1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners

Chess is 99% tactics! This well-known maxim may sound strange but is really just an exaggerated basic truth: if you want to win more games, nothing works better than training combinations. Solving many tactical puzzles is what makes the difference for beginners and casual players.

There are two types of books on tactics, those that introduce the concepts followed by a some examples, and workbooks that contain numerous exercises. Chess masters Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa have done both: they explain the basic tactical ideas AND provide an enormous amount of exercises for each different theme.

1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners is a great first tactics book. It helps you in identifying weak spots in the position of your opponent, in recognizing patterns of combinations, and in visualizing tricks.

This second edition even easier to work with! We have changed the design to six puzzles per page, which hugely improves the usability of the book, just like we already did with its follow-up editions for (advanced) club players.

Uwe Bekemann, German Correspondence Chess Federation:
"I recommend this work, exactly for what it wants to be: a workbook. Beginners will become stronger without being put under too much stress."

Max Euwe Center, Amsterdam:
"A nice puzzle book for beginners and players with some experience, nothing more, nothing less."

Steve Goldberg, ChessCafe:
"I would classify it more as an excellent practice tool for 'advanced' beginners, and a fun, convenient tactics review for intermediate players."

British Chess Magazine:
"It is impossible not to warm to this primer."

Martin Rieger, Rochade Europa:
"A wonderful mix of various tactical motifs and a great assembly of exercises that really should be in every chess book collection."