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Magnet-21

What would be an appropriate book for me to read at my level? I think my major weaknesses are miscalculating cadence sometimes, and I have some trouble visualizing the ending positions of variations when I do them in my head. This is the reason (apart from the fact that you can check openings) that my online rating is much higher than my live chess rating, I can go through the variations as much as I want without time trouble.

Anyway, the books I have read are Reti's Modern Ideas in Chess (which I found fascinating), I have gone through "Predator at the Chessboard" (great book for those of us who are more inclined to words and language), I have skimmed HTRYC (and plan to read it when I reach 1700 online, more or less), and Best Lessons of a Chess Coach which I skimmed as well. 

 

I have a lot of books but I don't know where to start and which would give me the most benefit for my time. What do you think? I think that probably a book of game collections would be fun and instructive, I find opening theory boring and endgames fun, but I lack endgame theory because the videos I have found on them are too dry.

 

Oh I also have the program CT Art, maybe I should just do that?

 

EDIT: If you're going to look at my games to assess my weaknesses (I would really appreciate it if anyone did that!) skip my blitz games because I am rubbish at fast time controls.  

Knightvanguard

Check out:  Logical Chess Move by Move - Every Move Esplained by Irving Chernev.

Vease

Lou Hays' Winning Chess Tactics for Juniors and Susan Polgar's Chess Tactics for Champions are very well regarded - Logical Chess has complete games and not all of them have sharp positions so I wouldn't necessarily go for that.

Seeing positions clearly after calculating a variation is what seperates the men from the boys, some people have amazing ability there (like the GM's who play blindfold games at a higher level than most of us who see the board could ever aspire to) but most people are like me and start losing the thread after about 3 moves Embarassed

Hugh_Vincent

Try the excellent easy to read primer "Chess Made Easy" by Purdy & Koshnitsky, pub. By Penguin books. I have passed the beginner stage but still find it useful. The problems with more advanced books are that they assume that you know the basics and it is hard to know where to start.

JEMORANGE

The chess club that i go to recommends you dont touch any books until about  ~ 1900 - 2000 rating. A great way to train your visualisation is the game solitaire chess. The object of the game is to take every piece on the card until you have one piece left (using the rules of chess of course) The expert difficulty is actually very challenging and i couldnt get a couple of them. A 2100 player at my club had to take about 20 minutes to solve the most difficult puzzle. Really helps a lot especially OTB

Magnet-21

Exactly, I cannot go on seeing it clearly in my head for more than three or four moves, unless it really is simple calculation or something. I don't always see the great potential of pins, how to exploit them, that mostly happens in standard time control games. 

I did read Logical Chess, in fact it was the first book I read I think, but I only went through the games I liked, mostly the ones by Capablanca. I didn't like that the openings that were played there, if I remember correctly, weren't the ones currently being played but it surely is a wonderful book.

 

EDIT: Thanks for the wonderful book suggestions, I am still open to more, by the way! Could you explain what this solitaire chess thing is about? Never heard of it, I'll google it!

JEMORANGE

Also, if you do get the solitaire chess game. Dont use your fingers or anything. Do it all in your head that way you will be training your visualisation 

Magnet-21

Sure will, there was a book I had on calculation which was great because it was categorized by ratings, I can't remember it's name, but I should go over it probably. By the way, I'm probably going to be checking out "Masters at the Chessboard" by Reti as well as I enjoyed "Modern Ideas" so much. It's a continuation of that book it seems.

 

"Chess Fundamentals" by Capa could be a good read to get the fundamentals right. He certainly had them, Laughing. Or something by Max Euwe? Ahh...so much to read, so little time...

JubilationTCornpone

I have almost your exact same problem.  You can see my blitz, standard, and online ratings are all about +200 points from each other and it's because I know a lot of tactics and strategy but at fast time controls I make blunders.  The book I have chosen is Lazlo Polgar's "Chess".  Even looking at the "one move" tactics, of course I find them all, but do I find them INSTANTLY?...not always.  I think that is the way to train to SEE rather than KNOW which is my problem and maybe yours.  At least I hope so.  Good luck!

Magnet-21

Thank you for your suggestions, yes I have those problems as well. I'll look into it.

JEMORANGE

Magnet, if you can let me know the name of that book on calculations, I will get it for sure!

Magnet-21

Chess Visualization Course, that's the title. 

JRTK73

People should note that basically everyone has a higher Online Chess rating than for Live Standard Chess. I don't know why this is but the average rating for Online Chess is over 1300 whereas the average rating for Live Standard is more like 1100. Therefore a large gap between those two ratings does not neccesarily indicate you are clearly superior at one of them.

Magnet-21

Yes, I know. But in my case, the large gap shows that's the way it is. For example, you have only 100 point gap in your Online vs your Standard. I have almost 300 points between them! And my blitz rating doesn't even surpass 1100, which is embarrasing but I don't mind since I hate blitz.

JubilationTCornpone
Notsure123 wrote:

People should note that basically everyone has a higher Online Chess rating than for Live Standard Chess. I don't know why this is but the average rating for Online Chess is over 1300 whereas the average rating for Live Standard is more like 1100. Therefore a large gap between those two ratings does not neccesarily indicate you are clearly superior at one of them.

This is true, but the difference is about 250 points.  For, me the difference is over 400.  I attribute the extra 150 to having time to not blunder.  It is even possible that I merely make more use of the time while others just go ahead and play quickly, but the difference seems real for whatever reason.