pocket gift for
your friends."
- Chess Canada Echecs
"This book provides a handy pocket summary of the rules and principles for
the novice chess player. In a concise but readable manner, it covers the
basic rules, as well as the fundamental ideas of the opening, middle game
and ending in chess. The emphasis in on graphics and illustration, rather
than complex analysis, so it works as a handy pocket reference as well as a
learning experience for the absolute beginner. An ideal purchase as a gift
along with that first chess set! 80 pages (spiral-bound)."
- London Chess Center (store in England)
"Chess is often described as an easy game to learn, but a difficult one to master.
But even though the basic rules can be quickly absorbed, beginners should
take their first steps carefully. A solid, early understanding of the
principles of chess will help build a useful foundation for later
advancement.
This book achieves just such an aim for starting players. It is a
wonderfully concise snapshot of everything the new player needs to know
about tactics, strategy and the basics.
After a brief description of the rules and how games are recorded, Berry
goes immediately to the endgame where he instructs in the fundamentals of
checkmate. As he notes, there is little point studying the opening phase of
the game if a player doesn't know what to do in the last act.
He proceeds to list basic rules of thumb, simple tactics, positional ideas
and other principles of the game. The book ends with a glossary, which
doubles as an index.
Perhaps as a nod to conventional chess book writing, Berry includes a
section on specific openings. This seems somewhat too detailed for the
beginner, and a survey of opening ideas might have been more useful. But it
achieves the aim of acquainting the player with major opening fashions.
Berry has an easygoing and compact style, choosing words carefully for
maximum impact. In 80 short pages, the beginner gets a considerable quantity
of distilled wisdom."
- Cecil Rosner in Winnipeg Free Press
"HOW OFTEN DOES THIS COME ALONG? In my hand is a new book called "The Pocket Guide to Chess" by Jonathan Berry. It is in a class by itself in clarity, explanation, looks, and usefulness. [Ray Lee] This is something we could have used years ago. It is 10X better than the manuscripts we get trying to show people new to chess, how to play. A masterpiece of succinctness. Acute. Well defined. I hope it is a monster seller for Mr. Berry. $7.95 US. I don't see anything coming even close as far as value is concerned."
- Bob Long, www.chessco.com
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$9.95
$7.95
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