Yes, these type of puzzles should definitely be helpful: read my review of Jeff Coakley's superb "Winning Chess Exercises for Kids Vol II" at http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review754.pdf. He also now has a puzzle column at Chess Cafe. These types of puzzles, at a minimum, help your crucial "Board vision" and often help visualization, tactical vision, and other chess skills.

I respectfully disagree with rdecredico - Almost all chess skills (with the possible exception of innate deductive logic), like most skills in life, can be developed (and are every day by people playing and studying chess - they are not just picking up knowledge, but developing these skills). When I first started playing I could hardly see what was happening on a chess board but, after a few years of intense practice in various chess visions (although that was a side effect of what I was studying), I was able to play an entire game blindfold. Yes, I always had that "capability" but it had to be developed, just like board vision does. Please check my blog http://blog.chess.com/danheisman/chess-skills-are-not-have-and-have-not - Regards, Dan H

FBurton: Jeff Coakley replied "...my books are easy to find at reasonable prices. $25 to $35 for a 300 page book is not a bad deal. Among other places, Chess Cafe carries all my books. The green book has been out of print for a few months..., but Chess Cafe and other retailers still have some in stock. " He also said the new "Winning Chess Strategy for Kids" printing (green book) should be available again soon.

Chess Cafe, of course, is www.chesscafe.com

FBurton - Glad to be of help. Sorry that UK doesn't carry them - after all, he is in Canada and that is part of the British Commonwealth, so it should be not so expensive!