The Kids' Book of Chess

Synopsis: Illustrated Chess for Children was originally published in 1970. Now renamed, updated, newly illustrated, and presented with a custom-designed chess board and full set of chess pieces, the kids' book of chess and chess set introduces kids to the game that's inspired passion and challenge for over 900 years. Fantasy art captures the energy and excitement of chess's origins-the medieval battlefield-while a direct, lively text explains the game and its pieces in light of history. Readers are led through the fundamentals of beginning, middle, and end game, and shown winning strategies for offense and defense. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month and Trumpet Book clubs. Suitable for ages 8-12. 792,000 copies in print. Illustrations by Kimberly Bulcken Root. Review: In the Middle Ages the knight was the ultimate warrior. In his suit of armor, on his spirited horse, he could overcome any resistance-as in the eleventh century, when it took only seventy knights to conquer the entire civilized kingdom of Sicily! Today the movements of medieval warriors are preserved in the moves of pieces on a chessboard; and by going back to the life and times of the Middle Ages, Harvey Kidder is able to explain the game of chess in an uncommonly exciting way.