Hey I'm rated around 1100-1300, and I've been studying a lot of different things lately from endgames to middle games and openings - the last two being not the greatest choices to focus on but endgames are my favorites.

I've realized through advice and sheer experience tactics and combination play are what I need to strengthen in my game to enhance my chess abilities.

Would a puzzles book be best for this?  Or is there a tactics book someone can recommend for me?

By the way, I know and can explain most all tactical terms - I read Weapons of Chess front and back - so something new that would help me implement tactics and combinations in openings, middle games and endgames would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Probably a mix of a book that discusses tactical motifs, and a puzzle book to complement it. Or use the tactics trainer on here instead of the puzzle book. A book on mating patterns might come in handy as well.

Good primers on tactical motifs:

Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan

Back to Basics: Tactics by Heisman

Chess Tactics by Littlewood

Mating patterns:

How to Beat Your Dad at Chess by Chandler

The Art of the Checkmate by Renaud & Kahn

Puzzle books:

Chess Tactics for Students by Bain

Winning Chess Tactics for Juniors by Hall

Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics is interesting and covers a fair number of tactical themes.  Vukovic's The Art of Attack in Chess explains how to know when to attack and how.  If you just want puzzles, Chess Mentor here has quite a few.

One neat book to look for is Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld

ISBN 9780671211141

It helped me improve.

I like Heisman's book because he discusses the idea of counting, which isn't normally discussed, but I thought the Littlewood book was great. It is a tiny little book, but it is efficient in presenting its information. I think it has around 5 pages for each motif. It explains it, how to exploit it, how to defend against it, and then gives 10 problems to solve.

For combinations Znosko-Borovsky's Art of Chess Combination is supposed to be good.

Dan Heismans book is a good start, How about chesstempo.com for tactics practice ? I find it much better than using books. Though I do have Polgars big thick 5000 puzzle book at work. Lev Alburts pocketbook is also good to carry around with you.

wow!!!... this is a blast from the past. The first chess book I ever owned.. from the early seventies. Excellent book for a beginner. How to plan three moves ahead. I still have my copy on the book shelf. But the binding has come apart and it's in three pieces from having been dragged around from house to house all my life. And parts of it are gone from being chewed by a dog.

what about the book that wrote the father of the polger sisters, that has like 5000 puzles or so? would anybody recomend that

Cheeck out Tactics Trainer or Chess Tactics Server