I just finished Chernev's Logical Chess and realized I enjoy learning general opening/positional/attack/strategic principles through annotated games rather than reading purely instructional books on strategy. I own the first 9 books on NM Dan Heisman's list of recommended annotated game books that are in "roughly ascending order of difficulty."

https://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/General_Book_Guide.htm

(or just google search Dan Heisman book recommendations)

Some famous annotated game books are not on his list and I was wondering if anyone would comment on which of the following annotated game books are accessible to a lower-level player (below 1500-1600) and where in Heisman's list you would insert these books:

1. 300 Games of Chess by Tarrasch

2. Masters of the Chessboard by Reti

3. 500 Master Games of Chess by Tartakower

4. 100 Master Games of Chess by Tartakower

5. Chess Praxis by Nimzo

6. Capablanca's Best Chess Endings by Chernev (it focuses on Capa's endings, but 60 complete games are annotated start to finish)

7. Russian Chess by Pandolfini

8. Capablanca: A Primer of Checkmate by del Rosario

9. Best Lessons of A Chess Coach by Weeramantry

10. How to Be a Class A Player by Dunne

If you know of other good annotated game collections (books, website, or software), that aren't listed, please share... Thanks!

Numbers 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 in your list aren't annotated games books per se.

The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games by Graham Burgess, John Nunn and John Emms isn't on Heismann's list. I think it is very good value for money.

I just think it's a pity there aren't more annotated games collections available for e-readers like ePlus and ForwardChess at the moment.

Assuming you're 1400-1500 OTB strength, #1,#2,#3 are ok (#3 might be a tougher read, but it can be used as inspiration).

#5 is very obscure, and I wouldn't recommend using it as it could cause a lot of confusion...

#6 is much more challenging - would recommend it if you're intermediate strength or above (1700+ OTB)

#7 is anecdotical (a bunch of Russian games) - no real instructional value

don't know #8 and #10

#9 is more advanced (I'd say 1800+)

I like Best Lessons of A Chess Coach by Weeramantry. I think this book is perfect for you. You will learn lot from this book.

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Pandolfini's Russian Chess apparently is just 6 annotated games which were won by Russian GM's. The title sounds more like advertising hype. Pandolfini's books in general seem geared to lower level players, but the title Russian Chess makes it sound more advanced.

The Capablanca checkmate book by del Rosario I think is supposed to show checkmate patterns using Capa's games, but the games are commented from start to finish. Since it is Del Rosario, whose Morphy book is early on Heisman's list, I was hoping someone would know if it were meant for a lower level player.

The Dunne book uses a bunch of games to show how a class A player (category 1 FIDE; reachable goal for an adult, I hope?), punishes the mistakes of class B and C players (categories 2 and 3)... Much more accessible to my level than Master level games but difficult to know where it would fall on a list like Heisman's.

Amazon reviews are good to get general ideas, however recommended levels for different books are given wildly large ranges for ratings... e.g. Along the lines of "This book is great for players between 1200-2000 and you wil get more out of it if you reread it every time your rating increase by 100 points" or "This makes a great second book once you have learned the basics", with the next reviewer saying that it is best for players rated 1900-2300.

There is also GM Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Brilliancies (Everyman, 2003), which contains 12 games fairly extensively and often entertainingly annotated. The games are listed here:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1001669

www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Brilliancies-Everyman/dp/1857443470

It's certainly suitable for players below 1500.

In the book's Postscript, Seirawan writes that he annotated 18 games but the original publishers (Microsoft Press) weren't able to give him enough space for them. I think it would be great if his full annotated games collection were released on an e-book platform, such as Forward Chess. There is currently a lack of games collections in this format suitable for club level players.

I highly recommend Chess: The Art Of Logical Thinking by Neil McDonald.  McDonald's writing is exceptionally clear.  He explains the ideas behind each move and he doesn't muddy the waters with countless variations as many other books do. I think you would definitely be able to follow his analysis.

I have a lot of chess books and this is one of the most truly instructive ones in my collection.

All of the books McDonald did, like the one mentioned above, are excellent.  Chernev, McDonald and Giddins are excellent writers and you will enjoy those if you enjoyed Chernev's Logical Chess book.  I would start from this list and work your way down:

http://danheisman.home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/General_Book_Guide.htm#anthologies

Thanks for the suggestions.  Just finished reading McDonald's first book... enjoyed it greatly. Now reading Heisman's Worlds Most Instructive Annotated Game Book. I feel like for the first time I am getting a more global view of the game rather than just the microscopic view of tactics and endgames (still important obviously)... hopefully will one day translate into better play with quieter-appearing positions.

If you liked Chernev, why not continue with "Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played".

I have the old edition and its highly recommended. 

http://www.amazon.com/Most-Instructive-Games-Chess-Played-ebook/dp/B00QEGHAHU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429432687&sr=8-2&keywords=chernev

Is Bobby Fischer's "My 60 Most Memorable Games" suitable for a player rated below 1500?

I believe some previous poster(s) have been confused about #5, 7, 9, & 10; they are annotated games, and fine in my book. I think most people would say Chess Praxis is a notable work. The Weeramantry book is in Q and A format. Russian Chess is fewer games with extensive annotations and if I remember correctly, oriented toward less experienced users (as is most of Pandolfini's material). I seem to recall that there may have been another book with the same title that is not a book of annotated games.

Thanks for the suggestions and insights.

Update:

Over the past few weeks, I have read and played through McDonald's Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking, Heisman's World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book, and Pandolfini's Russian Chess book.  Like Chernev's Logical Chess, none of these are perfect, but they are all very good and seem well-suited toward lower level club players as an introduction to general chess principles including openings and strategy, e.g. the stuff that isn't directly addressed by studying tactics and endgames only. 

I am currently reading and enjoying del Rosario's A First Book of Morphy. It is at an accessible level and Morphy was a dominant chess player from the bygone pre-Steinitz Romantic era of chess, so this book seems appropriate both in terms of difficulty AND chronology.  For that reason, I am debating whether to continue on to Tarrasch's 300 Games of Chess followed by Reti's Masters of the Chessboard (continuing with the chronology theme) or to instead continue to build on general chess principles with more "attack"-oriented game collections (but still accessible to lower-level players) like del Rosario's Capablanca's Checkmate book, Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans, and Weeramantry's Best Lessons of a Chess Coach (where the author states that his strategic lessons focuses on building and sustaining the attack, although I am aware this book is at the level of higher level club players). 

Alternatively, I was debating either before or after these books whether to do something entirely different, like read through all of CJS Purdy's stuff, since he has a strong reputation as an instructive author for lower level players.

Chernev's Most Instructive Games book: Heisman lists this book after Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans (which in turn follows the del Rosario Morphy book), but the reviews I have read online seem to put the book quite a "step up" in terms of difficulty from the books I have mentioned above (except for maybe Weeramantry).  

Simple Attacking Plans is great and is available on the Forward Chess app.  I read it (for a second time) on a plane trip.

Chernev's Most Instructive Games is fantastic and a must read.  Easily my favorite annotated game collection.  I wouldn't call it quite a step up, it's just not organized into a couple of simple themes with multiple sample games.

I have just bought John Nunn's "understanding Chess Move by Move" It is not bad but the commentary is sometimes short but the columns of analysis very long.

That's any Nunn book.  Get used to it.  It's like reading the source code for The Matrix.

This book is THE logical sequel to Logical Chess: Move by Move.

Note that Dan Heismann gives a link to a superb article on this site at the bottom of his page, which gives the recommendations of nine Master level players of "the best chess books ever".

http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever

Interesting that game books are the top recommended books, and here are those that are recommended by two or more of the Masters:

***** MY BEST GAMES OF CHESS, VOLUMES ONE AND TWO by Alexander Alekhine

***** ZURICH INTERNATIONAL CHESS TOURNAMENT 1953 by David Bronstein

***** MY 60 MEMORABLE GAMES by Robert Fischer

***** TAL-BOTVINNIK, 1960 by Mikhail Tal

**** HOW TO REASSESS YOUR CHESS by Jeremy Silman

*** MY SYSTEM by Aron Nimzowitsch

*** CHESS PRAXIS by Aron Nimzowitsch

*** ENDGAME STRATEGY by Mikhail Shereshevsky

*** SOVIET CHESS 1917-1991 by Andy Soltis

*** THE LIFE & GAMES OF MIKHAIL TAL by Tal

** 100 SELECTED GAMES OF CHESS by Mikhail Botvinnik

** CAPABLANCA’S BEST CHESS ENDINGS by Irving Chernov

** MARSHALL'S BEST GAMES OF CHESS by Frank Marshall

** THE ART OF THE MIDDLEGAME by Paul Keres and Alexander Kotov

** GRANDMASTER OF CHESS: THE EARLY GAMES OF PAUL KERES by Paul Keres
** GRANDMASTER OF CHESS: THE MIDDLE YEARS OF PAUL KERES by Paul Keres
** GRANDMASTER OF CHESS: THE LATER YEARS OF PAUL KERES by Paul Keres

** THINK LIKE A GRANDMASTER by Alexander Kotov

** UNDERSTANDING CHESS MOVE BY MOVE by John Nunn
** SECOND PIATIGORSKY CUP by Gregor Piatigorsky and Isaac Kashdan
** GRANDMASTER PREPARATION by Lev Polugaevsky

** MIKHAIL BOTVINNIK: THE LIFE AND GAMES... by Andrew Soltis

** DYNAMIC CHESS STRATEGY by Mihai Suba
** ROAD TO CHESS IMPROVEMENT by Alex Yermolinsky

Why do you think it's obscure? It's highly recommended, by three Master level players, in the article I mention above.