Chess Life Magazine - May 2009 Issue

Listen to Chess Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk as she gives instruction on how to play chess for the absolute beginner. Practice what you learn by playing chess against dinosaurs, and watch yourself grow as you progress.

This training course contains 77,000 mate in one exercises taken from practical games with many pieces on the board. An excellent follow-up to CD Elementary Checkmates I.

With these exercise you can expand your knowledge of the game of chess, and try to get one of the places of honor on the list of the best in the world.

As a beginner, you can't afford to miss mate in one or two moves if you want to improve. This course addresses that problem. The huge number of exercises presented makes it an excellent tool, even for stronger players.

Majestic Chess attempts to make learning chess a fun experience with an adventure mode as well as more traditional chess gameplay.

This training program is designed for beginning chess players, those that have a basic understanding of the game of Chess.

This course can be rightfully considered the predecessor to the Chess Tactics ART (CT-ART) course written for club and intermediate players.

This DVD is for anyone who knows the rules of chess but would like to be able to improve their game with some specific tactics and strategies. It builds on the basic principles of chess that should have already been learnt. However, there is also an introductory chapter for those that may have gaps in this part of their foundation. The main part of the DVD is split into four chapters: Opening – The general principles of the opening are discussed here. No specific opening repertoire is suggested but a guide of how to tackle any opening and come through the first stage of the game in a better position. Middlegame – Some basic tactical devices are introduced such as the pin, fork, skewer and discovered attack. These devices are used throughout the levels of chess and even top grandmaster games are won from a basic device as these. Ending – The basic checkmating technique of the most common endings that occur in novice games are instructed here. These techniques are essential to master before continuing with more complex checkmates. Test – The DVD finishes with a test chapter which consists of 20 exercises based on the information discussed throughout the DVD. Each exercise allows time for you to pause and calculate the answer before the answer is discussed. This DVD is a must for anyone who wants to improve their game, whether they are a junior or an adult. It can be for those who have just learnt the moves or for those who have played for some time but want to consolidate their knowledge. Video running time: 4 hours 15 min. System requirements Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard