Black Friday Special 

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Attend chess camp without leaving your house. New books from Mongoose press.

Chess is booming on the scholastic level! My main recommendations for parents and coaches have been very much the same for several years now. See them here.

 In the recent years, Mongoose press successfully entered the market of chess books aimed at the beginners with the very colorful, densely packed, large formatted hardcover Gary's Adventures in Chess Country. For all it's attractiveness, the price was rather modest - $24 which Amazon and many retailers discounted to under $20.

Now, Mongoose press is releasing a set of 3 workbooks, aimed at the beginner. In these books the author, renown Russian chess educator Igor Sukhin, introduces captures, basic checkmates and easy tactics in a puzzle form. 

Chess Camp: Volume 1: Move, Attack, and Capture; Volume 2: Simple Checkmates; Volume 3: Checkmates with Many Pieces 

The books are reasonably priced ($11 list, and under $9 each, on Amazon), very attractive hardcover. There is very little text there, almost exclusively diagrams. A child, who can read the questions, will be able to use them without adults supervision. I would use these books as a prequel to Ivashenko's 1A/1B Manuals.

If you are parent who plays chess or a coach, you will save time in teaching kids using these workbooks. If you are a parent who knows nothing about chess, these books could be invaluable.