No cold friend requests please. If we have a fair game or two, I'll add you to my friends/invite list. Otherwise, please stop spamming me.

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Chess-related books that have helped me in one way or another:

general study -

Jacob Aagaard: the Excelling at... and Grandmaster Preparation... series; Practical Chess Defense; Attacking Manual I & II

Jonathan Rowson: Chess for Zebras; The Seven Deadly Chess Sins

endgames -

Jesus de la Villa: 100 Endgames You Must Know

(Not written [or translated?] very well, but it's on educator's 'top 10' lists for a reason.)

mating patterns -

Murray Chandler: How to Beat Your Dad at Chess

(Don't let the cover or title put you off. This is a great introductory book on checkmate patterns.)

Georeges Renaud: The Art of Checkmate

tactics -

Ward Farnsworth: Predator at the Chessboard vols. I & II

(Another goofy cover, wrapped around fantastic content.)

middlegame -

John Nunn: Understanding Chess Middlegames

strategy -

Neil Mcdonald: Chess Secrets - The Giants of Strategy

John Watson: Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy

pawn structure & pawn play -

Alexander Baburin: Winning Pawn Structures

Mauricio Flores Rios: Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide

Hans Kmoch: Pawn Power in Chess

note: Kmoch's book is to chess as kale is to vegetables... very good for you, but can be very

hard to digest. buyer/reader beware.

Sam Shankland: Small Steps to Giant Improvement 1 & 2

Andrew Soltis: Pawn Structure Chess

openings -

John Watson: Mastering the Chess Openings, vol. 1-4

Various Authors: Many, many books too numerous to mention re: specific openings/variations...

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