Board Games Books

Want to learn chess? If you are an absolute beginner or someone who has mastered the very basic skills then look no further! CHESS FOR JUNIORS will do the job for you. Yes, I am into advertising, but not as a profession for this book (if you know "Mr. Clean", "Hey, Mikie likes it" or "Where's the Beef" I was the person who made this possible on national TV". OK, you have got it! I am an old timer writing about a book with the "Youth Market" in mind. But then why has it been since it publication date of 1991 the #1 best selling chess book? It is GOOD, VERY GOOD!

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WHY:

1. VERY CLEAR (Mr. Clean can see everything)
2. VERY UNDERSTANDABLE (an 8-year-old or older name Mikie will like it)
3. LOTS OF MATERIAL (you will not be left saying, "where is the beef!")
4. WELL ORGANIZED (just like a "box of chocolate" - I was involved in that too!)
5. BEST SELLER (couldn't be all that bad! - it is ranked as #1)

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SOME THINGS I LIKE:

1. If you are using this book to teach someone who doesn't know a thing about chess (maybe you or your kid or your student?) then it starts off assuming no knowledge (everyone was once a beginner)
2. Once you finish you can go back and find almost every important term or concept in the index (doesn't require a college education to find something - Gommer Pyle would find what he wants!)
3. Written in a mature manner that an old guy will appreciate, yet the humor that kids will like in the book offers a perfect balance to make this a book for anyone who can read. (must only be beyond the reading level of - see spot run, run spot run)

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HOW:

1. You have ordered here before (go for it you button pusher!)
2. New, Used, or a Collectible Autographed Copy (like I have - I try and get whatever I can autographed just click on the right button of your choice)

Now I absolutely love this book. My grandkids, parents and I all have a copy and so should you. Next time you are watching TV and see a commercial, or see the author's students "Will Smith" or "Nicolas Cage", then you will be reminded of this particular book!

I run two after school chess programs at elementary schools and use "Chess for Juniors" as the text book. At first I was disapointed to see that this book has become difficult to get (if you can get a used copy grab it!). However, I found out is is going through a complete revision and will be a second edition when released later this year (as well as the entire "Chess for Juniors" series of books, including some new ones to be released).
"Chess for Juniors" is the perfect text book for teachers who are running a class for elementary age students on up (yes, it is suitable for a class for adults) beginning with an introduction to the basic rules and leading into a lot of basic material on strategy found in all aspects of the game.
What I found that sets "Chess for Juniors" (and the entire series) in a class by itself is the readability (ease of understanding the material) and comprehensiveness of the book.
Whereas, a 3rd grade reader of average reading skill can understand it, it is not going to insult an adult who wants to learn from it. It is is structured so any teacher conducting a class can easily follow the building lessons (it provides the perfect format for a ready-made class outline!).
Please hurry with the second edition!!!

I got this book a couple of years ago and now am chess club presendent at my school chess club in 7th grade. I loaned it out so many times it is getting worn out.

When I went to get a copy now I found out it is temporarily not in print because it is going to be made a new edition. I plan to get the new edition for the chess club.

What I liked about this book is that it isn't a silly little kids picture book. It teaches serious material using an easy to understand method by making the language basic enough and organizing it in an order to make it learning friendly. It would be good for anyone who can read as well as an average third grader right on up to adults. The index in the back makes it easy to find things and relook things up like terms, openings and rules.

Everyone in the school chess club likes it and uses it for continued reference even after having read it. I think this is the best first book for kids and adults.

"Chess for Juniors" is easy to read and understand for anyone who is a third grade reader on up to an adult. It makes learning everything from the basic rules of chess right on up to important strategies (tactics, endgames, openings, traps at all parts of the game).

In addition to containing a nice quantity of material it is organized so you can learn and grow in chess as you progress through the 20 lesson chapters. It has two very nice games toward the back of the book that spends lots of time going over all of the moves. When it teaches openings it tells you the ideas behind the moves. If you are starting out without knowing anything about chess, then it explains about the rules very clearly, without taking up most of the book to do it.

I had another beginning book before getting this one. It was one that was for kids, but when I was done I still felt like I was a beginner. It didn't have enough learning material and was not serious enough (it dwelled on the basic rules for like half the book and took up too much space with fancy pictures). When you finish "Chess for Juniors" you will feel plenty advanced enough to move on to more advanced books.

"Chess for Juniors" is obviously the work of superb teacher whose mind and heart have fully committed themselves to the playing and teaching of chess over a number of years. It's perfectly organized and will turn any prospective or current player who carefully studies and absorbs its twenty lessons into a 1200-1300 player at least. I'm looking forward to diving into Snyder's "unbeatable Lessons" books if they're as valuable as this one.

Since I already knew the basics of chess before I bought this book, I was most interested in the approach Snyder took once he directed his readers on to the next step, since this is where introductory books on chess really show their true colors.
Snyder covers the pins/forks/skewers tactics as well as anyone, but the best part is the in-depth attention he gives to openings, defenses, and what he calls "Tactical Motifs." What this entails are insightful, detailed looks at the Ruy Lopez (the "Spanish") and Giuoco Piano (the "Italian") openings, and a group of the best-known gambits (From's, King's accepted and declined, Bishop sacrifices, Petroff's Defense). He also looks at those three to four-move checkmates like the Fool's and Scholar's--how they can be sprung on novice/unsuspecting opponents and how they can be avoided so easily if you develop the sound opening principles Snyder sets forth. If you play over and completely absorb all these openings and the basic variations as Snyder sets them down here, you'll develop a strong sense of space and begin to understand the tactical and strategic consequences of the moves you make.

Snyder also gives great explanations of some defensive responses, especially the Sicilian, the King's Indian and the Nimzo-Indian if you're playing black. The depth of Snyder's explanations is perfect, so that you learn what to do and why to do it without getting bogged down in needless details and variations. His lessons on King-Pawn, Queen and Rook endings are also perfectly set out. End games are essential of course but they are a bit dull to have to study. Again, I feel Snyder gives you just what you need to know so that you won't blow an end game with a loss, draw or stalemate when the use of a few core techniques could have made the game yours. Finally, there are a couple of instructive games which look especially at attacks on the weak f7/f2 squares and their outcomes, around which many wins or losses can revolve.

All in all, this is a superb beginner's book, either for youths or adults. I would say that there are other good ones out there too which can be fruitfully studied in conjunction with Snyder--the beginner's books by Yasser Seirawan (Play Winning Chess), John Nunn (Learn Chess), and I. A. Horowitz (Chess for Beginners). I do think it's shameful that many advocates of Snyder's fine work try to undermine these other works by pumping "Chess for Juniors" and pushing down all positive reviews of his competitors by marking these reviews "unhelpful." There seems to be some kind of strategy at work, since they always put Snyder's title in upper case letters, recommending it after they have put down the other work. Sometimes they won't even review the other work, but will just mention Snyder's. It all seems orchestrated. I'm sure an author and lover of chess such as Snyder must be too classy a man to advocate this kind of lowball campaign. Apparently his students are not.

It just came to my attention that a new revised and corrected edition with a little additional material will be released in a couple of months! I have the orignal Random House edition and this is a great collection of instructive games with analysis of every move. I have enjoyed it with the "More Unbeatable" book as well.

This is a revised edition of the book originally published in 2003. The main difference between this edition and the earlier one are:
1) The format has been changed to double column on the pages. This allows the explanations of the moves to be closer to the diagrams which accompany the explanations.
2} Some of the analysis has been updated and expanded to further help the student.
3) A result of the new format and slightly smaller print has been a saving of space (less white space per page}. Therefore, the new edition has the same number of games and explanation, but in under 200 pages. At less than 1/2 the thickness of the previous edition, it is much easier to carry.
4} A new edition gave the author a chance to correct many typographical errors and rephrase explanations to make for further clarity.

Like its predecessor, this book is for anyone (not just juniors) who want to understand why certain moves are played. Those who have read Irving Chernev's "Logical Chess: Move by Move" will be even more delighted with Mr. Snyder's book. Instead of the lengthy explanations that are repeated over and over again in Chernev's book, the book by Mr. Snyder gives the important information once at length and then relies of the reader to review if the explanation is needed again. When a move is a simple recapture he keeps the explanation to a short senctence. In the case of the opening moves being repeated in a later game, Snyder does not give the explanation again, but relies on the reader to refer back if explanation is needed. Half of the games are those of the author and half by other masters. Some important features of the book for students are:
1) Games are arranged by opening and thus start the player on developing an opening repretoire to play against opponents.
2) Analysis (i.e. alternate moves) is kept to the minimum needed to help the student gain understanding of what is happening and of alternate possibilities.
3) There are numerous diagrams (generally after every 3 or 4 moves) to help the student make sure of the correct position. And for stronger players it allows for them to read the book without the need of a board.
4) Explanation of moves are clear and concise. Anyone from about age 11 or 12 and up should have no trouble understanding the material.
I recommend this book for anyone who seriously wants to improve their play.

After having learned the basics from the same author's CHESS FOR JUNIORS book I decided to get this book for myself, my children and grandchildren.

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I just finished reviewing CHESS FOR JUNIORS, which I consider to be an 8th wonder of the world, and now I discovered the 9th!
CHESS FOR JUNIORS leaves off at the end with with nicely analyzed games (move by move commentary) and UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS FOR JUNIORS adds 24 more games. You will learn just what the author knows you need to learn once completeting CHESS FOR JUNIORS (well, if you know the basics well, then you can skip CHESS FOR JUNIORS and jump right into this book).

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I might also suggest that you get WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS in this series, which provides an explanded opening system, intermediate level tactics and endgames and lots of information on how to improve and prepare for tournaments.

ENJOY!!!

I really enjoyed reading Unbeatable Chess Lessons For Juniors. I felt that I gained a lot of knowledge especially in the following areas,
a) Learning how to build an attack. The placement of your pieces and planning aheady.
b) Learning how to use sacrifices and to recognize when they work and do not work.
c) Positional play - manuvering your pieces and planning the use of Pawn structures.
d) Many tactical ideas were covered.
e) Learning the openings. The openings in the complete games are well covered with important opening lines being show. The games are organized by the type of openings being used. This makes it easy to study openings. The lines being shown are up to date and very accurate.
f) There are not a lot of endgames but the ones covered are very instructive. What I like is to see how plans were made to get to the winning endgame right from the opening! This book then gives a step by step explaination of how to win the endgame.
Some special features I liked about Unbeatable Chess Lessons For Juniors,
a) You are asked to find the best move. This forces you to think and makes for fun problems to solve out of games. This is much different than most books.
b) All the moves are analyzed.
c) General rules are pointed out. But, what makes it really nice is when the exceptions to the general rules happen, they are pointed out.
I like the nice easy flowing style of the author. For a person who already knows the very basic stuff about chess this book is just right. This is because there is both a review of important ideas and a depth of analysis making this book interesting for a more advanced player as well. The author uses a lot of his own game where he has used them in chess lessons with his own students. This makes the explaination very clear and things that only an experienced chess teacher knows need to be covered are right there. I have read some of the other reviews which have been helpful to me in being able to point out some of things that I agree with.
If you really love chess and like to study to improve this book is good for any age. But it is written so a 6th grader can understand it.
I understand that this book is going through a new printing correcting any typos and may be hard to get for a while. It would be worth waiting for if you cannot get it now or even getting a used copy for now.

The idea of explaining the idea behind every move is a good. I wish that more books would do this for the Beginning and Intermediate level chessplayer.
There are several problems with this book; 1) The book is overly focused on the opening - it should spend more time going into the middlegame and endgame, and 2) It often would not answer the questions I had about a move or what was going on it the game, and 3) half the games are of the author, who is only a measly master. However, overall I can still recommend this book.
This book does not compare in quality to my favorite book, "Logical Chess, Move by Move, which just recently was updated."

My grandfather bought this book for my 13 month old and my son absolutely loves it. I read it 5-10 times every chance he can get it on my lap. He gets really excited the closer I get to the back page. He loves seeing himself and then freaks out with joy! BUY THIS book... they love the holes in the pages, the colors and the repetition of the story.

Peek-A Who is a favorite of my three your old granddaughter (we made a Dutch translation). It is the joy of understanding what is on the next page. The owl and the mirror she likes best.

I like this book because it's very different than other baby books. The illustrations are very cute. My 10 month old son likes it a lot, I just wish it had a few more pages!

My 13 month old loves this book. It actually inspired her fifth word! We were reading the book and as I was about to say "Peek-A... Moo", I heard this tiny "eek-a" from my daughter. I turned the page for Peek-a-Boo, and before I could say anything, she did it again - "eek-a". It's repetitious so I think it taught her to say the word. Now she loves to say "eek-a" before I turn the page. I don't know that you can find "eek-a" in a Webster's, but I'll take it!

This is one of my daughter's favorite books! It's nice and short and easy for them to memorize. My daughter can anticipate what the next page has because of the 'windows' on the pages. This is a great book for toddlers!

I was first introduced to this book when a friend's toddler received it for Christmas. He loved it. That was 5 or 6 years ago. Recently we found it at the library and my boys loved it so much that we bought our own. My 2yo son loves it and even the 4yo still asks to read it. It's a keeper!

Our school district had a paperback version of this book (not cardboard) as a part of the reading curriculum for the kinders and it was so cute I had to buy it in order to keep it at home. The facial expressions of these sheep are too adorable, the sentence structure is kept simple, and it rhymes. Plus, the kids love it :^).

As a Jeep owner, when I saw this book at my library's book fair - I just HAD to get it for my toddler. A year later, we still love reading it. The rhymes are great and so memorable that we find ourselves using some of the lines whenever a mishap occurs in our daily lives. Whether you're a Jeep owner or not - this book is a MUST have!

Good basic rhyming vocabulary with plenty of humor. Nicely done lesson on consequences of not focusing on the task at hand. Good clear illustrations. Good to hear now with lots of sound effects and to read alone later.

Sheep in a Jeep is a fun book using rhythmic wording. The pictures are humorous. My disappointment was with the small size of the board book. No where did it say the miniature dimensions of the book. I prefer board books that are in the larger format of 8x11.

My four month old LOVES this book. He gets very excited every time I sit down to read it to him. I swear he is mumbling "oops" when we get to that on each page. We have several of the Boynton books and he recognizes the characters from one book to the next. This is his favorite however. I love reading it to him too. A definite must read!!

Blue Hat,Green Hat by Sandra Boynton is a charming book about colors . My grandson who is two years old laughs everytime I read it to him. The characters in the book are precious.The book is a great learning tool for teaching colors.

Boynton is fun to read (for parents) and a joy for children. Can't go wrong with a Boynton book.

My daughter enjoys this book a lot, and I enjoy watching her enjoy it. The reviewer that gave this book 1 star said that the book does not teach kids anything and is therefore boring and useless, I disagree: it teaches names of clothes, body parts they are meant to be worn on, colors, and animals. I think it's an awful lot for a tiny little book with very few words! It is very effective, too, after about a month of having this, my 20-months old "read" one of the pages on her own: "hat, hat, hat, oh-oh". :-) I don't know about you, but sounds like she totally got it for me!
The one criticism that I do agree with is the poor choice of "oops" animal - it's a turkey, and it does look like it has a sock draped over its face, I can see my little one hesitate every once in a while on that one... I wish the artist would have either done a better job on that or picked a simpler animal. But I am not sure it's worthy of taking away a star, if I could take away a half - maybe...

My 4.5 year old and 1.5 year old both adore this book and will read it together over and over. The simple and adorable illustrations beautifully complement the brief text. My kids laugh hysterically at the end, where the turkey dives into the pool.

We read this book daily. It's just great.

I love this book! I purchased it for my friend who was looking for a book of animals that had actual pictures, not art. It's perfect. The realization of the book is awesome.

I got this book for my 15 month old grandchild and it is her favorite book. Every page has several animal photos and she wants to "read" it again and again and make all the noises!

I really only got this book as an 'extra' purchase, to qualify for free shipping. However it has become an unexpected hit with my 16 month old who can now identify most of the animals from the pictures, and she will ask for this book over and over and over again.
The book includes some rather obscure animals, which probably wouldn't be on my 'introductory list' of animals for a young child. My list would probably run "lion, tiger, bear, cat, dog" (which are also included)... rather than the "gosling, chinchilla, parakeet, egret and kookaburra" which you'll also find in this book. My husband and I have both learned a few new animals as well!
All in all and great buy that keeps my daughter entertained for hours.

This is my 10-month old twins' FAVORITE book in the world (and we have LOTS of baby/children's books). I think they like the close up pictures, the size, and the fact that some animals seem to be looking right at them. Highly recommended.

These books are a great deal for hours of fun! My little guys looks at the pictures over and over and doesn't ever seem to get tired of hearing the names of all the pictures. These books have been great for his vocabulary as he tries to say all the words too!

My Special Education class loved this book. The pictures are delightful and the story is fun and exciting for my Kindergarten/First Grade Class. This book was selected by my department as a suggested book for use in my class.

The warmth and openness that the authors convey in this book makes you feel like you live in that neighborhood yourself. Cute story; beautiful artwork. Children as young as 2 are drawn in and fascinated by the magical storyline. Great read-aloud book!

This imaginative little fantasy is sure to bring a smile to the lips of the smallest children and start a playful exchange of ideas. This is beginning imagination at its coolest. However be sure that you playfully talk to them about the book and get their ideas on what happens to snowmen during the night. Do not leave them with thre impression that snowmen are animated.

Even though we live in Florida and don't have snow my 3 year old son enjoys this book. It has good rhythm and cute story. This book was one of his preschool teachers favorites so we bought it. I am glad we did.

I've received this book & given it as a gift several times. It is good for young childrem, simple to read & the illustrations are beautiful. It is a great gift for new parents or grandparents. Also the the other book Snowmen at
Christmas is just as great.

My daughter is now 17 months old, ever since she started being interested in books (as early as 11 months) she has always loved this one. She gets more and more excited as we get closer to the end and she loves looking behind the door. I noticed all the little kids at the daycare also just stopped whatever they were doing when I read this book to them once. The best 'Peek-a-boo' type book we've seen.

If your child loves Maisy, they will love this book! My 20 month old never tires of "looking" for Maisy under the flaps and will sit for 15-20 minutes at a time "reading" this. Even her older sister enjoys it!

Both my son and my daugther LOVED this book from the age of 6 months on. It keeps them in rapt attention, and my daugther loves to "knock" on the door.

My daughter loves these books. They are simple, quick & colorful. She turns the pages & loves it. She is under 1 yrs old & has been reading theses with me for about 6 mo. Stays focosed since it is so fast, not so wordy!

My 21 month loves Maisy. She enjoys "looking" for Maisy and her friends in this lift the flap book. This book also introduces counting numbers, colors and shapes. A great book for toddlers. Another great Maisy book is Maisy's Playhouse.

I've been reading this to my one-year-old every night before bed, and she never tires of it. It is made of sturdy pages with big (also sturdy)flaps for little hands to lift. She loves playing peekaboo, so this book delights her, and she squeals everytime she sees her face at the end. I love this book so much, I intend to keep it in my "library" of books so that my grandchildren can enjoy it someday!

My son recieved this book for his 1st birthday and it was an instant hit. It was a fun enjoyable read for him, but the flaps are super flimsy and he had torn most of the book apart within 6 weeks. He's 15 months now and the book has been out of rotation for some time. :(

My boys loved this book. It actually lasted through one and passed on to the next extremely well! Each flap puts a smile on my little one's face. Its a great purchase.

We received this when my son was 15 months and he has loved it since. Initially, he just loved to lift the flaps, and it has handled his roughness. With the great pictures, we also use it to ask him to find an animal on a given page or within the whole book.

This is the sweetest book-after many many readings I am buying a new one since most of the flaps are gone and been "loved." This was my daughter's first book when she was 4 months old-she's loved it since the first time we read it. Hope your little one enjoys it too!

My 2 yr old granddaughter had borrowed this book from the library and enjoyed it so much and was so devastated at having to return it, so i purchased it for her.

The rhyming is pleasant, the premise is pleasant. It makes you giggle and interact with the child. Although my granddaughter can only recognize a few letters she can "read" the entire book by herself now as she has it memorized. I reccomend this book. it is sturdy for little hands, illustrations are simple yet lovely, and it is interactive if you choose it to be!

This is a really cute book to read to your little one. Pictures are adorable and story allows you to interact with your kid(s)!

My 14-month-old little girl can't get enough of this book! We have a stuffed Pooh bear that she mimics the motions with. She even tries to sing along (previous reviewer was right; it's hard to just read and not sing this book!). I only wish it came with a bear like the one in the book. Now THAT would be too cute! I hope to see more Wilson/Williams collaborations in the future!

Absolutely adorable! We can't get enough of it. You really will find yourself singing the words to your baby throughout the day!

My daughter loves this book. We sing it to her to the tune of pat-a-cake and perform the actions like kissing on the nose, toes, etc. Now she can even finish some of the verses.