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Chess: From Beginner to Pro  By  cover art

Chess: From Beginner to Pro

By: Mike Valley
Narrated by: Jay Dee Johns III
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Publisher's summary

Chess, a two-player strategy game, may appear simple to the casual observer, but its game board of 64 squares and 32 pieces can take a lifetime to master. The game itself originated in the sixth century, taking on a militaristic theme, which later evolved into the pieces of today: pawn, knight, bishop, rook, and, of course, the king and queen. The game is highly strategic and played around the world by lovers, young and old, of the genre. Each challenge is unique, and every player has his favorite move and cunning approach.

In Chess: From Beginner to Pro, author Mike Valley gives the listener everything he or she needs to know about the game: history, basic rules, and advanced strategies. Before long, even those who are new to the game will be gleefully calling "Check Mate" to their defeated foes.

A book designed to bring your game to the next level, Chess leaves no pawn untouched and no king sheltered behind his bishop. Start listening now, and begin to play like a pro today!

©2015 Mike Valley (P)2015 Mike Valley
  • Unabridged Audiobook

What listeners say about Chess: From Beginner to Pro

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Good for someone who never played. Not pro.

Good for someone who never played. Not pro. Even a novice won't learn anything. The narrations sounds like someone buddy was recorded the audio reading in their living room. Not an issue, just not professionally narrated.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Unlistenable

Would you recommend Chess: From Beginner to Pro to your friends? Why or why not?

I was unable to even listen to this audio book because of the poor quality of the narration. I felt like I was listening to a high school book report being presented aloud. Poor diction, terrible speaking rhythm, and absolutely no sense of dynamics

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jay Dee Johns III?

Almost anyone.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The text itself seemed interesting, I just wish I could get past the horrible presentation.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Title is misleading

As a chess enthusiast, this book is too general to be of any use to an intermediate level player let alone a pro. A more suitable title would be something like: "chess for absolute beginners"

The narrator lacks any real energy or interest in the subject matter; like he was in pain.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth the price

Good overall summary of all aspects of chess. Nothing too in depth. Great for beginners.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • BG
  • 02-10-16

Nah

Maybe in text but not audio...just didn't work well. Performance was ok though. A

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • DR
  • 10-24-18

terrible

his voice was monotone.. his voice sounds like he was reading from a book. horrible audiobook.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Don't waste your money

Whereas this book may be helpful in written form, it is completely useless for an audible book. The description of moves are stated too much in the abstract to be understood by the oral learner. Also the narration is perhaps the worst I've heard from any book on audible thus far. Poor quality. I would recommend other titles than this one for the beginner at chess.

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