Most games of chess are decided through tactics. This is good news, since virtually all players love tactics. The best advice for a novice who wants to improve quickly is therefore: improve your tactical abilities. This books helps in identifying weak points in the position of your opponent, in recognizing patterns of combinations, and in visualizing tricks. My Daily Exercise is neither just a freewheeling puzzle book, nor a systematic course in which the thematic grouping of the positions gives an unwelcome hint to the solution. Here the tactical themes are clearly explained, but the random order in which the exercises are presented, makes studying the material much more similar to what a player experiences in an actual tournament game. Tactics are both the wonder and the terror of chess, and regular practice is the key word in getting better at it. The book starts easy, but don't worry: the level of difficulty will steadily increase. Don't skip the explanation if you have found the solution, because only if you read the solutions carefully you will maximize the improvement of your skills. The way in which Heinz Brunthaler, a successful coach and author from Germany, has listed the solutions makes it impossible to take a peek at the key moves of the next exercise. My Daily Exercise is particularly useful during commercial breaks in your favorite television program!