Chess Tactics

by Paul Littlewood

Originally published: Marlborough: Crowood, 1984.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0713489340
• ISBN13: 9780713489347
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: B.T. Batsford
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

This book has it all!

CHESS TACTICS has it all when it comes to pins, forks, skewers, dicovered checks and all the various types of typical tactics you are likely to encounter when you play. I personally own a fair number of books on tactics and traps and have found them to be the most useful types of books in getting me actual results when I play. This book has excellent examples and tells you the principles behind each type of tactic it covers. Very good book!

Excellent!

Excellent! Fourteen tactical themes explained as clearly as I have ever seen! Just the right balance between clear explanatory prose and diagrams/problems. Each of the 14 chapters is divided into 4 clearly-labeled sections: Definition and examples; How to Exploit the tactic; How to Defend against that tactic; Problems to solve. The author is British, so no problems due to translated-from-German or translated-from Russian. 307 diagrams spread over 143 pages: just the right size. If you're already a master, you don't need this. If you've read any beginning book like Chess for Dummies you should be ready for this. Pop quiz: What's the difference between Deflection and Decoying? If you don't know, buy the book see chapters 7 and 8. This book is quite clear on this, as it is clear throughout. This book first came out in 1984, so the (5-star) review dated 1997 must have been about the 1984 edition. The new (current) edition just came out in March 2005, and is beautifully done. Clear diagrams, nice typeface and paper. And it has been updated to figurine algebraic notation (the most modern and readable chess notation).

Provides an excellent overview for intermediate students

This fine chess book approaches tactics in the best way I have ever seen. Each tactical idea is introduced and built on using progressive examples both from the attacker's and defender's point of view. I highly recommend it for any player over USCF 1000 rating