A decent book about some of the principles of chess play. ( )

Good introduction to the game, but meant for a complete novice. I enjoyed how Seirawan mixed instruction with history to give the reader an appreciation for both how the game evolved and the personalities that helped to shape modern chess. His commented games and examples have enough intermediary diagrams of positions that about half can be followed by a new player without needing a chess board. This makes for a good compromise between book length and ease of use. ( )