THE TEN MOST COMMON CHESS MISTAKES

by GM Larry Evans
Cardoza Publishing, 2002


For beginners, this book would be an excellent companion to a chess primer. The lessons of bad development, pawn-snatching, etc. could be reinforced with the examples from Evans’ book. The only caveat here is that some of the mistakes reviewed in the book are very subtle and may not be very apparent to the novice. However, even if you don’t attempt to find the answer, just reading Evans’ explanations of why each move is good or bad makes for a worthy learning experience. For more experienced players, the examples are reminders to stay alert and not forget basic ideas in their zest to learn more complex issues such as opening lines or endgame techniques (it is much harder to study calculus if you don't remember your algebra).

Review by Tom Codispoti of www.chessville.com