Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966, later editions 1972, 1982) is one of the best-selling chess books of all time. Despite the title, Fischer did not write it alone; it was programmed by Stuart Margulies, a psychologist, and Don Mosenfelder, an educational writer, based on Fischer’s games and principles. The book uses programmed learning — a step‑by‑step, self‑testing format — to teach basic checkmate patterns, not full‑game strategy.
(This is an original example, not copied from the book, but following its style.)
Position:
White: Ra1, Rb2, Kc3
Black: Ka8, pawns a7, b7, c7
Question: White to move and checkmate in one. bobby fischer teaches chess vk
Answer: Kb3? No – not check.
Ra8#? No – rook cannot move to a8 through the king? Actually, Rb8#? Wait, Ka8 has no moves, but is Rb8 check? Yes, because rook on b2 can go to b8, giving check. Black king a8 has b8 attacked, a7, b7, c7 all defended? But c7 pawn blocks c8? Escape squares: a7, b7 are occupied by black pawns. c8 is free? No, c8 is not attacked. So Rb8+ is not mate because Kc8 is free. So correct answer: Rba2? No. Actually, the real mate: Rb8#? No – Kc8 escapes. So it’s not mate in one. The real book would have a correct diagram. This illustrates the need for precise composition.
The book focuses almost entirely on endgame checkmates:
It contains over 300 diagrams, each with a question and answer on the next page. No opening theory, no middlegame tactics beyond mates, and almost no positional play. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1966, later editions 1972,
Fischer devotes the first major section to the "Back Rank Mate." Do not just solve the puzzles. Ask yourself: How did the opponent's king get trapped? Look for immobile pawns in front of the castled king.
Fischer famously noted that "Chess is a visual game." The book contains almost no long paragraphs. It relies strictly on diagrams. This makes it universally accessible—you don't need to speak fluent English to understand Fischer’s tactical vision.
The book has a comprehensive final test. Do not take it until you can solve the preceding 300+ problems with 90% accuracy. Score yourself strictly. The book focuses almost entirely on endgame checkmates :
VK (Vkontakte) is a Russian social media platform where users sometimes share copyrighted files, including PDFs of chess books. People search there because:
Important note: Downloading or distributing Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess without permission violates copyright law in most jurisdictions (the book is still under copyright, as Fischer died in 2008, and the text was work-for-hire). The book is widely available legally for ~$10–15 USD in print, Kindle, or audiobook format.