How a King Plays: 64 Chess Tips from a Kid Champion

by Oliver Boydell

Overview

For fans of The Queen's Gambit comes a brand-new book from 11-year-old chess champion Oliver Boydell. How a King Plays features 64 of Boydell's tips, strategies, and ideas to help chess enthusiasts of all ages sharpen their game skills.

Whether you're new to chess or a Grandmaster, there's something for everyone in chess phenom Oliver Boydell's new book of 64 chess tips, How a King Plays.

At only 11-years-old, Boydell has already been both a National Chess Champion and a New York City Chess Champion who's competed at numerous major scholastic chess events since he started playing at the age of 5.

Now, Boydell is lending his talents to the page as he shares some of his best tips that helped him become a star. Written in his signature concise and witty voice, Boydell offers players of all levels—from beginners to advanced—a different, creative tip on every page. An introduction from the author, inspirational quotes from chess greats, and a glossary of terms help round out this comprehensive and informative, fun guide.

Jam-packed with wisdom and imaginative gameplay, this compact and portable reference book can easily be taken on the go to a tournament, to the park, or anywhere you're traveling. How a King Plays is the ideal companion for anyone whose passion for chess can't be contained.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593451267
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	659,341
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Oliver Boydell was born in New York City to a Vietnamese mother and an English father. A National Chess Champion and a New York City Chess Champion, Oliver developed a passion for chess at the age of five. He started competing in chess tournaments during the same year and is a regular contender at New York City, New York State, and National Scholastic Chess Championships. Oliver endeavors to become a chess Grandmaster. His first book, He's Got Moves: 25 Legendary Chess Games (As Analyzed by a Smart Kid), came out in late 2020 from Metabook. He has been profiled in The New York Times, and has appeared on Good Morning America. Visit him online at www.oliverboydell.com

Editorial Reviews

2021-09-15
An 11-year-old champion offers 64 tips for better chess playing.

Chapter by chapter, Boydell, who lives in New York City with his Vietnamese mother and White English father, offers solid tactical advice to young players. His tips for deploying chess pieces are straightforward, easy to remember, span the game from beginning to end, and are conveniently summarized as chapter headings. They include such points as developing pieces, playing for the center, and putting Rooks on the seventh rank. As he notes in his preface, some chess concepts, such as thinking ahead and turning problems into solutions, can be applied to life itself. The author began playing chess at the age of 5 and enjoyed the experience of explaining his favorite game to friends and, later, entire classrooms of beginners. This history has served him well in organizing his material, presenting it in an easily understandable way, and including just enough repetition of ideas to make learning easy. Still, an occasional illustration would have been helpful since developing players may not yet have his facility in visualizing the board. Readers are expected to have some preliminary knowledge, such as the movements of the pieces and the numbers and letters used to identify each of the 64 squares of a chessboard. Relevant quotations from other famous players support Boydell’s good suggestions.

As an extension for those looking to improve their chess games, this is a winner. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-15)

Kirkus Reviews