This fun and educational book is an ideal gift for the inquisitive young person you suspect is already drawing up plans for their Space Station and Death Ray. I'm kidding of course, but they'll enjoy and respond well to the lighthearted style and will feel that they are being privately coached to reach their potential.
You just know they're smart enough to teach themselves chess using the colorful and often amusing illustrations in this book and will spend hours engrossed in the book. If they already know the very basics, this will be the boost they need, as it will challenge them to play more, learn new killer tactics and improve.
The book starts at a gentle pace until the basics have been mastered. Soon, they will be ready to move onto the special moves and beyond. The later chapters are given intriguing names to draw them in and make them keep reading and learning. e.g.<Special Move #1 - For Your Eyes OnlySpecial Move #2 - Secret Lair for Your KingThe Final Special Move - The Evil PawnDon't Touch That Piece!The Chess Player's Secret CodeThe Fastest Checkmate in the WorldKiller Weapon - The ForkX-Ray Super-WeaponFinishing Your Opponent OffYour Mission - Should You Choose to Accept it
This book will take an Earthling aged from 7 upwards (with a reading slightly ahead of their years), who hasn't even seen a chessboard and explain the rules with clear diagrams and pointers to help their understanding and recall. After they know how to play, including the Special Moves, it will then teach them to play better. Once they have learned some suitably Evil Moves, including the X-Ray Super-Weapon then they can test themselves on puzzles that will help them to recognize winning patterns.