I read this book when I was a kid still learning chess. This time I read it together with my oldest daughter (her idea..no, her insistence). We played the games in each of the 14 chapters and I think we both learned a few things. Now we've started on Kostyev's From Beginner to Expert in 40 Lessons . This book uses the English Notation, while Kostyev's uses the algebraic.
Topics included: don't miss the chance to capture, don't miss the chance to seize the initiative when you're playing black, attacking strong pawn structures, simplifying complex situations, and several others.
Amy found a mistake in one of the chapters -- I think it was chapter 5, but I don't recall exactly, though I've marked it in the book. The book says NxP, but it should be BxP, I think. I'm proud of her.
Reminds me of a game I played once in high school with one of the football players (who was, incidently, a very nice, and reasonably intelligent fellow). After a short time, he looked down on his sparsely populated side of the board and said disgustedly, "You know, when masters play they don't take each other's pieces like this!" I thought about it and responded, "Hey, when masters play they don't get so many opportunities."
Ahem. In any case, there's probably better books out by now, but this is a worthwhile read for someone who likes a leisurely explanation.
