I'm by no means a good player, but I'm re-reading (seriously, don't laugh) Chess for Dummies by FM James Eade. Since it's a ...for Dummies book as you can imagine it starts with the very basics (setup of the board, how the pieces move, etc.) but then it gets into tactics and strategy geared toward beginners and it has diagrams and exercises, so a book like that might be along the lines of what you're looking for.
How to learn Chess?
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Hi! I am not very good with English writing so I will just jump to the point...
I learnt how to play chess a long time ago, but never played much. Recently I found myself captured into this game again. I only know the basic rules and tacitics of the game.
I tried playing a few games but the outcome is not good as I have no idea what I am doing --- I can identify the attacks and even perdict a few moves, but not with a purpose in mind.
For now I know what I need to do in each turn to avoid losses. What I want to achieve is to have a very clear mindset of what I want to do before the game (macro management, I guess, is a good word for that?), and plan the opening and midgame structure accordingly.
I think I am talking in circle so maybe this example will help: I start out the game by e4, Nf3, d3 because that's the only opening I know. Then I move according to what my opponent does... Then on a certain turn my enemy attacks my rook with a bishop, I move the bishop to safty but soon realize that every moves before this lead me into great trouble.
Is that any way out of this? I prefer books---so I can read while commuting---that explain the logic behind each move and include abundant excercises to familiarize the materials.
Thank you very much for advices!