So you have learned how to play chess, studied tactics and know some basic endgames and openings. What’s next?

The glue that binds it all together is strategy. By forming a good plan, chess-players seize strong points on the board and target the opponent’s weaknesses. Experienced player and teacher Thomas Engqvist shows that it all depends on logic that can be grasped by players of any age. He explains how to identify the right strategy in a wide range of typical situations. With his guidance, you will soon be finding good plans on your own – and then it will be time to demonstrate your tactical mastery!

He first teaches the importance of the central squares and the basics of pawn-play, before examining the role of each of the pieces and how they are affected by the pawn-structure. Finally we see how to use them together to launch attacks of many different types. You then get a chance to test your new strategic skills in 27 exercises, all with full solutions.

“Chess Strategy for Kids” provides a complete course that will help readers understand the potential of their pieces and play more purposefully in their games. Chess will stop feeling like a series of random events as you take command of your forces and direct them like a general in charge of an army.

Thomas Engqvist is an International Master from Sweden with more than three decades’ experience of international chess. He is a successful chess trainer and has also made notable contributions to chess theory. Engqvist is editor of the website schacksnack.se and teaches at a school in the Stockholm area.

“simplifies some chess concepts in a manner that a modern reader can understand and appreciate. ... the author clearly shows he understood Nimzowitsch and knows how to convey Nimzowitsch’s ideas, but he does it in an easier and more appealing fashion. ... I also found the graphics absolutely exhilarating. They show typical chess ideas in a stunning fashion, which makes them easy to remember, especially for the amateur. I think this book can be a nice gift for children who are interested in improving, or for adults who would like to know more about the game but don’t want to deal with some boring authors of the past who ... didn’t treat the topic in an entertaining manner.” - Davide Nastasio, georgiachessnews.com