Chess Fundamentals

Capablanca was a chess grandmaster, one of the great chess players and this is his book of basic strategy. This book originally was owned by my mother; she taught herself how to play primarily by using this book, then taught me--and we went on to destroy the enemy! Er... I mean to enjoy playing the game with many others. It explains first principles such as good openings, controlling the center, attacking and cutting off pieces and good endgame strategies. A well-written, very useful guide accessibly for a beginner.

J.R. Capablanca was one of the greatest chess players ever. He was not a hard worker and relied on his superior natural skills. He did produce a worthy book of fundamentals. This is it.

A good book for the improving player. It is clear and concise, but perhaps too concise. It rewards careful study but needs to be supplemented with other material.

I recently watched the Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and it rekindled me interest in chess. I found this book on Project Gutenberg and gave it a try. Capablanca was a chess grandmaster and this book is mostly his notes. You’d better have an understanding of chess scoring before you read it, though.

I feel 100 times smarter after doing each set of exercises. Then I forget to pick up the book for a few weeks and realize I forgot all those awesome lessons I just learned.

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3/4/22