Chess Links & Books
Free Chess Books
Ralph Bowman
At the author's request the following books are free to download.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ralph Bowman was one of the founders of the Kansas Scholastic Chess Association. He served as executive vice president of KSCA from 1988 until 2006.
He was the coach of the Erie High School team from 1982 until 2007. During that time his teams won nineteen 3A titles, finished in the top five 12 times, and his teams were Grand Champions three times at the State Championship. His teams won trophies at nine USCF National Tournaments.
He has served on the USCF Scholastic Committee since 1987 and was its chairperson for seven of those years.
He was co-organizer of the 1990 National High School Championship and SuperNationals II (2001) in Kansas City.
Ralph's first book A Beginner's Guide to Coaching Scholastic Chess was written at the request of USCF and is available here and on the USCF website. That book is also the book which is used for the test for a Level II coach in the USCF Certified Chess Coaches program. His other two books below are what he used to teach new players and to coach his experienced players. He has donated them to KSCA to promote the future of Chess in Kansas.
A Beginner's Guide to Coaching Scholastic Chess V5
50 Guidelines to Winning Chess Games
A Beginner's Guide to Learning Chess Under 12
A Beginner's Guide to Learning Chess 13 and Up