U.S. Chess Federation's

As a Senior Tournament Director, I think every player who plays or wants to play in tournaments should read the rules!! I highly suggest everyone interested in playing chess in the US, read this book!!

It appears that it isn't understood that the "United States Chess Federations'Official Rules of Chess" is NOT a book for a newcomer to be learning the rules from. It is a technical book suited for tournament directors and experienced chess players. Overlooked, is another book in it's first edition by the same publisher (Random House), "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" look looks at the rules on a more basic and practical level for the non tournament director. I have read it will also be availlable in a new second edition. The rules are many, and the wording is important, just like the wording of laws, or the directions to putting together complex machinery. Do not expect an advanced guide, which it is intended it to be, and does a great job, to be easily understood by a beginner. I hope this review has taken a little confusion out of what this book is all about.

I rate this book not because the book is "so wonderful", but because it is a must have for the tournament player. Every chess player in general should know the rules to chess. But the tournament player must know the rules and procedures of a tournament. Such rules as "touch move" are all explained in detail in this book. The book contains the explaination of the use of chess notation, the correct chess equipment, player's rights and responsibilities, explaination of the USCF rating system, and a section called "Ten tips to Winning chess".If you are a tournament director, then this book is also a must have.

The writers of the fifth edition, due out in three years or so, will have their hands full matching the quality of this fourth edition. It is twice as large as its predecessor, and includes details every tournament director has always wanted, but no previous author has dared include. For example, if a player promotes a pawn to an upside-down rook, it is considered a queen. There is an entire chapter on the well-run tournament, which even includes advice to use duct-tape to silence those noisy door latches in hotel tournament rooms. Please, future writers, follow this example! A new edition is necessary, largely because of some new technology in the area of digital chess clocks with a 5-second delay. Let's hope this topic can be treated as comprehensively in the next edition as everything else has been in the current one. It'll be a few years for the 5th edition, so go ahead and acquire this 4th edition if you are a tournament chess player or aspiring tournament director.

The Official Rules of Chess is a carefully written book. While the actual rules of chess have changed very little over time, this is a COMPREHENSIVE book, and has all of the rules in existence mentioned and covered clearly. I have often used this book as a Tournament Director in the Santa-Monica-Bay-Chess-Club for two years, and NEVER found it to be unclear. While I might not have liked some of the rules, every TD has his own pet interpretation of the rules. The object is to make a decision that satisfies both players as often as possible, and this book helps the reader to do just that.