Chess book recommendations

[Artemis Apollo]

Hi, I don't mean to dig this up, but as what I am asking for doesn't seem to be specified, I would like to ask what sources a beginner should first pursue? I am a mid stakes poker player, a good reader, and capable of digesting information well, so I am not searching for something dumbed down necessarily, but I would like to find either a source designed for a beginner, or several sources which together can provide an adequately thorough overview of the game and which would be useful to a person who is new to the all but the most basic of concepts (the basic early game and vague understanding of position and similar concepts), and hopefully not too extensive a collection of reading, as I want to get into it fairly quickly and acquaint myself with the game before I search more deeply.

Thanks for your time. I hope I don't come off as stupid, as I am really quite ignorant of the game, but would like to learn.

[BobJoeJim]

Originally Posted by Artemis Apollo

Hi, I don't mean to dig this up, but as what I am asking for doesn't seem to be specified, I would like to ask what sources a beginner should first pursue? I am a mid stakes poker player, a good reader, and capable of digesting information well, so I am not searching for something dumbed down necessarily, but I would like to find either a source designed for a beginner, or several sources which together can provide an adequately thorough overview of the game and which would be useful to a person who is new to the all but the most basic of concepts (the basic early game and vague understanding of position and similar concepts), and hopefully not too extensive a collection of reading, as I want to get into it fairly quickly and acquaint myself with the game before I search more deeply.

Thanks for your time. I hope I don't come off as stupid, as I am really quite ignorant of the game, but would like to learn.

Lev Alburt's Comprehensive Chess Course, volumes one and two, would probably be pretty close to what you're looking for.

[Artemis Apollo]

I am probably going to order them quute soon, unless there are better (newer?) replacements of the series? It seems some people complain about the presentation and layout of the book, but I am not too trusting of random reviews anyway. I don't mind spending time on the subject, but having a smooth start would be good, of course. Are there any other specific sources (videos aimed more on basic concepts than high level games?) or programs that would be useful? I am just asking in case of course, I really don't mind going through books.

[swingdoc]

Going through both volumes cover to cover is probably the best way to start for a serious beginner. Once you've done that there are tons of great tactics programs or books that you'll want to use.

[smilingbill]

Got Seirawan's Chess Duels yesterday, seems like it is going to be one of the best chess books I've read. Highly recommended

[Allen C]

Two books that represent a very solid and fun course in tactics are Murray Chandler's How to Beat Your Dad at Chess and Chess Tactics for Kids. I'm currently going over them for a second time and, despite the title and hokey covers, I feel like I'm getting quite a lot out of them and believe they would be helpful to at least the range of players from 1000-2000 USCF.

Each book has two pages devoted to each of 50 different tactical motifs. The left hand page has several diagrams showing the bare bones of the motif with solid and dotted arrows showing where all the pieces go so you don't have to be distracted much by the chess notation (which is also included). The right page has four, more complicated positions with detailed solutions in prose and notation below. These seem to be designed to just read through as additional examples but you can easily cover up the solutions and try to solve each position yourself first. Each book ends with 40-50 test positions with a separate solutions section.

To anyone who is trying to follow the advice to work on their tactics I would recommend reading these two books before tackling the thousands of problems on Chess Tactics Server, CT-art, or any of the 1001 whatever books available.

[KyleJRM82]

I've got about 200 pages to go in How to Reassess Your Chess, which at my current pace means another couple of weeks. When that's done, I'll be picking up some new book(s) to continue with.

I'm looking for anywhere between 2 and 4 new chess books to study concurrently. Probably two, but I'm willing to go beyond that if the others are short or I have another good reason. One of them will be Silman's Endgame Course, which I have a pirated PDF of but want to get a legit copy (and I like studying from a real book better anyway).

I want suggestions for how to fill out the remaining 1-3 slots. Some guidelines, because I'm hyperspecific and picky when I'm spending money:

1) It must be level appropriate. I float around 1700 in the ICC 45-minute pool, sometimes pushing up to 1800. This tracks pretty closely to ICC standard, and I think ICC standard 1700 is something like USCF 1400ish.

2) I just got done with a thought-process book (Amateur's Mind) and am finishing up a positional book (HRYC), so a different direction would be a nice change of pace.

3) If it's an opening book, I want one that does a good job of explaining the basics of how to convert the opening into a middlegame plan and execute that plan. My openings are in general weak, but especially as black and especially especially against 1.d4.

4) I do tactics training at chess.emrald.net, but I'm willing to consider a tactics book if it's cheap and highly useful.

Alright, I think that's enough restrictions.

[spoonitnow]

I really liked Lasker's Manual of Chess. The style is something that I don't expect a lot of people to like, but it covers all aspects of the game and gives good discussion on combinations and how they come up from positional play, etc.

[Allen C]

Originally Posted by KyleJRM82

I'm looking for anywhere between 2 and 4 new chess books to study concurrently.

First, buy your 2-4 new books but then do you damnedest to finish those before buying more. I've been a bit of a book buying junkie over the last year, for every one I finish I buy 3 more and it just gets lame and I always feel like I have to rush through the one I'm on to get to the next one. Some are useful as reference books however and I don't mind hording a few of those.

Anyway, out of my 30ish book collection allow me to recommend:

Rate Your Endgame by Colin Crouch

The format of this book is pretty much the most enjoyable (and helpful?) way of studying the endgame that I've encountered. For the bulk of the book Crouch lays out complete games with which to play solitaire chess. You try to guess the move of the master (or one equally as good) for every move in the endgame and you get a score for each answer. An explanation is given for why most reasonable but wrong moves you may have chosen are inferior so you're rarely left wondering if your idea would have worked as well. In between every couple games are lessons on general ideas and theoretical positions that are useful for the upcoming games. Fantastic.

Mastering the Chess Openings by John Watson (volumes 1 and or 2?)

Watson systematically goes through all the major openings explaining the plans and ideas for the various pawn structures and piece placements and provides several completely annotated games with references to several other games embedded within for each opening. You mentioned interest in d4 defenses which are covered in volume 2 but I would certainly recommend volume one as it contains 3 excellent chapters on general opening principles and since you're a reformed e4 player it would be relevant to about 3/4 of your games.

Starting Out: (Some defense vs. d4) by somebody

All Starting Out: books I've looked at are very educational on all facets of the game relevant to that opening and use complete, well commented games.

Practical Chess Exercises from Tactics to Strategy by something Wang

The title sums what this 600 puzzle book is about. Each diagram contains no hints or categories and each answer contains a title that is useful as a hint (Knight Fork!, Stop Enemy Counterplay!, Positional Pawn Sacrifice!), the difficulty level from * to **** and a very short lesson on the theme of the puzzle along with the appropriate lines of play. Excellent on Kindle or Amazon Kindle apps with a clear diagram and solution on the next page.

Of course I also recommend the two kids' books in my above post or any tactics book that meticulously explains all the motifs (Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan and Back to Basics: Tactics by Heisman are two others I've read) as a supplement to any tactics training site.

[Allen C]

Also my ICC standard is about 50 points below my USCF and my 45-minute pool rating is 100 points above my USCF so, uh, what's my point again? Oh yeah, I like this thread and wish it got more traffic.

[Fistdantilus]

The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings by Reuben Fine

Fine does a great job detailing what each side is after in the classical openings, and specifically points out how to equalize as Black in each of them. It's a great book because it's mostly prose, with some variations thrown in for thematic example. The walk-through of how theory progressed into the different openings is very informative, and how each side made improvements to their lines. It's best for classical players, and since theory comes and goes I don't mind the somewhat outdated lines.

The downsides are that it's primarily a historical text and it shows its' age: he's distrustful of the Indian defenses, he views isolated pawns with severe disdain, and some openings and lines he completely disregards even though they are perfectly acceptable (the Benko and Semi-Slav Botvinnik variation are notable examples). Another downside is that the book is riddled with errors, but they are the obvious and not devious type (like white having 9 pawns in a diagram: the pawn is supposed to be black).

Nevertheless, it's one of the very few books I've kept over the years to reference occasionally to garner the idea of a particular opening system and see where it all started.

Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual

I've read through both Silman's and Seirawan's endgame books, and thought both were good... but Dvoretsky's is really on another level. Definitely not recommended as your first endgame book, and the effort required is on-par with Kotov's book.

Originally Posted by Garry Kasparov

I read chess literature. But most modern books are short-lived. That's the difference between them and Bronstein's Zurich 1953! One book maybe not yet in English is Dvoretsky's endgame book. I was impressed with the material. That's not a short-lived book.

My rating: ~1950 USCF, chess.com correspondence, and chess.com blitz

[KyleJRM82]

Thanks for the fantastic suggestions!

I refuse to start a new chess book until I finish the one I have, and I don't rush through (playing over every single example is the key to learning, I think). I'm just blessed with a ton of time lately.

[KyleJRM82]

Originally Posted by Allen C

Also my ICC standard is about 50 points below my USCF and my 45-minute pool rating is 100 points above my USCF so, uh, what's my point again? Oh yeah, I like this thread and wish it got more traffic.

This is why I shouldn't get too caught up in internet ratings. On a decent run, that'd put my 45-minute pool roughly even with yours, and I'm definitely a few hundred points behind you in ability.

Okay, more book talk.

I'm finishing up HRYC, and I have to say it's lived up to the hype. It explains a lot of important ideas in clear language. I've heard a lot of criticism, but I think it comes from players who aren't taking the right steps to get the most out of the book. Plus the fact that it's a positional book for a level of player who will not be winning and losing most of their games positionally.

I went to a nearby chess club for the first time tonight (it was amazing, btw) and a gentleman there was reading How to Beat Your Dad at Chess, which I thought was interesting because I've heard it recommended around here several times.

If anyone's interested in a book swap or something along the lines, I have a feeling I'll start piling up a bit of a library soon. I don't ever use my copy of MCO, and I know I'll never get anywhere with Pachman's Modern Chess Strategy because I can't stand the descriptive notation.

[MyironThumb]

Hey guys, I was hoping one of you could suggest a chess book aimed at beginners/novice players. I've just started playing this month and played around 10 games so far with a friend. I've picked up the basics quickly and have improved over those games quite a bit but I'd really like to progress to a more advanced level

I was looking to buy it for my kindle so a book that you'd reccomend that is in the kindle store (http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/...11%2Ck%3AChess) would be great. Thanks!

[Allen C]

You want a basic primer on all aspects of the game. Flipping through a few pages of your link, two books I know you can trust, if you want to go old school, are Emanuel Lasker's Manuel of Chess or Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals. They may both be just a tad above your level but if you take your time with them you should be fine.

I'm suspicious of some of the new books on that list and would stay away without a recommendation.