---
product_id: 741926556
title: "The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery"
price: "€ 96.29"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/741926556-the-amateurs-mind-turning-chess-misconceptions-into-chess-mastery
store_origin: BE
region: Belgium
---

# The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery

**Price:** € 96.29
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- **What is this?** The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery
- **How much does it cost?** € 96.29 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/741926556-the-amateurs-mind-turning-chess-misconceptions-into-chess-mastery)

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## Description

This book takes the student on a journey through his own mind and returns him to the chess board with a wealth of new-found knowledge and the promise of a significant gain in strength. Most amateurs possess erroneous thinking processes that remain with them throughout their chess lives. These flaws in their mental armour result in stinging defeats and painful reversals. Books can be bought and studied, lessons can be taken -- but in the end, these elusive problems always prove to be extremely difficult to eradicate. Seeking a solution to this dilemma, the author wrote down the thoughts of his students while they played actual games, analysed them, and catalogued the most common misconceptions that arose. This second edition greatly expands on the information contained in the popular first edition.

Review: 最高の一冊です - チェスが好きで、独学で実力をつけたと思い込んでサークルに参加してみたら惨敗の連続。 そんなときに出会ったのがこの本でした。 ポジションプレイ、マイナーピースの力関係、ポーンの構成、ピース交換のタイミングや心構えにいたるまで、きちんと理解すれば初級から中・上級まで確実に成長させてくれる本だと思います。 同じポジションで、マスターは、レイティング1000、1200、1600の人はそれぞれどう指すのかということを非常に丁寧に説明してくれています。 きわめて完成度の高いテキストで、あらゆるレベルのプレーヤーに役立つと思われますが、特に、理由がよく分からないまま気がつくと負けのポジションになってしまっている、という方には最上の一冊になるはずです！
Review: 初心者のストラテジー理解にはうってつけｂ - なんか駒いっぱい(クローズドファイル)でビショップ動けん。けどナイトよりは強いんやろ？とか思ってる方向けです。 この様な状態ではナイトの方が強い、他の状態ではビショップの方が強い、とかスッゴく詳しく理解できます。 けど詳しすぎて(例えばナイトが居る状態を第１ランクから第８ランクまで書いてあったり) 「そんなのイチイチ分かッとるわい」と思える方は他のストラテジーをお勧めします。

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Amazon 売れ筋ランキング | 洋書 - 100,892位 ( 洋書の売れ筋ランキングを見る ) Chess - 175位 |
| おすすめ度 | 5つ星のうち4.5 680 レビュー |

## Images

![The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61jIshuvsjL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 最高の一冊です
*by ト***ケ on 2009年1月28日に日本でレビュー済み*

チェスが好きで、独学で実力をつけたと思い込んでサークルに参加してみたら惨敗の連続。 そんなときに出会ったのがこの本でした。 ポジションプレイ、マイナーピースの力関係、ポーンの構成、ピース交換のタイミングや心構えにいたるまで、きちんと理解すれば初級から中・上級まで確実に成長させてくれる本だと思います。 同じポジションで、マスターは、レイティング1000、1200、1600の人はそれぞれどう指すのかということを非常に丁寧に説明してくれています。 きわめて完成度の高いテキストで、あらゆるレベルのプレーヤーに役立つと思われますが、特に、理由がよく分からないまま気がつくと負けのポジションになってしまっている、という方には最上の一冊になるはずです！

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 初心者のストラテジー理解にはうってつけｂ
*by C***N on 2012年8月17日に日本でレビュー済み*

なんか駒いっぱい(クローズドファイル)でビショップ動けん。けどナイトよりは強いんやろ？とか思ってる方向けです。 この様な状態ではナイトの方が強い、他の状態ではビショップの方が強い、とかスッゴく詳しく理解できます。 けど詳しすぎて(例えばナイトが居る状態を第１ランクから第８ランクまで書いてあったり) 「そんなのイチイチ分かッとるわい」と思える方は他のストラテジーをお勧めします。

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From what may be a different perspective...
*by P***K on 2012年12月3日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み*

I wanted to write my first product review on Amazon for this book because I think I may have a slightly different perspective on its value than a lot of the reviewers on here. I don't have a USCF rating, but I do play against HIARCS regularly and it seems to classify me somewhere in the neighborhood of 1150. I think this is an important point to note, because this puts me firmly below the rating level most people suggest you attain before starting on Silman's books (Coach Dan Heisman, for instance, recommends waiting until you reach 1400 before tackling The Amateur's Mind, and 1600 before the "big guns" of How to Reassess Your Chess). The reason for this suggestion is generally given to be a need for low-level players to focus on tactics until they are blue in the face, because all of the positional theory in the world won't help you if you miss a nasty knight fork and lose huge amounts of material. As someone who has blundered away more than a few games, I certainly understand their point. With that said, I really believe that a player at my level will benefit tremendously from studying this book. I've noticed a marked increase in my board vision and goal-setting since starting to work through The Amateur's Mind, these are concepts that seem to be thought of as "intangibles" in the realm of casual chess play. Perhaps I still make mistakes frequently, but the mistakes I make are now (generally) oversight errors rather than hopeless tactical fishing... this is the sort of thing that will correct itself with experience and focus. In other words, now when I blunder away a game it is within the context of having a plan that is less effective than that of my opponent! Although I haven't seen the huge increase in rating points that many people claim to realize after digesting this book, I do think that it is only a matter of time and practice before this happens for me, too. I now see the reasons for many opponent moves that once seemed mysterious, and find myself better able to understand why I lost when it happens. I also have a handful of over-the-board nemeses who beat me frequently by the use of their superior tactical skill, but as I watch them play now I am beginning to identify their own strategic failings. While steadily improving my tactical abilities would doubtlessly lead me toward standing toe-to-toe with my usual opponents, an equal amount of tactical improvement combined with stronger positional awareness must result in my being able to not just compete, but win. Perhaps this is not the most commonly prescribed method for improving one's play, but I think that there is a clear delineation between chess players who win by tactics and bravado (not that these are mutually exclusive) and chess players who, nonplussed by their swashbuckling foe, leave him badly beaten and somewhat confused as to where it was he went wrong. I work on tactics problems daily and I don't want to be misunderstood: at a low level of skill, tactics are clearly the area of playing chess that deserves the most time and effort. However, as someone who doesn't take lessons and largely learns by self-directed study, I think The Amateur's Mind challenges the developing player to become aware of the concept of strategy; before reading the reviews of this and Reassess, I was hardly aware of the distinction between the two! After purchasing TAM and working through a couple of chapters, I can say I finally realize what I had long believed but not understood: chess is not a game of single position / solve for x puzzles played in sequence until someone loses, a game of chess develops organically around two people seeking to impose their will on each other. That's a big shift in mindset, and I would be willing to bet it's an extremely valuable one!

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery
- How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances
- Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master

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*Product available on Desertcart Belgium*
*Store origin: BE*
*Last updated: 2026-08-12*