Sit & Solve Chess Problems

This is an enjoyable book, and is a great way to pass a few hours in a waiting room or on an airplane. The author has organized the book well, with a section of hints preceding the actual solutions, and with hints on alternating pages so that you don't see the hint for the adjacent puzzle. I gave this book four stars instead of five because the first third of the 125 puzzles are uninspiring. Skip over them, and start with puzzle #43. In the first batch of puzzles, white has so much more material than black, that a win is inevitable anyway. A human would resign at this point, so who cares if white can mate in two moves? Things are better in the remaining two-thirds of the book, where white and black are more evenly matched.

This is one of the greatest chess puzzle books, but be forewarned; it's also one of the most difficult. Some of the puzzles have easy to see white to move and mate in three, but can you find the mate in two? The whole book is "white to move and mate in two," and the puzzles are culled from award-winning puzzle competitions. My only potential complaint is that sometimes the position of white is unbelievably secure and racking your brains for a victory in two moves seems pointless, but they are puzzles that are guaranteed to pull you back from the vices developed from internet speed chess. This is why we need more books like this.

I am a chess newbie, and this book has helped me to think ahead. Good endgame variations also.

This little book collects 125 (orthodox) chess problems/puzzles/brain-teasers. Each of them was extracted from actual game play in history. Every problem has a chess diagram and comes with the question "white to move and mate in two." I personally found solving those puzzles both challenging and fun. Solutions and hints can be found on the last few pages of the book.