World Champion Chess for Juniors

Grandmaster Joel Benjamin introduces all seventeen World Chess Champions and shows what is important about their style of play and what you can learn from them. He describes both their historical significance and how they inspired his own development as a player.

Benjamin presents the most instructive games of each champion. Magic names such as Kasparov, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, and Karpov, they’re all there, up to current World Champion Magnus Carlsen. How do they open the game? How do they develop their pieces? How do they conduct an attack or defend when necessary? Benjamin explains, in words rather than in chess symbols, what is important for your own improvement.

Two Americans are included in this highly instructive manual, accessible to every post-beginner. Of course the crystal-clear style of Bobby Fischer, the 11^th World Champion, guarantees some very memorable lessons. Additionally, Benjamin has included Paul Morphy. The 19^th century chess wizard from New Orleans never held an official title, but was clearly the best of the world during his short but dazzling career.

Studying World Champion Chess for Juniors will prove an extremely rewarding experience for ambitious youngsters. Trainers and coaches will find it worthwhile to include the book in their curriculum. The author provides many suggestions for further study.

Joel Benjamin won the US Championship three times and has been a trainer for almost three decades. His book Liquidation on the Chess Board won the Best Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA), and his most recent book Better Thinking, Better Chess is a world-wide bestseller.

Editorial reviews World Champion Chess for Juniors:

“The nice idea of this book is to fill the ‘culture gap’ that modern young players have about the classics (I was once told of a training session of promising young Western players where the immortal words ‘who was Spassky?’ were uttered!) through an easy to read overview of the world’s greatest players from Morphy to Carlsen. For each player, Benjamin provides an introductory summary of their career, annotates a few games in detail and then provides a small number of unannotated games for further study. I would definitely make sure this book was in the Christmas stocking of any budding young chess player!”
GM Matthew Sadler, co-author of ‘Game Changer’

“Benjamin’s guide to the greats of chess is most readable and contains a wealth of handy tips.”
CHESS Magazine (UK)

“Although the tone of voice is aimed at juniors, this book is very readable also for older generations. Welcome reading material, particularly for (beginning) club players who would like to learn more about the history of chess.”
Florian Jacobs, Max Euwe Center

“A book to increase the chess culture of junior chess players. The author brings to the reader’s attention the chess legacy of every official world chess champion including Paul Morphy. Joel Benjamin understand how juniors learn and the book is not a heavy read, but a door to future independent study. Benjamin’s writing style in World Champion Chess for Juniors is engaging, light but not simplistic and definitely will keep a young reader engage and make older readers avid to review their classics.”
Miguel Ararat, Florida Chess