Bobby Fischer

“When I started getting really into chess I went to the chess book section in the public library and picked up this book, and I remember reading it on the bus home, I just couldn’t keep my eyes off it. There was a huge chess boom in the 1970s because of Bobby Fischer. He didn’t write this book, someone else wrote it and they put his name on it, and Fischer liked it. This book explains some concepts and ideas, and then gives you exercises based on those ideas. It’s like multiple choice, it’s a very interactive book. It’s a very, very good first chess book for trying to learn some basic ideas. I really enjoyed it, personally.” Read more...

Best Chess Books for Beginners

Andrew Green, Sportspersons & Sportswriter

“It’s not clear how much of this book was written by Fischer and how much was written by a grandmaster called Larry Evans, who was a friend of his and a very strong player. Nonetheless, officially, this is Fischer’s only game collection. The 60 games begin in 1957 and go up to 1967, so it’s only 10 years. What is very attractive about the book – apart from the fact that Fischer was such an extraordinary player and analyst – is the honesty of his comments. There was always a simplicity to Fischer which was seductive, even if at times it could also be very crude. Now one thinks of Fischer as someone who would never admit to any kind of error or weakness, but this book sprang from an earlier part of his life.” Read more...

The Best Books About Chess

Dominic Lawson, Journalist