4th edition. Provides an introduction to the basic elements of chess and its components for those developing an interest or looking for an extra edge in their play Check out this updated chess guide - and up your endgame in no time Over half a billion people play chess worldwide, and the game has been adopted by cultures in every continent around the globe. Introduction 1 Part 1: Laying the Groundwork for Champion Chess 5 CHAPTER 1: Tackling Chess Basics 7 CHAPTER 2: Getting to Know the Pieces and Their Powers 21 CHAPTER 3: Exploring the Elements of Chess 39 CHAPTER 4: Going after the King: Check, Stalemate, and Checkmate 63 CHAPTER 5: Making a Few Special Moves 79 CHAPTER 6: Got Notation? Reading and Writing about Chess 85 Part 2: Gaining Chess Know-How 97 CHAPTER 7: Trying Out Tactics and Combinations in Hand-to-Hand Combat 99 CHAPTER 8: Sacrifices: Understanding When It s Better to Give than to Receive 125 CHAPTER 9: Building Pattern Recognition 137 CHAPTER 10: Recognizing Advanced Pawn Formations 157 CHAPTER 11: Mastering Mating Patterns 171 Part 3: Game Time: Putting Your Chess Foot Forward 189 CHAPTER 12: Selecting Your Strategy: The Principles of Play 191 CHAPTER 13: Coming on Strong in the Opening 209 CHAPTER 14: Making Headway during the Middlegame 227 CHAPTER 15: Exiting with Style in the Endgame 239 Part 4: Getting into Advanced Action 263 CHAPTER 16: Playing in Competition 265 CHAPTER 17: Hitting the Net with Computer Chess 279 Part 5: The Part of Tens 289 CHAPTER 18: The Ten Most Famous Chess Games of All Time 291 CHAPTER 19: The Ten Best Players of All Time (and a Few Others) 321 CHAPTER 20: Ten (or So) Cool Facts about Kids and Chess 345 Part 6: Appendixes 349 APPENDIX A: A Glossary of Chess 351 APPENDIX B: Chess Resources 371 Index 375