Covering a Book "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess" by Murray Chandler, 1998 Gambit Publications Ltd, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Hardcover, 127pp., $14.95 Reviewed by Glenn Budzinski There is an old adage that "you can't tell a book by its cover." Certainly, the front cover of this particular book with colorful drawings of a young chess player obviously flushed with victory and the frustrated father who appears to have been his latest victim, together with the title, "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess" in large, block letters, portends a work perhaps intended for beginners. However, the blurb on the back cover seems to indicate otherwise: "This is a chess book for everyone, from eight to eighty, beginner to master. In a clear, easy-to-follow format it explains how the best way to beat a stronger opponent... is by cleverly forcing checkmate. Delightful and instructive positions from real games are used to show the 50 Deadly Checkmates that chess masters use to win their games." What Murray Chandler's book is really about is teaching the basics of combinative play as illustrated by 50 examples, 47 of which lead to checkmate. The 127-page book contains a whopping 50 chapters, one two-page chapter for each of the separate combinations, a 9-page Introduction which explains algebraic notation and offers a brief discussion of the importance of pattern recognition in combinative play; a test consisting of 36 positions, followed by solutions; a glossary of terms; and a few suggestions to further improve one's game. Most of the combinations are basic, but well-known. For instance, Deadly Checkmates 32 through 35 are variations of what is named "The Greek Gift". (See Diagram) White: Ke1, Qd1, Ra1, Rh1, Bc1, Bd3, Nc3, Nf3; pawns - a2, b2, c2, d4, e5, g2, h2 Black: Kg8, Qd8, Ra8, Rf8, Bb4, Bc8, Na6, d5; pawns - a7, b7, c7, e6, f7, g7, h7 In this position, Deadly Checkmate 32, White plays 1 Bxh7+, leading to 1...Kxh7 (if 1...Kh8, White retreats the bishop and is a pawn to the good) 2 Ng5+. Now, 2...Kg8 3 Qh5 Re8 4 Qxf7+ Kh8 5 Qh5+ Kg8 6 Qh7+ Kf8 7 Qh8+ Ke7 8 Qxg7 is mate. If 2...Kg6 3 Qg4 wins due to the threat of 4 Nxe6+ and 3...f5 4 Qg3 is still winning for White. This is a combination that has no doubt been used countless times throughout chess history, by players of all abilities. Another fundamental mate that appears surprisingly often is "Philidor's Legacy", Chandler's Deadly Checkmate 4. A typical example is position #22: (See Diagram) White: Kg1, Qe6, Re1, Bg5, Nf7; pawns - a2, c3, f2, g2, h2 Black: Kg8, Qb5, Ra8, Bc4, Nc7; pawns - a7, b6, c5, e5, g7, h7 White to move and win by 1 Nh6+ Kh8 2 Qg8+ Rxg8 and now 3 Nf7 is the classic smothered mate. One of the most famous combinations of all-time was played by Emanuel Lasker in 1889. Chandler immortalizes it as Deadly Checkmate 17, "The Double Bishop Sacrifice". In Lasker's game against Bauer, the following position was reached. White: Kg1, Qe2, Ra1, Rf1, Bd3, Be5; pawns - a2, b3, c2, d2, e3, f4, g2, h2 Black: Kg8, Qc6, Ra8, Rf8, Nh5, Bb7, Be7; pawns - a6, b6, c5, d5, e6, f7, g7, h7 Rather than playing the obvious 1 Qxh5, Lasker interposed the surprising 1 Bxh7+!, which led to Kxh7 2 Qxh5+ Kg8 3 Bxg7! Kxg7 4 Qg4+ Kh7 5 Rh3, when Black gave up his queen to stave off mate, but still lost after 5...e5 6 Rh3+ Qh6 7 Rxh6+ Kxh6 8 Qd7, winning one of the unprotected bishops. The book also contains some lesser-known, but equally effective combinations. Deadly Checkmate 50 is called "The Fischer Trap", named after Bobby Fischer's ingenious combination played against Sammy Reshevsky in 1958. White: Ke1, Qd1, Ra1, Rh1, Nc3, Nd4, Bb3, Be3; pawns - a2, b2, c2, e5, f2, g2, h2 Black: Kg8, Qd8, Ra8, Rf8, Na5, Ne8, Bc8, Bg7; pawns - a7, b7, d7, e7, f7, g6, h7 Fischer played the stunning 1 Bxf7+! Kxf7 2 Ne6!, leaving Reshevsky one choice to save his queen: 2...Kxe6, after which the future champion made short work of the exposed Black king: 3 Qd5+ Kf5 4 g4+ Kxg4 5 Rg1+ Kh5 Qd1+. "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess" should probably be viewed as a book best suited for the inexperienced player who knows how the pieces move and has some knowledge of basic principles, but is still at the beginning stages of chess development. Although other levels of players perhaps also can derive some benefit if the book is used as a reference source for the review of basic combinations, experienced players will find little, if anything, new between its covers. Despite the publisher's hype about appealing to all players from "beginner to master", this is a book for the novice, meant to supplement other works on tactics and middle game strategy. But, if you are just beginning to learn the game and wish to improve your combinational ability, this is a very worthwhile selection. In fact, it may be one of the best books to date when it comes to categorizing and providing simple, understandable explanations of combinations. For the inexperienced player, this is one that belongs on the bookshelf.