Book excerpt: A well-written and easy-to-follow beginner's guide to Chess and Checkers by German-American chess and Go player Edward Lasker who FIDE awarded the title of International Master of Chess. In the first section, Lasker attempted to present the principles of chess in a simple way so that anyone can learn and enjoy it without memorizing more than the rules according to which the players move. In explaining the game of Checkers, which is the second part of the book, Lasker has tried to design general principles of strategy instead of offering a mere categorization of the examined lines of play, which the reader would have to remember in order to be able to compete with professionals. Content includes: Introduction The History of Chess the History of Checkers The Game of Chess- The Rules of the Game Elementary Tactics General Principles of Chess Strategy Illustrative Games Problems The Game of Checkers- The Rules of the Game Elementary Tactics The Five Fundamental Positions General Principles and Illustrative Games Problems