This guide is the first, as far as we know, self-taught chess in the true sense of the word. This is expressed not only in the appropriate distribution of material and the method of presentation, designed to awaken the student's initiative, but also in numerous practical exercises ("questions" and "answers" to them at the end of the book) offered to the reader after explaining each new concept or technique. Despite these advantages of the Dutch original, we, however, did not limit ourselves to its simple translation. Taking into account the needs of a novice Soviet chess player, we made some revision of the textbook, in some places clarifying and expanding the presentation (especially in the field of terminology). In particular, we have added the last, XII chapter ("Approximate Parties"), which we have compiled entirely. In all these additions, we tried to comply with the basic installation of the authors, without violating the method of their presentation.