Chess adventures For wood-pushing novices or superstar grandmasters, chess can be an obsession. In pursuit of interviews, Sarah Hurst slid down an icy hill in Hastings to catch a Chinese women's world champion, chased Garry Kasparov around London, chatted cheerfully with a manic depressive in Budapest, and roamed the Russian steppe with Kalmyk Buddhists. When a newspaper editor Larisa Yudina was murdered within a mile or two of City Chess, the pet project of millionaire dictator Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Hurst began to expose the darker side of chess politics. She urged professional players to boycott the World Chess Olympiad, pointing to Ilyumzhinov's corruption and possible involvement in the murder. But chess players had no desire to reject the millions of dollars Ilyumzhinov was pouring into prize funds, and the boycott campaign failed. Readers will be captivated by Hurst's anedotes, insights and observations:

Sharpen your chess skills with winning tactics and strategies

The skill and strategy required to win at chess can feel intimidating, but Chess for Beginners breaks it down into manageable lessons to help new players up their game. Start with a rundown of the basic game mechanics, then explore clear and concise guidance for the strategies and tactics that will help you achieve consistent success.

Learn to position your pieces and coordinate your attack with:

• A comprehensive overview--Find clear illustrations and directions that show you all the components of a chessboard, how each piece moves, and how to read chess notation.
• 10 Powerful short-term tactics--Practice shorter sequences of chess moves--like deflections, sacrifices, and forks--that help you put your strategy in play and take control of the board.
• 10 Essential long-game strategies--Learn how to activate your pieces, keep track of the whole board, think several moves ahead, go for a quick checkmate, and more.

From your first move to your last, Chess for Beginners shows you how to play a better game.

From the history of chess and turned chessmen to the design behind each piece, this rich history provides invaluable insight into both the game of chess and the woodturning craft. Featuring a gorgeous gallery of chess sets and pieces, this book explores the symbolism of chessmen and contains detailed instructions on designing, turning, and carving each piece. Ten patterns are included, enabling woodworkers of any skill level to produce their own complete set of turned chessmen.

All the Everyman Chess books are organized in a structured style and are also presented in a series of levels. The styles encompass Openings (O); Games Collections ((G); and Training (T). The levels are arranged as follows: Children C]; Novice (N); Club (C); and Advanced (A).

-- Co-author Paul Truong is a five-time National Chess Champion of Vietnam and is currently the reigning US Open Blitz Chess Champion. Grandmaster Susan Polgar is the Women's World Chess Champion and former #1 ranked woman in the world of chess.

-- There are few books more comprehensive than Alpha Teach Yourself Chess in 24 Hours or any that will have as broad-based an appeal to both beginning, intermediate, and tournament-ready players

-- The U.S. Chess Federation has 88,000 registered members at all levels of experience. There are nearly 2,000 USCF-affiliated chess clubs, and more than 100,000 chess players participate in USCF events every year. The official publication, Chess Life, is distributed nationally every month to more than 250,000 readers.

The origins of chess are still a matter of much debate -- some believe the world's most popular board game originated in India; others claim it was created in China in the Sixth century, A.D. One thing is clear, however: chess is a game that transcends languages and borders and nationalities. Alpha Teach Yourself Chess in 24 Hours is a clear, concise, and fully comprehensive guide to learning this challenging but vastly enjoyable game. The book takes the beginner through the basics (rules, value of chess pieces, etc.) and takes the reader step by step until they are ready to tackle their first tournament. Along the way, the reader will learn basic chess middle games, basic chess endgames, and all the facets necessary to understand the different levels. This book will be a must for the beginner, the intermediate, or even those who know the chess but would like to brush up on their game.