A systematic structure that teaches Capablanca chess

In keeping with its orientation as a book for beginners, 『The Beginning of Chess』 begins with information for those who have no prior knowledge of chess, such as the chessboard, the composition of chess pieces, moves, and basic rules.
However, Capablanca being Capablanca, after explaining the basic rules of chess, he immediately familiarizes himself with the pieces through checkmate training, and then explains from the opening to the endgame. In the second part, he teaches chess tactics in a reverse order unique to Capablanca, going from the endgame to the opening.
The reason he teaches the game backwards from the endgame is to make sure that you learn how to finish the game through the endgame, which has fewer pieces and thus less complexity (but still tests the player's intellectual limits in terms of positional play), and to make it clearer what kind of connection structure the middlegame-opening leads to.
This also proves Capablanca's theory that chess is 'easy to learn but difficult to master', and makes 'The Beginning of Chess' an introductory book to chess suitable for older readers, teenagers and adult beginners, rather than very young readers who are familiar with pictures and images.

Furthermore, as we delve into the tactical and strategic commentary section, which begins in earnest from Part 3, we discover in-depth content that makes us question whether this book should be viewed as merely an introductory text.
This reflects Capablanca's intention to have "The Beginning of Chess" complement his previous two books, "My Chess Resume" and "The Fundamentals of Chess."
This intention also led me to structure this book as a guide that can accompany you from beginner to intermediate level.

There are many colorful stories about the origins and history of chess.
The truth about its origins is unknown.
We can trace the story of this game back 3,000 years, and then, like many other things in history, we lose track of it.
Chess wasn't always played the way it is today.
The last change in Europe occurred hundreds of years ago.
Until recently, this game was played with different rules in different countries, among different races, in the East and the West.
A few years ago, I was playing a friendly match with Amir from Transjordania and noticed that he was used to a different style of castle than we were.
And recently I heard from Mir Sultan Khan, a top-class British player, that in his native India, he learned the game under quite different rules.

--- p.13

As the reader can observe, the words are placed symmetrically, facing each other.
The pieces placed directly in front of the white square are, from left to right, Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, and Rook.
One pawn is placed in front of each piece.
It is preferable to play on a board with yellow and black or yellow and green squares.
The design of the piece should be in the so-called 'Staunton pattern' and the bottom of the piece should be approximately two-thirds of the square size.
This combination will make your board look easy and clear.
The side with the white pieces starts the game first.
And then take turns counting.
--- p.16

Bishops control more or fewer squares depending on their position.
In the diagram above, a bishop moving along a light square controls nine squares other than the one he is standing on.
A bishop moving along a dark square controls 13 squares other than the one he is standing on, four more than that.
The reader will come to understand the importance of these details as he progresses through the game.
It should be noted that a single bishop can only move 32 of the 64 spaces on the board due to the nature of its movement.
And when you're in the center of the board, you control one less square than a rook can move across the entire board.
--- p.18

Chess is easy to learn but difficult to play well.
Systems and methods will greatly help you play well.
Therefore, students must carefully review what has already been written.
Once he is confident that he is familiar with the movements and notation, he should practice on his own with the king in different mate positions.
He must increase and decrease the number of pieces he uses while using other pieces, with the goal of mastering the movements and capabilities of the piece called the King.
This exercise will develop students' imagination and make the game more fun, increasing their desire to improve.

--- p.38

For study and theory purposes, a chess game is divided into three parts: the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame.
The opening covers the process of putting different pieces into action.
The middlegame deals with using these pieces to achieve a certain outcome, while the endgame is the final stage where the efforts of the opening and middlegame combine to produce a satisfactory decision.
Of course, this is a big mistake, but I'm talking about a well-fought game where neither side breaks any of the basic rules.
If either side makes a critical mistake or violates a fundamental rule, the game is likely to end quickly.
Among experts, some games end right at the opening because a major mistake by one side is considered too advantageous for the opponent to continue.
Many matches end in the middle game because a mistake made by one player allows the other player to create a mate or asset advantage, making any continuation futile.
In achieving these results, the masters have developed many combinations that are sometimes very beautiful.
It has been a joy for chess players across generations.
--- p.104

I think purely technical books on openings are only suitable for experts or those close to experts.
For the average player, a book that covers openings more generally might be better.
While every little detail is important to the expert, the average player cannot afford to pay attention to such minute details and must limit themselves to broad lines of general application, confident that if the principles are applied correctly, good results are inevitable.

--- p.193