I am looking for some opening books to help me improve my play and I need some suggestions that will help me find books that dont spew out loads of variations. I want a book with worded explanations and basic strategies and if you you are going to suggest a book that is simply a collection of games that have been downloaded from chessbase and annotated then dont bother (basically every gambit publication book ever written for example) because I dont learn well this way. I quite like some of the everyman chess books. Remeber l;ong worded brilliant explanations because quite frankly there is no point in those books with loads of opening theory, who is seriously going to remeber all that?

I already have books for my defence against queens pawn openings and unusual openings like reti and the english.

I need books for my 1.e4 opening as white and 1.e4 e5 as black (playing anything else is out of teh question so dont bother). I like basic principles and dont liek hypermodern play and kings indian setups and gambits, I liek basic principles, trying to build a solid centre and playing from there.

As White

My main opening is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 Bc4 so obviosuly I need a good book to help me through the giuoco piano and two knights defence, petrov and philidor defences (and anythign esle I might have missed). I also need a book to help me beat any semi open games. I need a book to help me beat the sicilian (I liek the open sicilian for example so dont make any fancy anti sicilian suggestions and hopefully taht gives a better picture of teh sort of play I like, two central pawns thrusty forward and then playing for a strong centre and a win) and I also need a defence against the french, caro kann and pirc in which I will play 1.e4 and 2.d4 and then build around my centre. For example in the french I will play 1.e4 2.d4 and after 2...d5 I will play Nc3 and build on my centre while making basic devloping moves. Also somethign against the alekhine and scandinavian and anything I might have missed.

 

AS BLACK

I play 1.e4 e5 so I obviosuly need a good defence against the spanish and also something against the italian gae. I like the cunningham defence against the kings gambit and Ill need somethign against the four knights defence. Anything else that is likely to occur after 1.e4 e5 will also be appreciated as obviously I cant think of everything now.

Its really importnat, I cant stress enough how much I need to avoid crappy books with loads and loads of notation, I need books with worded explanations and themes and ideas and a simple mainline.

I really hope you guys can provide some good info, any outsanding book that springs to mind that fill sthe criteria of any one of my openings is helpful and it wil be greatly appreciated. Thanks people, looking forward to your responses

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I only have 1 book about openings and that is this one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Opening-Essentials-Complete-1-e4/dp/9056912038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211808183&sr=8-1

 

It covers most openings starting with 1.e4. Every opening starts with some text, then a main line with good annotations (again with lots of text), and then a few games played with that opening. Also some traps where u can go terribly wrong are explained.

 

I think it's a pretty good book. I can read most of it without using my chess board, which says enough imo.

 U can see some sample pages on this site:

 

http://www.newinchess.com/Chess_Opening_Essentials__Vol__1__The_Complete_1_e4-p-380.html

 

Hope this helped!

 

i don't know many just opening books but attacking chess thats a good one

Hello,

Marin has a two-set book rep with 1...e5. First one is for playing against everything other main-line Ruy Lopez. Uses Bc5 options mostly against i.e. King Gambit, 3.Bc4.  Quite advanced but good teaching of resulting middle game positions. Note that second edition is more complete. Would recommend getting that one, and see what you think of his approach before getting the main-line Ruy Lopez based second volume.

This second one is based around two sophisticated Chigorin defenses, i.e. Rubinstein and Petrosian systems. Generalising wildly the nature of these defences are typically european, defense orginated lines, which may not suit an aggressive American player. Maybe worry about how to play against Ruy Lopez later, will see this more often when playing higher rated players.

Bye John S 

some great info people thankyou, I dont have time to check it now but will defo do so soon as.  Ogenki your suggestion looked particularly suitable

Also, see this related thread:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/who-knows-a-good-program-for-learning-openings