Coakley's books are all deceptively advanced and intensive. It is not easy finishing any of them cover to cover, but quite rewarding if you do. Will look for vol 2 as well when it comes out.
On a similar note, Yusupov's training books are also rare gems that you don't find often.
I'm 1700 OTB and it's no easy breeze to get past Build Up Vol. 1. Very challenging problem sets ... one of those authors that do not give you cookies/easy problems as buffer to pad up their books.
That's precisely why it reminded me of the Coakley books.
Didn't say it would be too hard. Just that it's a very meaty book that you can't speed past. :)
For example, I can "now" re-do the Bain tactics book (also recommended by NM Heisman) in one sitting ... the problems are almost all single/double-motif and the challenge curve is "steady" but very surmountable so it'll be a while before you hit a stumbler (a tactic you got wrong or didn't figure out) ... assuming you even hit one. The Bain book was the bread and butter tactics book for me when I was climbing along from USCF 1200 to about 1400-1500.
I moved to the Coakley books right after and one common theme was that it would regularly feature insane problems from hell that will make you slam the brakes and make you go "wow" when you figured out the solutions or flipped to the back of the book. Same story with the Yusupov series.
Didn't mean that they were not useful ... just that they wouldn't be the "first" tactics book I'd ever get.
Get Bain, the Polgar big-book or even use online trainers (Chesstempo, chess.com) and Levels 10-20 of CT ART software prior to hitting these two books.
How about CHESS: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games. By Laszlo Polgar? I was thinking about ordering it. Or THE COMPLETE CHESS WORKOUT: Train Your Brain with 1200 Puzzles! By Richard Palliser?
I don't understand why chess puzzles for kids should be any different than chess puzzles for adults at the same level.
http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/what-rating-would-this-book-be-suitable-fore I went ahead, and ordered this. Hope it's not too advanced.
I had heard rumors there would be Vol 2, so I wrote Jeff Coakley and he just informed that Vol 2 has gone to the printers! Will be available soon. I don't know whether Vol2 will be harder than Vol 1. Dan Heisman says the Winning Chess Exercises for Kids is the most advanced one. Not just for kids. And his one on Strategy is really good. The Puzzle one is easier than either. (See Dan's chess book recommendations.) So we will see what Vol 2 is like. Personally I love his books - intelligent, helpful, and full of joy. Stwils