Book Description
All sales managers work like crazy, but few are true managers. That's because they tend to fall back on the skills that made them great at sales...instead of adopting the new skills that will make them great managers.
This essential book, which speaks their language, will turn them into management pros. It teaches a proven method for managing the sales process as well as the salespeople. Packed with specific, field-tested techniques, PROACTIVE SALES MANAGEMENT shows sales managers how to:
* Regain control of their time * Create a proactive sales culture * Motivate a sales team * Manage to simple yet powerful metrics * Weed out failures quickly * Effectively coach and counsel up and down the sales organization * Measure not to revenue, but to the things that create revenue * Reduce reports to one sheet of paper and 10 minutes a week * Forecast more confidently * Manage the sales organization the way it should be managed.
Customer Reviews:
Practical and easy to read.......2007-03-11
Many sales managers I know are some of the hardest working people on earth. They don't have time to read theory and work over months or years to apply it.
This book gives a good, practical approach which can be used immediately - invaluable to newly promoted sales managers or veterans. It's the type of book which lets you read a chapter at lunch then use the idea that afternoon!
Miller's approach offers insight and forthright advice on the keys to success in managing sales people.
soup to nuts, but very rudimentary.......2007-02-26
Has chapters for the entire Sales Manager life cycle, from vision/culture to interviewing/hiring, to corrective action. Very basic and rudimentary rather than theoretical such as you'd find in sales management course texts. Maybe this is all that's necessary to gain the big picture rather than dealing with various minutia.
Practical Tools With A Mission.......2006-10-08
'ProActive Sales Management' is packed with practical tools for business executives to drive sales organization in a proactive manner. Miller has coherently illustrated how these tools fit together & help sales organizations to achieve the mission of proactively capture business opportunities; more importantly, he also shows managers how to gain better control of their life while achieving business goals.
A needed concept and training course in sales management.......2006-10-01
Proactive Sales Management shows sales managers how to effectively manage their sales force, motivate the sales team, effectively coach and counsel the sales organization, reduce reports to one sheet of paper and 10 minutes a week and forecast more confidently. A must read for any serious manager who is planning to boost sales and performance.
Highly Recommended !.......2005-02-24
This book by William "Skip" Miller, a sales veteran and experienced trainer of sales managers, provides a wealth of information and guidance. Experienced sales managers will find it useful and new sales managers will find it indispensable. Miller covers cultural change, goal setting, recruitment, hiring, firing and more. He pays plenty of attention to day-to-day management, albeit in the context of his "ProActive" sales management program. Use this short, expansive manual as a handbook. For example, when you need to recruit, hire or terminate someone, consult the appropriate chapter. The book is easy to read and full of common sense. We recommend it highly to its target audience: sales managers.
Customer Reviews:
Fell down at the end.......2005-10-07
I enjoyed this book until the end, which was VERY dissatisfying. Very standard (and false) line about organ donation, which shows that the author did little to no research on the topic. And after the whole book building up, the ending just fizzled.
Blah!
Ahead of the Game and far ahead of the pack.......2004-09-29
You can't go home again - or can you? Zoey Jones, fresh off a divorce from not only an unemotional husband but an incompatible lifestyle maintaining an expensive house in a cookie cutter upper middle-class neighborhood in Kansas City, is soon to find out.
Tending bar in her uncle's neighborhood establishment, she's moved back to her hometown of Blythesville, MO, with her teenaged daughter, Claire.
As are all of Suzann Ledbetter's heroines, Zoey is refreshingly down-to-earth and easy to like. No high-falutin' pretentious career or penchant for globe-trotting for this gal. If her life seems familiar, it's because it is. Who among Ledbetter's army of loyal fans haven't dealt with teenage rebellion, aging and ailing parents, or the wet-palms inducing thoughts of dating again after a long, unhappy marriage?
It's because of Zoey's very real problems and challenges that we immediately feel comfortable with and empathize with her. When the unthinkable happens, and Zoey's father, Charlie French, is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, we care about her, and are right there with her as she handles the crisis.
Ledbetter deftly weaves into her plots a number of references to the societal ills inherent today, all without cramming anything down our throats. As the suspense builds and the stakes get even higher for Zoey and her family, Hank Westlake, Blytheville's top homicide detective, deals with his rekindled feelings for Zoey while using his savvy to solve a murder that on the surface looks like open-and-shut, but in reality is anything but. His appeal, too, lies in his humanity. No unreachable knight here, instead a guy we can picture easily as the shy seventeen year-old he once was, smitten with Zoey all those years ago, but too awkward to make a move. Haven't we all wondered what became of the guy we didn't date? Ledbetter answers that question, too.
Ledbetter's talent for dialogue shines once again in "Ahead of the Game," as does her trademark humor and quirky takes on the mundane events of life.
Two characters who add their own brand of charm to this tale (or is it tail?) are Fred and Bob, Zoey's rescued greyhounds. They provide comic relief in a story that deals with important subjects while themselves bringing attention to the plight of retired racing dogs.
So, can you go home again? Suzann Ledbetter answers that question with a story brimming with suspense, romance, and family. Make a visit to Blythesville, and drop in on Zoey, Hank, Claire, Charlie and Vesta. You may find you never want to leave.
fine amateur sleuth romance .......2004-09-01
Following a divorce from Stuart and the loss of her job as an assistant director of the tech-services department of a Kansas City firm, Zoey Jones accompanied by her fourteen years old daughter Claire returns to her hometown of Blytheville, Missouri. She works at her uncle's bar feeling like the cheese in a sandwich as she struggles with the rebellion of her teen, the interference and "raids" of her home improvement mom and the failing health of her dad.
Detective Lieutenant Hank Westlake persuades Zoey to go out with him. However, their first date since she left for college years ago turns ugly when her father is arrested for the murder of Marlowe and the robbery of convenience stores. Though the evidence is overwhelming, Zoey refuses to believe that her dad, a kind veterinarian, could do these felonies. She begins her own inquiries only to find the proof getting increasingly stronger that her father did the deeds even as she falls in love with the cop that will put him away for life.
Though the motive seems on the surface way out even with our failed health care system, amateur sleuth romance readers will treasure this fine tale due to a powerful caring cast. The story line moves out on two subplots: the investigation (unofficial and official) and the romance with both intertwining through the relationship (at times dysfunctional) between Zoey and Hank. Few, if any, writers are better than Suzan Ledbetter at staying AHEAD OF THE GAME with interesting novels that grip the audience from start to finish.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
Bridge, one of the world's most widely played card games, requires skill, concentration, and practice on the part of its players. This visual guide will help beginners master the rules and principles while also explaining strategies that both beginners and experienced players need to command for successful play. The author presents more than 300 clearly illustrated examples of bid structures, then instructs on how to rank, decode, and defend, from opening bids to endgame strategy. Separate chapters focus on opening bids, responses, rebids, slam bidding, opening leads, general play techniques, both no-trump and suit contracts, defensive leads and returns, and many other topics that are central to a well-played game. The book also features a glossary, an index, and more than 300 color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A Source Book for Bridge Players.......2007-09-19
Well organized and quite cnmplete, this is aa terrific "bible" to have by the bridge table. When we discuss how a hand was bid or played, this becames an invaluable aid.
Too complex for the beginner.
One of the Best.......2007-08-06
I believe this book is one of the best bridge books I have ever looked into, and I have read or scanned many. My highest recommendation. I bought three.
this book is a must have for all who play or are starting to play...........2007-03-05
I don't play bridge. My mother, who just turned 80, started playing a few weeks ago. She was studying these handouts that she got from the church's bridge club. I felt she needed a good reference book, with clear illustrations. English is not her first language, and I didn't want something too complicated and not easy to understand. Needless to say, she LOVES this book. Best gift I could have given her. People that have been playing a long time are quite impressed how fast she is learning the game and becoming an accomplished player in just a few weeks. If you're a beginner or advanced player, this book is a must have for your library. Or if you know someone who likes to play, this book will make a Great gift too!
Nice Resource.......2006-12-17
The Bridge Player's Bible is a great reference source for the beginning to intermediate bridge player. The book is covers both bidding and the play of the hand. Hundreds of scenarios are covered, ranging from the most basic concepts like a preemptive three bid to more complicated concepts such as numerous types of squeeze plays.
The book is very readable. Each page has two or three subsections, complete with very colorful illustrations and examples. Not only will most players benefit from reading the book from cover to cover, but the bible will continue to be a resource to check on your play and learn how various situations should have been played.
Five stars.
Learn strategies, rules, and approaches from key players' techniques and advice.......2006-12-12
If you're a bridge player you know just how many bridge books are on the market today - but THE BRIDGE PLAYER'S BIBLE offers something different: over 300 examples of how to bid, play, and defend on a range of hands. You can learn strategies, rules, and approaches from key players' techniques and advice, from signals and valuation to planning and deceptive card playing. And each technique receives full illustration for easy learning for novices, too.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Description
As featured in Elle, Bust, the Boston Globe, the New York Times and on "Today," "Good Morning America," and the Oxygen television network
In this groundbreaking book, top executive coach and bestselling author Jean Hollands explains how being a "Bully Broad" is not the way to business success for women. Tough, assertive, authoritative, often intimidating, Bully Broads were once the driving forces behind some of this era's most successful companies. Unfortunately, Hollands explains, these same qualities that propelled women up the corporate ladder can ruin them in today's relationship-building, teamwork-oriented corporate culture.
Drawing upon her 20 years of experience coaching thousands of executives at many top companies, Holland's Same Game, Different Rules includes 25 rules that help women pass through, or completely avoid, the Bully Broad stage without compromising their goals or sacrificing their hard-won power and success.
Download Description
Rise to the top and stay there without becoming a B@#%!
Customer Reviews:
Stop bowing to the stereotypes - and CHANGE THE RULES!.......2004-02-02
Although Hollands book may move some women's careers forward, she is also setting back most women in all fields a few dozen years! Equal opportunity for women is still a long way off. Each time a woman succumbs to theories like Hollands' ''bully broads,'' she not only halts progress, she takes a giant step into the past. The challenge is to speak out about gender discrimination, not bow to it. The challenge is to rid the workplace of stereotypes -- not pay homage to them. Until we do, executive women will still be called "bully broads," while men are applauded for their aggressive, take-charge business style! (Marion E. Gold is author of "Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU," and "TOP COPS: Profiles of Women in Command."
Stop bowing to the stereotypes - and CHANGE THE RULES!.......2004-02-02
Although Hollands book may move some women's careers forward, she is also setting back most women in all fields a few dozen years! Equal opportunity for women is still a long way off. Each time a woman succumbs to theories like Hollands' ''bully broads,'' she not only halts progress, she takes a giant step into the past. The challenge is to speak out about gender discrimination, not bow to it. The challenge is to rid the workplace of stereotypes -- not pay homage to them. Until we do, executive women will still be called "bully broads," while men are applauded for their aggressive, take-charge business style! (Marion E. Gold is author of "Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU," and "TOP COPS: Profiles of Women in Command."
Less Iron Fist, Stiletto Tongue, Sneering Glare, and Iciness.......2001-11-06
Imagine a woman who is no nonsense, aggressive, bright, extremely capable, hard-working, very focused, and willing to take charge who is the top performer in her organization. Sounds like a future CEO, doesn't she? Jean Hollands predicts that this is a woman who will rise near the top of her organization, but will then hit the glass ceiling so hard she may be shattered. Such women are usually referred for coaching (if they haven't already been fired) to make them less like bullies. "No one likes a bully. Even so, in today's business climate, many men can get away with it. Women almost never can."
Ms. Hollands reports that she knows the type well. "I'm from a long line of Bully Broads." Although that term may sound pejorative, Ms. Hollands reports that everyone knows what it means and it avoids using other "B" words that are more pejorative.
While the men that she coaches are sent for a variety of weaknesses, 95 percent of the women are there to get rid of Bully Broad characteristics.
There are a number of different types of Bully Broads, including Sounding-Off Tyrants (who verbally blow up a lot), Sarcastic Aggressives (who use words to cut others down to the floor), Selectively Quiet but with High Expectations (perfectionists who let their disapproval of others' performance show), and Silent, But Judging (Ms. Understood, and whose reserve and mental point-scoring is seen as disdain or worse). The book has a quiz to help identify if you have any of these problems. Bully Broads seem to be immune to realizing they have a problem until it is too late because they don't measure themselves very much by what others think of them. Basically, these are people with low emotional intelligence, the attribute that most equates to success in typical business situations.
The heart of the book can be found in the cases (usually two per rule) that show how a variety of women in many different kinds of jobs and organizations walked the plank without realizing they had a problem. Each rule then goes on to suggest ways to change (even if you only have the problem slightly), how to deal with a colleague or boss who has these characteristics, and specific suggestions for how to communicate better. Many of the 25 rules will seem obvious, but apparently they aren't to some successful women, such as "Don't Tick Off the President, the CEO, or the Human Resources Person."
I won't list all of the rules (space doesn't permit, and that wouldn't be fair to the author), but let me give you a few examples to help provide a flavor for the book:
"`Listen Up' Until You Are About to Throw Up"
"People Will Sabotage You If They Can't Confront You"
"Beware of Jealousy"
"Don't Burn Bridges -- Ever"
"Soft Sell Is the Best Sell"
"Remember: It's Not Your Money"
"Avoid All or Nothing Thinking"
"You Are Not Joan of Arc."
The messages are strong, because many women who need them apparently are in denial. For example, I was fascinated by one story about a woman who was fired and didn't emotionally realize it until about two years later since she continued to work out of her old office as a "consultant" to the company, and kept up her old ways.
The irony of many of these stories is that the woman involved often has a CEO or boss who sets a bad example as a bully or polishes his image by letting the Bully Broad do the dirty work of carving people up for his benefit (the old "good cop, bad cop" routine).
The main weakness of the book is that it's aimed at helping a small percentage of women improve their career prospects. The bulk of the potential readers will be victims of Bully Broads who need protection. If you are either a Bully Broad or a Bully Broad victim, this book can really help.
On the other hand, I hope that many human resources people will read this book as well so that their company can help head off bullying situations, whether they are caused by women or (more frequently) by men.
How many things can be accomplished faster and better by having more than one person cooperate with one another? Almost everything. Find ways to make that cooperation smoother, more pleasant, and more effective for all involved!
Be the leader you would like to have!
Customer Reviews:
Such an audience will relish the zany moments and fun commentary.......2007-02-09
Jude Goodwin's 'Table Talk' bridge cartoons have appeared for more than 30 years in the American Contract Bridge League's Bulletin - so if you recognize them and are an avid player, you'll love having them all under one cover at last. Humor is dependent on an understanding of bridge basics and such an audience will relish the zany moments and fun commentary imbedded in these cartoons.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Average customer rating:
- Honest
- A Gripping Read
- Very interesting!
- OK, But
- short of ink
|
One Jump Ahead:: Challenging Human Supremacy in Checkers
Jonathan Schaeffer
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General | Artificial Intelligence | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:
-
Win at Checkers (Dover Books on Chess)
-
How to Win at Checkers
-
Blondie24: Playing at the Edge of AI (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Artificial Intelligence)
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Checker Power: A Game of Problem Solving
-
Starting Out in Checkers
ASIN: 0387949305 |
Book Description
The new edition of this extraordinary book tells of the creation of the world champion checkers computer program, Chinook. In only two years, Chinook had become a worthy opponent to the world champion, and within four years had defeated all the world's top human players. Jonathan Schaeffer, the originator and leader of the Chinook team, provides an engrossing account of failures and successes. He describes the human story behind the program and his own feelings in learning from mistakes and technical problems in a continuous effort to improve Chinook's performance. Beginning in 1988, we follow the development of Chinook from an innocent question asked over lunch through to the final match against then world champion, Marion Tinsley, and ultimately to its recent triumph, perfecting checkers. As the story unfolds, readers are introduced to its key figures, and to the rules of checkers and the basics of computer game programs. As a result, all those interested in computing and games will enjoy this book.
Customer Reviews:
Honest.......2006-11-06
This is one of those books that makes you wince
now and then. Its that transparent. The author
didn't intend it but there is a story here beyond
the program. It unfolds with some interest and
some amaturism, and that lends charm to the
tale. In the end, the greatest player dies but
his legacy lives on in Chinook, the program,
built to defeat him. A negative image surely
but not a bad one.
Chinook, hopefully, is pissing off enough players
that Checkers can experience a revival, though,
like Connect Four and Tic-Tac-Toe it seems
destined for the kiddy heap.
How would Chinook do with a board twice as
large?
Not in the book so I'll pass on that, but by now
the team is on to some amazing stuff, putting
the nails in the coffin of Checkers as a game.
A Gripping Read.......2002-12-17
Well I never thought that title would describe for a book on a project to create a world champion beating chequers playing program!
I originally read the first half of the book when staying with a friend. When I got home I had - for the first time in my life - to buy a book merely to read half of it, so un-put-downable is it.
The book requires no technical knowledge either or computers of of draughts (and to an extent if one approaches it expecting technical insights in to either one will be disappointed).
In practice it's such a good read as the story is well told and gathers momentum the nearer the author gets to the goal. It is focused on the people and the project and not the technicals. Schaeffer recounts his hopes, feelings and motivations with a brutal honesty - never shying away from an accurate description when authorial licence might have presented him in a better light.
Very interesting!.......2001-03-16
Once I started to read this book I found it difficult to put down. Granted I am addicted to playing checkers against my computer when taking breaks at work, but still.... This is very interesting material for checkers players and computer programmers alike.
However, I do have a couple of problems with the book. First, it is very poorly edited. There are a number of grammatical mistakes, [one right on the first paragraph], the author at times goes into unnecessary tangents and, in general the book is too long and repetitive. In addition, it bothered me that, perhaps because of the author's familiarity with chess, he decided to use chess notation to describe the games. This makes it more difficult for checkers players to follow the games while reading the book. The author/editor should have made the effort to use checkers notation or to provide better diagrams.
OK, But.......2001-03-02
I enjoyed reading this book but as a serious checker player was hoping there was a detailed list of new moves , 4, against 3, Ect.. a listing of cooks, detailed, a checker learning experence Something teaching me, some new endgames, something. New openings, challenging the existing openings. Im sure computer/checker players would love this book Since Jonathan chose to not use standard numeric notations as in most checker books, the helpful way would have identified the notations in each illustration of the checker board.
short of ink.......2001-02-28
im enjoying this a bit but im also a checker player and would defintely like the checker coordinates ( numeric notations) shown in every instance as I dont have them memorized, so I can follow the book better. I would not buy it as its more about the ego of the programmer than about checkers.
Average customer rating:
- Great! Excelente Libro!
- An In Depth Walk with Mr. Williams
- An Extraordinary Book by an Extarordinary Person
- THIS MAN HAS DONE IT ALL!!
|
Ahead of the Game: The Pat Williams Story
Pat Williams , and
James D. Denney
Manufacturer: Fleming H Revell Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Who Wants to be a Champion?: 10 Building Blocks to Help You Become Everything You Can Be!
Accessories:
-
NBA Live 2000
ASIN: 0800717635 |
Book Description
Autobiography of Pat Williams of the Orlando Magic, in which he shares his ups and downs in professional sports as well as in his personal life.
Customer Reviews:
Great! Excelente Libro!.......2001-09-21
I picked up a copy because I heard Pat on a radio interview and felt I could use a book on "finding your passion and pursuing it". Boy! I never thought I would enjoy the book so much...I couldn't put it down. Thanks Pat for sharing so much of your life with us! I am a Latin girl who really doesn't get much into American sports, I admit I read it for the "success" part, but I learned so much about sports and the front office operations that now I enjoy keeping up with the trades, drafts, etc. My husband has been impressed! I recently re-read it!
An In Depth Walk with Mr. Williams.......1999-11-29
This is a well-written and enjoyable book to read. Contains interesting stories that make you really feel like you know Mr. Williams by the end. Great reading for a sports enthusiast. You sense the enthusiasm in which Mr. Williams lives his life. However, you also sense that this enthusiasm stems from his ego, which literally oozes off the pages. This leaves the reader questioning whether Mr. Williams, despite all of his religious speaking engagements, is a humble Christian or an ego-driven people pleaser.
He frequently mentions his ex-wife and 18 children (14 foster children). I would like to read his biography from their perspective.
An Extraordinary Book by an Extarordinary Person.......1999-08-05
Pat Williams has done it again! This autobiography gives the reader a courtside seat to Williams wonderful life. He takes us from his boyhood, to his days playing with a Miami farm club (baseball), all the way to his current position with the Orlando Magic. He has many great stories, and lessons to share upon the way. He also gives a detailed account of how becoming a Christian has fullfilled all that was missing in his life. Pat Williams is the master motivator, and once again encourages the reader to reach for the stars, and go for it! A must read for everyone.
THIS MAN HAS DONE IT ALL!!.......1999-03-29
This is my third Pat WIlliams book and unlike the others which are "teaching books," this book tells the story of the story behind the stories! Pat Williams is a person with goals, dreams and objectives and without stepping on others, he sets out to achieve them. But like most people who have gained a degree of success in their life, the road has not always been smooth and paved with gold. This is a book that mirrors the "teaching books" in that it shows that Pat Williams actually has practiced what he preaches. Although filled with sports related stories, this book is also for those in businesses and careers that have nothing to do with the world of sports. Warning: Once you pick the pick the book up, you will have a hard time putting it down.
Book Description
Learn quickly and at a glance how each chess piece moves on the board, then discover the game's single object, which is to capture the enemy's king—to achieve checkmate. Here's an entertaining and informative manual for beginners, but it's filled with tips and techniques learners will retain and successfully employ as their skill develops and they match themselves against experienced players. With annotated illustrations and more than 300 examples, this fascinating manual demonstrates
- Openings used by international masters, including the Ruy Lopez, the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Sicilian Defense, and others
- Basic and advanced strategies, tactics, sacrifices, and pawn structure to help learners master the chess middle game
- End game, with emphasis on use of rooks and pawns
It's a comprehensive and compact reference that will find a ready place in school and private chess clubs. This book will also be a favorite among individuals who wish to discover chess as a pleasurable way to spend a social evening.
Customer Reviews:
Eade excells in this book!!.......2006-05-29
"The Chess Players Bible" -James Eade
Author James Eade seems to be distancing himself from his earlier standard, "Chess For Dummies" and I'm very pleased to see him introduce another beginner's chess book. This one is better by far.
This is a different format from the majority of chess books, for a couple of different reasons. (1) It is spiral bound, so that once you fold the book open, it stays open, and will fold flat for easy study. (2) It is ILLUSTRATED throughout with clear, concise images of the chess board and piece positions, and in COLOR too!
The coverage of OPENINGS is excellent, from the Romantic Openings to the Queeen's Pawn games, etc This is really great material, in its presentation, for easy assimilation by beginners. Because of the novelty of the splendid illustrations, this book receives a special recommendation.
TACTICS: Eade gives good, basic coverage of tactics, and I believe his illustrations help clarify these for beginners.
***About the Author: James Eade***
James Eade is a very STAND UP guy, taking on the entire chess establishment in the USA with charges that the U.S. Chess Federation was being mismanaged and driven to bankruptcy (which it was at the time!). Notwithstanding, EADE was one of three individuals to bail out the USCF when, near financial ruin, USCF could not afford to send a chess team to the OLYMPIADS. EADE is a strong advocate for chess in the Olympics. By any standard, this is a STAND UP guy.
***The Price***
The price is fair, and not excessive, because AMAZON reduces the full retail to $14.95. Even the full retail price of $21.95 is not necessarily excessive, because spiral-bound books are more expensive to produce. In my opinion, most beginner books priced over $20.00, are a rip-off, but that is for 2 specific reasons. Paperbound books are not that expensive to make, so that $21.95 is a "padded" price for a plain paperback. That is not the case here. The second reason a $20.00 book is a rip-off generally, is that paperbacks that are EXCELLENT beginning instruction have been around for years, and often sell for around $9.95, so that many new books are merely endless and mindless REPETITIONS of the same teachings that have been around for over a hundred years.
However, I am recommending Eade's "Chess-Player's Bible" as a fine book, if you are waiting for the next edition. The reason you should wait is that there are some obvious PROOFREADING errors that require correction; for example, this crazy mix up on the endgame study from page 190 where White is supposed to promote the rearward pawn to a Queen:
White K at f4, white pawns at f3 & f2
Black K at f6, WHITE TO MOVE:
1.Ke4 Ke6
2.f4 Kg6??? (only if Black's K moves 2 squares at a time!?)
3.f5 Kf7
4.Ke5 Ke7
5.f6+ Kf7
6.Ke6??? (violates the Rule that says KINGS must stay one square apart. Here, the White K moves right next to Black K, an obvious ILLEGAL move!)
continuing, Black King plays 6. ...Kf8
I don't know the solution to the problem, but the 2 major errors here indicate that the proofreader did not do his work. Please do not mistake the criticism here, because the book is still worth having. Even some of the great classics of chess literature, such as REUBEN FINE's books, contain errors.
The ILLUSTRATIONS are a superb feature, far exceeding most paperbacks, and Eade may be setting a new standard. This book is highly recommended. ---Bruce R. Bain, President, Denver Chess Club
Chess Player's Bible-A Big Amen!.......2005-09-22
A very informative book on how to play chess and well illustrated. Two Thumbs Up!
My dreams of perfect beginner book have become true!.......2005-05-07
I thought that a comprehensive book explaining all basic stuff in a lively way would be an impossible task. But Mr. Eade has really made it!
Firstly, I love the 3-D diagrams, the layout of book is more visual as in usual chess books and I must admit it really works! There are first of all all the elementary stuff, rules etc but after that you get ao overview of opening principles, not forgetting the hypermodern approach. There's a section describing openings and their general ideas, there's a section for tactics and strategy.
I'm just overwhelmed of this superb book. James Eade explains some fundamental pawn structures which are typical for specific openings - that's something most beginner books don't do. There's some nice guide for essential endgame stuff, this book is simply the best beginner book availible I think players up to 1800 can benefit most of this book.
Suitable for about a USCF 1600 rated player too!.......2005-04-25
I'm about a USCF 1600 (Class B player) and I'm improving from this book because it is suitable for me.
This is why l like this James Eade chess book.
1. This book relies on the chess diagrams, not the chess notation, so learning from this book is easier because it's less confusing. Easy to follow diagrams!
2. I love the spiral form because the book holds flat by itself on a table! It is much better than paper back and hard back form!
3. There are 3D diagrams on key positions on almost every page, so I can easily follow through learning new strategy.
4. This book covers all aspects of the game clearly, TACTICS such as the fork, deflection, pin, overloading, discovery etc, endgame such as opposition, triangulation, basic king pawn endgames, queen vs rook endgame etc. , MIDDLEGAME/ STRATEGY such as making a luft, bad bishop, good bishop, how to make use of your rooks, knights, outposts, pawn islands, pawn chains etc. OPENING it shows you different kinds of opening such as the Silican, Ruy Lopez, French Defense, Queen Pawn opening, how to play the opening such as development, timing, etc.) so I can improve my all around game!
This is why I don't like this book.
1. There are no chess excercises/problems to test your knowledge in the book. This is key to improve and I hope James Eade can add chess excercises/problems to another edition of this book if he writes another edition of this book.
2. There are no 'winning game pointers', such in the other book, The Idiot's Guide for Chess. (Patrick Pointer's) I hope James Eade can add 'winning game pointers' in an another edition if he writes one.
Overall, This book is good.
Why?
1. It has helped me gain about 100 points, (1500 to 1600) in about 4 months.
Customer Reviews:
A Book for Novices - Clear and Simple Explanations on Methods and Techniques.......2006-08-06
I enjoyed and played a lot chess in high school and in college and since I started working I have less and less time available for playing so my game suffered from it. Having said this currently I consider myself a novice again after about twelve years without being able to play a single game of chess. When I recently started playing again I found myself confused and kind of lost questioning if I should attack?, defend?, and if so when?, where?, how? I was looking for some books to start from scratch and try to reassess my game.
I bought this book as part of a used chess book collection on an auction (the copy I got is a 1973 reprint), and I was not disappointed at all with this title. The book showed me again what kind of aspects I should take into account in order to establish a game plan after the opening stage has been passed. The authors take you step-by-step through actual games, describing and commenting every play, giving examples of the right questions to ask yourself in order to find the right plan and the right move.
In the other hand one negative aspect is that the scope of the book is limited since it teaches how to think but it covers only three basic patterns from the opening phase: -With white pieces play one standard opening (the stonewall variation), - with black pieces play one standard defense against 1 P-K4 (the dragon variation of the Sicilian defense), and - with black pieces play one standard defense against 1 P-Q4 (the Lasker defense). So if you are already a strong player and master the openings you won't find anything new here. Nevertheless as a novice after you become thoroughly familiar with the patterns of play recommended in this book, you could then branch out into other openings with the help of an introductory opening book.
Since the Table of Contents is not included in the book information presented above by the seller, I am including how the book is organized, so everybody can visualize what topics are covered in this book:
Part One - Playing with the white pieces: Stonewall Pattern.
- What opening shall I play.
- Stonewall attack I. Demolition sacrifice at KR7.
- Stonewall attack II. Normal position for white.
- Stonewall attack III. Swooping down on the open king bishop file.
- Queen's gambit declined. Black evades the stonewall attack.
Part Two - Playing with the black pieces against 1 P-K4.
- What defense shall I pay against 1 P-K4.
- Dragon variation I. White can not afford indifferent play.
- Dragon variation II. Normal position for black.
- Dragon variation III. Black concludes with a stunning queen sacrifice.
- Dragon variation IV. Vigorous counterattack.
- Dragon variation V. White's queen-side castling proves a fiasco.
- Dragon variation VI. Relentless positional pressure by black.
Part Three - Two - Playing with the black pieces against 1 P-Q4
- What defense shall I pay against 1 P-Q4.
- Lasker's defense I. Simplification leads to freedom.
- Lasker's defense II. Normal position for black.
- Lasker's defense III. A fatal dilemma for white.
- Lasker's defense IV. Battleground of conflicting theories.
- Lasker's defense V. White's last attempt at refutation.
Part Four - How to exploit inferior play by your opponent.
- What if my opponent doesn't follow the book.
- The importance of controlling the center.
- How superior mobility leads to a stormy breakthrough
- How line-opening leads to attacking possibilities.
- How superior mobility leads to line-opening.
Decent advice for someone stuck at novice level; dated advice?.......2006-04-07
I bought this book back in 1986. It was the first book chess book I ever bought. For White, it present an overview of the Stonewall attack and Queen's Gambit Declined. For Black it presents the Sicilian Dragon defence and Laskers Defence.
I bought the book because some colleagues at work (back then) had invited me to play chess, and while I knew how to move the pieces, I didn't really have a strategy. This book gave me a general strategy (opening moves), talked a bit about the middle game, and discussed how to exploit inferior play. Some have written that it doesn't teach one how to think ahead. I disagree a bit: It got me thinking. My game improved, and the other players complimented me on my improved play.
I am writing this review today becuase I am reorganizing my book-case. I re-discovered this old copy of "How to Think Ahead in Chess" and see how it is literally falling apart. Though I have not looked at it in years, I read it a lot back in the eighties.
As I peruse it this morning, one last time, I feel it is dated. Sicilian theory, expecially the Dragon, is so well-known that one false move can doom you. Lasker's defence is not well thought of (as far as I know) these days. Don't read this book if you are a club player. You will probably be beaten badly by any other experienced player.
So, who should read this book? Anyone in a club is probably already too advanced for it. I would recommend it for children and teens who know how to move the pieces and are ready to study opening theory, but aren't sure what openings to try. The writing is crisp and clear and simplistic (as is usual for Horowitz and Reinfeld).
BTW, Other options would be "Concise Chess Openings" [Everyman Chess] or one of the teaching books by Jereny Silman.
While I remember this book fondly, one should realize that there are a great many good chess books available today. Far more than when this book first came out.
Good book for targeted reader.......2006-01-24
This book gives the player who is knowledgably about the basics, but doesn't have a plan, a logical way to proceed against mediocre players, but not against an advanced player, who they wouldn't be playing anyway. The introduction states that, "this book is not meant for masters." However, I have used these tactics to beat 1400 rated (good, but not strong) opponents.
The Stonewall, it's recommended opening for white, is not an opening the casual player is used to seeing, so the Stonewall's attack will almost always overwhelm them and lead to a victory for white. The two black openings, that are recommended, are sound against any opponent and require careful play on the part of white or they will find themselves losing in the middle game. The book also recommends going on to other openings after mastering these. It does give examples of how to plan the whole game from it's given three openings, and I found, that this helped me when I made my own game plan with other openings. This gives a tiny bit of justification to the title.
But, I'm not giving it five stars because the title is annoyingly misleading; I would have called it, "Strong Openings for the Mediocre Player," but that may not have sold as many books. At any rate, I strongly recommend the book to the neophyte. I found it useful and, I think, other beginning players will too. I still refer to it and I'm buying another copy to replace mine, which is now in parts.
Horribly mistitled -- teaches nothing at all about how to think ahead.......2005-12-06
This book is horribly mistitled. The book teaches a few decent openings, which are useful against weaker players who don't know what are coming, but are easily defended against against people with some expertise (although, other than the stonewall attack, the other openings are quite respectable enough to get you started). It's also quite distressing that the "What if my opponent doesn't follow the book" chapter focuses on "inferior play", despite the fact that there are many very respectable lines of play not considered in the rest of the text. It's a bit arrogant for the writers to conclude that all of the lines in the rest of the text are necessarily the best ones (most classic was the claim that Queens Gambit Accepted is the worst thing ever...).
The book, in annotating several games as the base of its explanations, gives very little reason as to why certain lines of play were chosen for tactical analysis, while the gazillions of possible others are eliminated. And *this* is what a book titled "How to think ahead in chess" needs to focus on. Clearly, very very few (if any) chess players can examine *all* possible combinations of moves lasting 6 or 7 moves deep in any reasonable time. This book needs to tell us *which* sequences of moves to focus on, and why. And the answer needs to be more specific than "these moves help control the center, and the others don't." It's all well and good to say "control the center", but you need to know exactly what "control of the center" constitutes, how to bring it about, and what to do with it once you have it (or, how to cope with a loss of center control).
This could actually be a good book if it had been titled "What openings should a beginner play", with the final chapter on "what if my opponent doesn't follow the book" removed.
Good but not Great.......2005-11-05
This was one of the first Chess books I bought to begin to learn how to play advanced chess back in the 1980's. It is a reasonably good book that will give the beginning player some anchors in their journey to becoming more than a recreational chess player.
That having been said, the selection of the Stonewall Attack as an opening for White leaves a lot to be desired. This is one of the most anemic and ineffective openings you can use against an experienced player. It leads to a closed opening which is really more the domain of the advanced player who understands positional and strategic chess. The only real benefit to the Stonewall attack is hoping your opponent won't see a bishop sacrifice and quick mating attack. It is easily defended against. Once it is defended against, White quickly loses the initiative and Black moves on to a strong game.
Better suited for the beginner are King's pawn openings that bring tactics to bear in open games. Once this is understood then there are far better Queen's pawn openings to explore than the Stonewall Opening. Even the Colle System, which is similar and touched upon in this book is more practical than the main line taught here.
That being said, however, the book does benefit the beginner by giving them a repertoire of 3 basic openings to where they can begin to go into their first tournaments or local chess clubs with a plan and some understanding of how to handle an opening. This should be more than enough to give them a leg up against any inexperienced player who has no plan.
Once you've understood and mastered this book, be prepared to set a lot of it aside and relearn some things as you move ahead.
Really, that is the primary criticism. There are plenty of good primers out there that give more practical openings to work on that will lead to something you can better build on later.
So take it or leave it. It was a help to me and I've gone on to be a reasonably strong player, but it's not a book that excites me now that I know enough to look back on it and see what it did for me. Any book by Bruce Pandolfini for the beginning player should be chosen over this one.
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