Learn Chess the Right Way | Book 4 | Susan Polgar

The Polgar Way to Better Chess! Learn Chess the Right Way is a five-volume chess puzzle series designed for novice, beginner, and intermediate players. Developed using the unique teaching methods of award-winning coach and former world champion Susan Polgar, the series introduces essential checkmating patterns, material-winning tactics, and defensive techniques through structured, practical training. Each volume contains 500 carefully selected puzzles to progressively build chess understanding and calculation skills.

Book 4 focuses on exercises involving sacrifices — giving up material in order to achieve a greater reward such as checkmate or decisive material gain. In the first five chapters, each section highlights sacrifices made by a specific piece to checkmate the enemy king, beginning with the Queen in Chapter 1, followed by the Rook and other pieces.

In Chapters 6–10, players receive no hint about which piece should be sacrificed, although the objective is provided — such as winning a Queen or Rook. Chapter 11 removes all hints entirely, challenging players to find sacrifices that lead either to checkmate or material advantage. Many puzzles build upon tactical skills introduced in Volumes 1 and 2, including forks, discoveries, and pins. Most exercises require calculating two to three pairs of moves ahead to reach the correct solution.

About the Author

Susan Polgar, a Hungarian-American Chess Grandmaster, has enjoyed an illustrious career highlighted by four Women’s World Championship titles and becoming the first player to achieve the chess triple crown (Blitz, Rapid, and Classical). At age 15, she became the world’s top-ranked female player and remained in the top three for nearly 25 years.

In 1991, she broke historic barriers by becoming the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title through traditional FIDE qualification requirements. A five-time Women’s Olympiad Champion, she has won ten Olympiad medals, including five gold medals. In 2014, she received the Furman Symeon Medal as the world’s best trainer.

Beyond competitive play, Susan is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and head of the SPICE program at Webster University. She also leads the Susan Polgar Foundation, promoting chess education worldwide, especially for girls. Her university teams have won four consecutive national collegiate championships, and her training curriculum is used in more than 80 countries. She continues to coach, provide commentary at major events, and author best-selling chess books, including A World Champion’s Guide to Chess and Chess Tactics for Champions.

Other Details

• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 171
• Dimensions: 25cm x 18cm x 1cm
• ISBN-13: 978-1941270439