Brian Smith's Go-To Chess Books

For October's recommended chess books I asked our 2022 Murfreesboro Chess Club Champion for a list of his 10 Favorites.  The highlighted selections can be found in our Club Library.

"(These are) the 10 which I find I keep picking up more often than any of the 800+ that I own." - Brian Smith

My 10 Favorite Chess Books

• The King (Chess Pieces) – Donner: A collection of articles, essays and  tournament reports by the politically incorrect Dutch legend.  Hilarious, infuriating and never without an opinion. I have one of a 750 limited hardback print run and have never finished the final ‘piece’ because …the ride would be over.

• Complete Chess Strategy ; Volumes  1, 2 and 3 – Pachman:  1 and 2 were the first books I ever  purchased. I found them in Dickson Walmart spinner rack. The famous Czech dissident educates with well-chosen examples.

• Combinations in the Middlegame – Bondarevsky: In just over 70 pages the author does a great job communicating  the  motifs, aims and means behind good combinational play.

• Alexander Alekhine – Kotov: Propaganda? Sure, there is that…but in this labor of love, Kotov brings Alekhine and his games to life in a way no one ever has.

• The Inner Game of Chess – Soltis:  The prolific author is a master at making clear what too many ‘authors’ may struggle to convey. I could easily place 3 of his books among my top 10.

• Bent Larsen’s Best Games – Larsen: The first chess book I read start to finish. Anyone who sees an ‘a’ or ‘h’ pawn move two steps early in a game and shouts “Alpha Zero!”, needs to realize from whom the engine learned this idea!

• Selected Games of Lajos Portisch – Varnusz:  My first games collection. To this day, every single diagram seems to breathe the controlled positional art which I have insufficiently endeavored to replicate in my own games.

• The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal – Tal: Someone once likened this to a Federico Fellini movie script written with Tal as both interviewer and interviewee discussing his life and games. I get it.

• The Seven Deadly Chess Sins – Rowson:  As the professional Philosopher and 3 time British champion shows you how a chess game can go astray, your brain will begin to embrace a new awareness of just how your thoughts and attitudes shape your own play. 

• My Life in Chess – Gufeld: Wonderful annotations by a born showman whom many a Russian considered more buffoon than chess player. I know, because a Russian GM told me.