Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess

This was one of my favorites. It was fun, convenient, and effective: I learned the back rank theme very well.

Yet, why have no other books been written in this format?

Maybe because you're one of the few people who actually liked it.

Hi dsmichel

I'm afraid Wilf appears to be correct.
I don't know many players who like this book.
Infact I've seen it panned quite a few times. (possibly unfairly...see below).

However if it works for you then great. Don't let us put you off.
If you know you are getting something from it then stay with it.
We are all different.

Also it is players (like me) who know the game complain about the book.
I never saw a copy of it till I was into playing on a very regular basis.
I was pretty disapointed.
But perhaps not being a beginner had something to do with it.
(possibly it has quite a lot to do with it.)

If you had never seen another chess book before and were a real beginner
then this book may do the job far better than any other book on the market.
I don't know. I cannot unlearn chess and try again.

So perhaps the only players who can give this book a fair and just
comment are the players who bought it when they were beginners.

Anybody?

I used it when I was a beginner and so did my brother. It was fun and I think it was valuable. It certainly didn't do us any harm. I currently recommend it to some of my students.

A more advanced book that has some similarities is John Bain's "Chess Tactics for Students" available from his website www.chessforstudents.com.

It was the first chess book I read as a pure beginner. I read it when it first came out. I rather liked it since I did not know chess notation at the time. My second book was Chernev's Invitation to Chess - a book I also liked as a beginner. I then read one of Horowitz's books on chess traps. Then I found all of the Dover paperback reprints and I was off to the races!!!! Most of the Dover reprints were great books and at a good price.

Originally posted by dsmichel
This was one of my favorites. It was fun, convenient, and effective: I learned the back rank theme very well.

Yet, why have no other books been written in this format?

That was the only theme that was in it. 😛

I got that book as a gift a few years ago. Honestly it was the worst chess book I have ever read and I have read around 20 books on chess. I whipped through it in a day and learned nothing, every puzzle had one theme, weak backranks and most of them were mates in one. The format is terrible, halfway through you have to turn the book up side down to read it. The only thing I got from that book is an understanding of why beginners love to play h3/h6, it's because they have read that book!

Not to mention Bobby Fischer had almost nothing to do with the book, the makers of the book just slapped his name on it so it would sell...and it worked!

Hi Knight,

You may have somehting there about h3's and h6's.
(I'll remember that and use it as my own in a later column...a pint I owe you.) 😉

Only 20 books. You are lagging far behind. I'm well over 300 and this is my
2nd collection. I sold off my 600+ (all bar 15-20) collection about 15 years ago.

I still chuckle at my wife's comment a few years ago after she saw me picking
up a couple books at a junk shop.

"Why do you need more chess book? Surely you know how the pieces move by now."

"One who knows, he plays /and wins/; who doesn't know, he teaches...!"

.....Rough translation of Russian proverb, that had circulated amongst Soviet chess players from 1960's.
(Evil tongues were saying, the proverb was directed to (or inspired by) chess books by Aleksei Suetin, /self-proclaimed?/ expert in openings.)

My point is that great players by the rule are not good in teaching (as the best writers do not hold creative writing workshops).

But, if people can benefit from Bobby's book - that's great.

Originally posted by vandervelde
"One who knows, he plays /and wins/; who doesn't know, he teaches...!"

.....Rough translation of Russian proverb, that had circulated amongst Soviet chess players from 1960's.
(Evil tongues were saying, the proverb was directed to (or inspired by) chess books by Aleksei Suetin, /self-proclaimed?/ expert in openings.)

My point is that great playe ...[text shortened]... tive writing workshops).

But, if people can benefit from Bobby's book - that's great.

a counter to your point would be that,as mentioned previously,Fischer had nothing to do with that book.

No idea who actually wrote it but they just used Fischer's name to sell the darn thing.I believe Fischer even sued them for it.Not sure on that one though.

Originally posted by Wilfriedva
a counter to your point would be that,as mentioned previously,Fischer had nothing to do with that book.

No idea who actually wrote it but they just used Fischer's name to sell the darn thing.I believe Fischer even sued them for it.Not sure on that one though.

Ok, stand corrected, I've never held that book in my hands, so your post came as a relief.
I read almost everything about him, but as time goes by, I forget one thiing after another.
(But if someone asked me "how many chess books was written by Fischer?", I would have answered of course - 1.)

He did plan to sue the publisher, all right: they used his name without asking him.

Hi KnightStalker.

Another reason for the early h3’s is they may be setting a trap!
(you won’t like being reminded of this bit mate, look away now) 😉

(I wonder if they cover anything practical like this in the ‘Fischer Teaches Chess’ book.)

Atomick - KnightStalker47 RHP 2008



Atomick - Dlevkov RHP 2008

Where we see the waiting for a trap moves 4.h3 and 5.a3.



Finally, as mentioned in the notes to the first game.
Atomick winning his piece in 5 moves but losing the game.

A wonderful moment coming up at move 18.

Atomick - The Big Fish RHP 2006

Greenpawn, you amaze me. Only 8 hours after an innocuous comment about h3 h6, you come back and hoist Knightstalker on his own petard. Truly awesome!

I'm not a big fan of this book myself. However I'd be very surprised if Fischer had nothing to do with it. He wasn't the sort to endorse something just for the money.

I read once that Fischer presented Fidel Castro with an autographed copy of "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" when they met at the 1966 Olympiad in Cuba. This would be a strange thing to do if Fischer had merely agreed to have his name of the cover.

Hi byedidia

I was not looking to have a laugh with KnightStalker. I actually agreed with him.
The joke is really on both of us.

I was looking for games for another thread where Black lost a Queen on f6.
I found this. (this is a copy)

Atomick - elsbeth RHP 2008 The Atomic Trick in the Ponziani



I then wondered how many people Atomick had caught with this trap.
The answer is dozens in various disguises and when I saw KnightStalker was
one of them after an h3. Well it had to get posted.
It's just a jolly coincidence, nothing more.