Best Books for Beginners?
Sort:
I am really enjoying Pandolfinis Ultimate guide to chess. I'm fairly new to it and it is helping me a ton
Dec 3, 2015
0
#3
KingAdRock wrote:
I guess my goal is to find the best books on Openings, Mid-Game, and End-Game for beginners. Does anyone have any opinions on this?
Almost everyone has opinions. Opinions must be weighed carefully, as most are not worth the price.
For openings, the best book is a blank notebook.
For middlegames and general principles, I recommend in order:
1) Capablanca, Chess Fundamentals
2) Chernev, Logical Chess
3) Chernev, The Most Instructive Games Ever Played
4) Stripes, "A Checklist of Checkmates" (http://shop.chess-university.com/collections/all)
For endings:
Silman, Silman's Complete Endgame Course
Those should be sufficient to get you to 1500 if you also spend a lot of time on ChessTempo or this site (I recommend both) solving exercises.
Dec 3, 2015
0
#4
Idiots guide to chess, Patrick Wolff. Seriously good book, terrible title. Great to read, very clear on concepts lots of diagrams and good excercises. Finally learned chess this year!
Dec 3, 2015
0
#5
"For openings, the best book is a blank notebook."
Ziryab and pfren - how so? What is the idea behind it and how to use it?
Soviet Chess Primer
Irving Chernev's Logical Chess Move By Move
Dec 3, 2015
0
#8
Rsava wrote:
"For openings, the best book is a blank notebook."
Ziryab and pfren - how so? What is the idea behind it and how to use it?
Fill it with notes on tactics and endgames, and maybe a few thoughts concerning mobilizing your pieces, ...
Or, you can create rules:
1) Castle early and often
Or, you can copy the rules laid down by dead chess players like Emanuel Lasker: http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2013/11/laskers-rules.html
It's up to you. The point is to avoid wasting time memorizing lines from MCO that none of your opponents will play ever.
There are many good beginners book. But I recommend Winning Chess Strategy for Kids by Coackley.
It covers well the opening principles, endgames, tactics and strategy that beginners should know.
http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Strategy-Kids-Coakley/dp/1895525055
lets just say there are many instructive, useful books on chess. IMHO.
about the FCO/MCO, you couldn't name books LESS instructive for a true beginner.
and whats Really nice about an empty notebook is the true principle that in chess; real effort and study goes very far.
Dec 4, 2015
0
#13
This person made a list on amazon called "Chess books that really helped me, in the order I wish I had read them"
Dec 4, 2015
0
#14
Good list TimmyBx and it just happens start with the book I heartily recommend: the complets idiots guide to chess! (God, that title is awful for such a great book)
Lots of good books for beginners listed here:
http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
since you brought up opening books (FCO) in your initial post, I suggest, at your level, you might want to check out
"Discovering Chess Openings..." by John Emms
It focuses on fundamental chess opening PRINCIPLES (i.e., it is not an openings reference such as FCO).
Enjoy!
Dec 5, 2015
0
#16
I don't recommend Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. People seem to keep mentioning it everywhere and I think it is because of Bonny Fischer but in the annotations he just lists alternative variations. There is very very few conceptual or theoretical comments.
"... [Fundamental Chess Openings] is not particularly suited for players who are just starting out. I would imagine players rated at least 1400-1500 would get the most benefit from this volume. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)
"... many players will be happy with [Modern Chess Openings 15], but only because they don't know there are better ways to spend their money than investing in this volume." - FM Carsten Hansen (2008)
"... I do wonder how I would have found the experience as a junior player of ploughing through the latest volume of intense opening theory. A bit bewildering, perhaps?" - GM John Emms (2006)
"If you find an opening here that appeals to you and you wish to find out more about it, the next step would be to obtain an introductory text devoted entirely to that subject." - GM John Emms in his 2006 introduction to basic opening principles, Discovering Chess Openings
"Throughout the book Emms uses excellently chosen examples to expand the readers understanding of both openings and chess in general. Thus equipped the student can carry this knowledge forward to study individual openings and build an opening repertoire. ... For beginning players, this book will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board." - FM Carsten Hansen, reviewing the Emms book
Some books to consider:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1949)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Discovering Chess Openings by GM Johm Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
I believe that it is possible to see a fair portion of the beginning of Tamburro's book by going to the Mongoose Press site.
Dec 9, 2015
0
#18
I found two cool books:
1) Chess Tactics by Paul Littlewood.
2) Chess Openings for White, Explained by variouls authors.
KingAdRock wrote:
I found two cool books:
1) Chess Tactics by Paul Littlewood.
2) Chess Openings for White, Explained by variouls authors.
If you find these books helpful, you should use them. Regardless of what the naysayers may say.
I like the "Fundamental Chess Openings" book, but it is a little in depth for a beginner. I am plodding through it however. I am making progress, but am wondering if there is a better book out ther. I hear "Modern Chess Openings" is good, but full of typos.
I guess my goal is to find the best books on Openings, Mid-Game, and End-Game for beginners. Does anyone have any opinions on this?