I've tried twice to post and include links but for some reason adding links show in my preview but won't appear as part of the post so I'll have to list the books by author and title:
The Seshat Academy:
- From First Move to Checkmate: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need to Stop Being a Pawn in Their Game and Become the King of the Board. 4 Books in 1 + Workbook
Bobby Fischer:
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess Mass Market Paperback – July 1, 1982
Michael Basman
Chess for Kids Paperback – Illustrated, January 23, 2006
These books come very well recommended by the masses. I haven't read any of them, but Fischer's book has always been well-received, and any one of them should do if the reader feedback is accurate. I learned from an old author, Fred Reinfeld. His books were basic, easy to comprehend, and not so complex as to stop me from reading--but I think today his books are seen as "outdated" (for whatever reason) and have become "collector's items", causing their prices to "hold value".
After gaining a comfortable comprehension (that is to say--when a beginner doesn't need prompting to think of) piece movement and general strategies (including capture, pin, fork, castling, attacking the king, etc.)--as a good second book for learning the openings, I'd recommend Larry Evan's "What's the best move?".
WHAT'S THE BEST MOVE?: THE CLASSIC CHESS QUIZ BOOK THAT TEACHES YOU OPENINGS WITH NO MEMORIZING OF MOVE (Fireside Chess Library)
It doesn't really teach openings by memorization; it teaches the basics about each opening but beyond and better than that, it gives the reasons for choosing one move specific move over all others as the best choice among what could be several logical options.
After gaining a grasp of the objective(s) of each opening with Evan's coaching, a beginning student could without any understanding of a newly-encountered opening, reason out the best move independently without any previous memorization or understanding of an opening. I'd use Evan's book as a "test" of a student's comprehension of any of the three books listed at the top. Once a reader completes "What's the best move?" with say, 66% accuracy, then maybe it's time to move up to Leonard Barden's "How good is your chess?"
How Good Is Your Chess?: Rate Your Skill and Improve Your Strategy by Participating in 35 Master Games
A caution about the Barden book--it's for serious players. Each game is played by master-rated players or higher (International Masters & Grandmasters). Neophytes will be lost completely, but anyone who's finished "What's the best move?" can learn and gain from "How good is your chess?".
Every move after the initial opening moves is analyzed from the winner's side--that is to say, the reader has to figure out what the best move is for what will be the winning side AFTER the opening moves have been played--so a basic understanding of the game is required by the reader. Sometimes moves are not explained; this generally means that either the move is "best" because any other alternative is "very bad" (and the reader's talent has to be strong enough to comprehend such a situation) or because it's understood that an unexplained move "makes sense" and is a natural continuation.
Just because the games that are reviewed in this book were played by very strong players doesn't mean beginners can't learn from this book--but the reader must have enough of a comfortable comprehension of the game to get through Evan's book first. I've read (and own) both Evan's and Barden's books and recommend them highly.
ARGH. I forgot--most of today's books are written in a "chess language" called algebraic notation. I'm pretty sure the Evans and Barden books are both written in the older descriptive notation. They're not hard to learn but it can be a pain to switch after starting out with months' devotion to one (algebraic) system.
This is an example:
Algebraic:
1. e4 e5
2. f4 ef
3. Nf3 g5
Descriptive
1. P-K4 P-K4
2. P-KB4 PxP
3. N-KB3 P-KN4
They both say the same thing, but in different "languages". Algebraic is much more succinct and faster obviously, but either can be confusing within its' own system if the player forgets to devote attention to board geography while reading about, or writing, board coordinates.
To Maggot: Is chess.com suitable for tutoring beginners? I've never "gone back" to research chess.com's beginner programs.
