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Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

Edward Lasker

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

Table of Contents

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership .................................................................................................1

Edward Lasker. ........................................................................................................................................1

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS E−TEXT EDITION. ...........................................................................1

PREFACE. ...............................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION. ..................................................................................................................................3

The History of Chess. ..............................................................................................................................3

The History of Checkers. .........................................................................................................................5

PART I: THE GAME OF CHESS. ..........................................................................................................6

I. THE RULES OF THE GAME. ............................................................................................................6

THE MOVES OF THE MEN. .................................................................................................................7

SPECIAL TERMS. ................................................................................................................................10

SYMBOLS FOR MOVES. ....................................................................................................................15

II. ELEMENTARY TACTICS. .............................................................................................................16

III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHESS STRATEGY. ....................................................................45

IV. ILLUSTRATIVE GAMES. .............................................................................................................74

V. PROBLEMS. ....................................................................................................................................88

PART II. THE GAME OF CHECKERS. ...........................................................................................................94

I. THE RULES OF THE GAME. ..........................................................................................................94

II. ELEMENTARY TACTICS. .............................................................................................................96

III. THE FIVE FUNDAMENTAL POSITIONS. ................................................................................101

IV. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND ILLUSTRATIVE GAMES. .....................................................115

V. PROBLEMS. ..................................................................................................................................124

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

Edward Lasker

http://www.blackmask.com

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS E−TEXT EDITION

· PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

The History of Chess

The History of Checkers

PART I: THE GAME OF CHESS

· I. THE RULES OF THE GAME

THE MOVES OF THE MEN

SPECIAL TERMS

SYMBOLS FOR MOVES

II. ELEMENTARY TACTICS

· III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHESS STRATEGY

IV. ILLUSTRATIVE GAMES

V. PROBLEMS

PART II. THE GAME OF CHECKERS

I. THE RULES OF THE GAME

· II. ELEMENTARY TACTICS

III. THE FIVE FUNDAMENTAL POSITIONS

IV. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND ILLUSTRATIVE GAMES

V. PROBLEMS

This etext was produced by John Mamoun mamounjo@umdnj.edu with help

from the online distributed proofreaders page of Charles Franks.

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

Complete instructions for the beginner [and]

valuable suggestions for the advanced player.

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS E−TEXT EDITION

The following is an e−text of "Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership," by Edward Lasker, copyright

1918, printed in New York.

This e−text contains the 118 chess and checkers board game diagrams appearing in the original book, plus an

extra chess diagram that appears on the front cover of the book, all in the form of ASCII line drawings. The

following is a key to the diagrams:

For chess pieces,

R = Rook

Kt = Knight

B = Bishop

Q = Queen

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

K = King

P = Pawn

Black pieces have a # symbol to the left of them, while white pieces have a ^ symbol to the left of them. For

example, #B is the Black bishop, while ^B is the white bishop. #Kt is the black knight, while ^Kt is the white

knight. This will let the reader instantly tell by sight which pieces in the ASCII chess diagrams are black and

which are white.

For Checkers pieces,

* = black single piece

o = white single piece

** = black king

oo = white king

Those who find these diagrams hard to read should feel free to set up them up on a game board using the

actual pieces.

PREFACE

The present world war has given great impetus to the game of Chess. In the prison camps, in the field

hospitals, in the training camps and even in the trenches Chess has become a favorite occupation in hours of

leisure, not only because it offers a most fascinating pastime, but mainly because it serves beyond any doubt

to develop what is now the most interesting study for every soldier−−the grasp of the principles underlying

military strategy and the ability to conceive and to carry out military operations on a large scale.

Frederick the Great, Napoleon and Moltke, the great scientists of war, had a decided liking for the game of

Chess and owed to it many an inspiration which helped them in laying out their military plans. Indeed, no

other game exists which offers such complete analogies to war.

Two armies oppose each other on the Chess board, composed of different units which may well be compared

with infantry, cavalry and artillery.

The success of the operations on the board, which represents the battlefield, does not depend upon any

element of chance, but solely upon the ingenuity and the skill of the players who are the

commanders−in−chief of the forces.

Although a Chess game differs from a battle in that the material strength of the opponents is equal, the order

of events is the same in Chess as in war. The troops are first mobilized and made ready for action with utmost

speed, then important positions are occupied which give the troops freedom of action and insure safe lines of

retreat and, finally, when the formation of the enemy is known, the strategic plan is made which the generals

try to carry out by means of different tactical maneuvers.

Considering this similarity of Chess and war it is not surprising that Chess has gained greatly in popularity

among all those whose work or thought is more than superficially influenced by the present war.

No special inducement, however, would be necessary to learn the game, were it more generally known that

great advantage is to be derived from the study of Chess, quite apart from the cultivation of strategic ability.

The faculty which is developed by playing Chess is useful wherever logical thinking and concentration are

needed, and it cannot be denied that these qualities are most desirable in the every day struggle in which

PREFACE

Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership

mental work has so largely superseded manual labor.

The thoughtful playing of the game not only cultivates the logical quality and imaginative power of the mind

but also tends to develop strength of character. It teaches us not to be hasty in our decisions, but to exercise

foresight at all times as we must abide by all consequences of our actions. Moreover, we learn from it

circumspection which causes us to survey the whole scene of action and does not allow us to lose ourselves in

detail; we also learn not to be discouraged by reverses in our affairs but to hold out and always search for

fresh resources.

Thus, Chess serves a good purpose for young and old. The boy will find it a fascinating pastime and,

unconsciously sharpening his wits in playing the game, will acquire a fine preparation for his calling in life,

no matter what it may be. For the man, and the woman too, Chess is well worth learning, as it will prove the

best companion in hours of leisure.

The reason why many people hesitate to learn the game and to teach it to their children is that Chess has been

misrepresented as a game which is very difficult to master. This false impression has been created mainly by

the wrong methods of teaching usually employed. The majority of writers on Chess deal with a maze of

variations and they expect the reader to memorize the moves with which to parry the maneuvers of the

opponent, instead of simply developing a few common sense principles which are easy to grasp and perfectly

sufficient to make a good player of any one.

This is really the great advantage of the game of Chess over any other board game, that it lends itself to the

application of general principles, so that any one can grasp and enjoy it without memorizing more than the

rules according to which the men move.

I have tried to develop these principles in a simple way so that they are sure to be easily understood, and I

have been greatly aided in my task by Miss Helen Dvorak and Mr. Eugene Fuller, who, without any previous

knowledge of the game, have learned it in reading through the manuscript of this book. They have given me

many valuable hints in pointing out all that did not seem readily intelligible to the mind of the beginner.

In explaining the game of Checkers, to which the second part of the book is devoted, I have also tried to

develop general principles of strategy, rather than to offer a mere classification of analyzed lines of play,

which the reader would have to memorize in order to be able to compete with experts.

I was fortunate enough to secure the collaboration of the Checker Champion, Alfred Jordan, who

enthusiastically adopted the new idea of teaching and furnished most of the material which I have used in

illustrating the vital points of the game.

EDWARD LASKER.

INTRODUCTION

The History of Chess

The game of Chess in the form in which it is played to−day is usually assumed to be of a much older date

than can be proved with certainty by documents in our possession. The earliest reference to the game is

contained in a Persian romance written about 600 A.D., which ascribes the origin of Chess to India. Many of

the European Chess terms used in the Middle Ages which can be traced back to the Indian language also tend

to prove that India is the mother country of the game.

INTRODUCTION

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