Chess Shopping Guide (2006-2007)

(December 2006) Buying a gift for a chess player is even easier learning how to play the game. No real chess player ever has enough chess sets or enough chess books. Here is a summary of the many product related resources located on About Chess.

Chess Equipment and Accessories

Each year we prepare a holiday list of top ideas for chess equipment. We look at almost everything available on the market and choose ten items. Then we add links to price comparisons for those items.

• Top 10 Chess Gifts for this Holiday Season (2006-2007) • When people shop with chess in mind, chess sets are an obvious choice. As usual, chess sets top our list.
  
  

Chess Books

We keep track of chess books in two different ways. First, we check what's hot. Books in this category can be perennial best sellers or new titles which have captured the attention of the general public. Second, we survey the awards given annually by the most respected experts in chess literature.

• Top Picks : Popular Chess Books (2006-2007) • These picks are more suitable for beginning and intermediate players.
  
  
• Award Winning Chess Books • These books are suitable for players of all strengths. Some titles are more suitable for advanced players, although less experienced players will often come to appreciate a more advanced book.
  
  

Chess Buyer's Guide

Our year round guide is located on the left column of every page. The first link is a one-stop jump to many of our product related articles.

• Before You Buy, Top Picks, Reviews • These are articles that have appeared on About Chess for products of all categories.

The other links are shortcuts to some of the same material under our Products / Shopping topic. They are a mixture of About Chess resources plus dozens of links to other sites on the Web.

• Chess Equipment • Information on buying boards, sets, tables. Some of the merchants listed here carry merchandise from the books and software categories.
  
  
• Chess Books • Information on publishers and sellers.
  
  
• Chess Software • Information on software developers and sellers.
  
  

Chess Products / Shopping Topic

We think chess products are so important that we also have the topic listed on the left column of every page.

• Chess Products and Shopping • Chess can fit any budget. Unless you're a blindfold whiz, a board and pieces are the bare minimum. Add a clock for serious or blitz games, a few other accessories for tournament use, and you're ready for action. When you want to improve your game, buy a few books or software titles
  
  

If you are interested in our previous years' picks, see Shopping (2005-2006) under 'Related Resources'. Have fun shopping for the greatest game in the world!