Young Charles Darwin
- 212 pages
- 8 hours of reading






Recognized for its cultural significance, this work contributes to the foundational knowledge of civilization. Its selection by scholars highlights its importance in understanding historical and societal contexts, making it a valuable resource for those interested in the development of human thought and culture.
Another Reinfeld Classic Now in Algebraic Notation! Fred Reinfeld's timeless Attack and Counterattack in Chess starts with the basic premise that White plays to build on the natural initiative that is inherent in having the first move, while Black plays to sap White's divine right to this initiative, only to take it over the moment it is possible. The book is neatly divided into two sections: How White manages to make good use of his right to the first move by taking advantage of typical mistakes by Black, and how Black succeeds in challenging that right and taking over the initiative by jumping on blunders by White. There are several points to keep in mind as you peruse the games involved. The first is that this is not an opening book. The examples of play are all built around a complete chess game that came to a logical conclusion based on one player's muffs and the other player's exploitation of those errors. The other point is that the poor moves that are taken advantage of were to some extent based on carelessness or inattention or lack of knowledge but were also set up on purpose by the winning player. The first seven chapters cover how to control the center; how to exploit superior mobility; how to exploit Black's premature opening of the position; how to exploit Black's premature counterattack; How to exploit Black's weakening pawn moves; how to exploit Black's errors of judgement; and how to exploit irregular defenses. All these subjects are covered by a close look at a chess game in which the bungles are followed by their natural punishment The last five chapters look at how to seize the initiative as Black; how to play against gambits; how to defend against a powerful attack; how Black can seize the attack; and how to exploit unusual openings. Again, each topic unfolds during a chess game with faulty play by White and its logical destruction by Black. Develop and improve your attacking/counterattacking skills with the 21st-century edition of Reinfeld's Attack and Counterattack in Chess!
Arnold S. Denker was one of America's and the World's leading chess players. He played and competed in almost every leading chess event from 1933 right up until his death just short of age 91. He won the US Chess Championship in 1944 defeating Reuben Fine.
Reinfeld on the Endgame is a very fine specialty book about several aspects of endgames. It is no giant tome on the entire endgame. Rather, this charming piece concentrates on a very difficult, too-often glossed over aspect of the transition between the middlegame and the endgame. Transition phases are harder to cover than either of the three favorite phases because they don't fit quite so neatly into the rigid classification that openings, middlegames, and endgames do. But mastering them is essential to those who wish to master or understand the game at a high level.
Generations of chess players have grown up on Fred Reinfeld's books. He has a way of reducing the most intricate, complicated combinations to their basic components. After Reinfeld explains a combination, it makes sense. Reinfeld not only taught us how to play the game well, but also implanted in us his enthusiastic passion for learning. His books are peppered throughout with words and phrases in italics to emphasize ideas. Moves are punctuated with single, double, and even triple exclamation marks and question marks to span the entire spectrum of emotions the moves conjure up. The Complete Chess Course is filled with advice on how to play better chess, regardless of how strong or weak a player you may be. It begins with the most fundamental ideas, reviewing the basic moves of the pieces and pawns, and continues with fantastic examples from the very best players. We are taken through a full course of chess strategy and tactics; he introduces us to the nine bad moves and how to refute them as well as how to avoid making them. We learn how to handle the white pieces and how to fight back with the black pieces. We get a much-needed lesson on how to win the game when we have gained a big advantage, and another, equally important lesson on how to put up the stiffest resistance when in an inferior position. We get treated to a full spectrum of the many ways to make the most of whatever position we get in one of the best chapters of any book I've seen: Book Six on How to Fight Back. Fred guides us through some master games, revealing the secrets of their struggles to overcome strong resistance. These secrets include how to meet the crisis; how to simplify; and the point of no return. Finally, we are treated to an introduction to the major openings, including what to strive for in gambits, classical structures, hypermodern structures, as well as off beat lines. Hint: play to control the center and develop your pieces. Absorb the material included in this volume and you will play chess at a fairly high level. Or read through it all and enjoy Fred's masterful explanations. In either case, you will be entranced by his enthusiasm for the intricate relationships the pieces experience in the context of a game or even a standout plan or combination.
THE WAY TO BETTER CHESS! Why You Lose at Chess is vintage Reinfeld. He pulls no punches, showing the reader why he or she loses chess games. This is quite a remarkable feat when you think about it, because he never saw any of the games the vast majority of his readers played. But Fred knew the thinking that lurks behind poor chess decisions, and he let us all know what is wrong or irrelevant or misguided about the types of moves he witnessed far too often. Beginning with a chapter on self-appraisal, he links a lack of understanding of your own personality with erroneous choices of moves and plans in a chess game. He goes on to delve into playing blindly (with no idea what you are actually doing) or by rote (memorization vs. understanding). A couple of technical mistakes he points out include a lack of understanding of the tremendous importance controlling the center makes as well as knowing what features in a position should be present in order for an attack to be likely to work. Among other observations, he gets on amateur players for being easily bored, impatient, lazy, and stubborn. And all of this comes with lucid examples from master play that back up his contentions. All in all, this is an outstanding treatment of a subject players generally do not pay enough attention to. It has the potential to open anyone's eyes to what playing strong chess can be like. Let Fred Reinfeld show you the way to better chess...
Winning Chess is a truly classic chess book, beloved of chess-mad teenagers since it was first published in 1970, updated and repackaged in algebraic format. Written in lively, conversational style by two prolific and popular chess authors, it is aimed at players who have gone past the beginner stage and want to take their game to a whole new level
The object of this book is to add to your knowledge, to make you a strong chessplayer, and (last but not least) to delight you with some of the most beautiful moves ever played on the chessboard