Book recommendations

I’ve been getting into chess a lot in the last year and I think I can confidently say I’m in between the beginner and intermediate skill range.

The only books I’ve read are the bobby Fischer beginner book and Jose Capablancas chess fundamentals. I’m now looking for a book that will help me improve without having a massive learning curve. I got the modern chess openings 15th addition and sure it’s made me understand openings a bit more but I’m still struggling with notation and keeping track of all the pieces without seeing the board. What I’m asking is what are some good books to read for someone who isn’t completely new but for someone who is still trying to understand tactics and openings.

I’ve tried watching videos before but a book makes me feel like I have to read it and have to do it because I spent money on it so please don’t suggest any videos unless they’re really good.

Thank you for reading, have a good day :)

If you are able to get Reti's Masters of the Chessboard, Nimzowitsch's My System or Keres & Kotov's The Art of the Middlegame, then you will have a book you can learn a lot from now, and will be with you for the rest of your life.

Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar is a good instructional book. If you are able to sit down with a board and play along (guess the move) then a games collection may be rewarding. I like Nimzovich's book on Carlsbad 1929. There are many others.

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond…

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

I have a few books to recommend. First as a refresher, if you have not delved very deeply into tactics yet...

Everyone's First Chess Workbook by Peter Giannotos. I had been away from chess for quite a while when my friend started a local chess club and I needed to refresh my tactical vision. This book worked great for me to knock the rust off of my game and after finishing it I was playing much better at my club.

Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games by Laszlo Polgar. This book was the same sort of training given to the Polgar sisters, among them Judit Polgar, who played against men and broke through the top 10 in the world. Highly recommended, though if possible, get an eBook version as it is a thick book and will be more portable (I have a Kindle version which is easy to take anywhere).

Those two books can help fill in any holes in your knowledge you should have learned up to 800 rating on Chess.com. Beyond that, Irving Chernev's Logical Chess: Move by Move, and also his book The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played, and to get started on endgames Jeremy Silman's Complete Endgame Course.

Lastly, you might want a collection of games by a player you feel plays in a style similar to your own. You must ask yourself, are you an attacking player, more of a defending style, slow grinding player putting the squeeze on your opponents, etc., then find a professional that plays in such a style. My personal favorite was Capablanca, who was a very precise player. He was great at endgames, and if he got just a pawn up he could generally convert the win. His lifetime record in match, team, and tournament play was 318 wins, 249 draws, and only 34 losses. Needless to say, I'm not there yet.

This can give you some great instruction in how to improve your own play. I think if you do these things you can easily climb to over 1200 on Chess.com.

Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman.

Improve your Chess by William Hartson. That book alone took me from 1000elo to 1400elo OTB. Never see it recommended but it's better than any of the 90+ 'big name' books I have (subsequently bought). 75 two page lessons. Explanation on one page. Examples on next page. Also older versions "Teach Yourself Better chess" can be found really cheaply.

William Hartson was the BBC chess commentator in the 80's when Britain was strong at chess and everyone watched it on Sunday TV. He was also the chess column author in the Independent (high brow/broadsheet) newspaper, a Cambridge Alumni and a popular science author. His clarity of communication is far above that of most chess authors.

I'd also second Reti's books and Chernev's Logical Chess.

For decades, I have recommended Irving Chernev’s Practical Chess Endings, Logical Chess Move by Move, and The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played.

You mentioned MCO. That is more of a reference book than a teaching manual.

(1) Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games by Laszlo Polgar - as above.

Tactics and mates are key to improvement for most. Polgar's book is BIG and will last a long long time. Very good value as you will not need another tactics book for a long while. Note, mates are very good at giving you a good 'feel' for pieces, combinations and patterns in a crowded positions.

(2) How To Choose A Chess Move by Andrew Soltis.

This is a general purpose book with lots of sound advice and GM games to play thru. It's important to get a book like this - or similar - as you may well need direction without a coach, you can spend lots of effort and time on things of no immediate value. The book will give you a framework to bounce off.

Alternatives would be 'Tactics Time' and 'Weapons of Chess'.

As for Openings, I think it's best to get a notebook and study your own game openings - what works and what doesn't!

1. Leave book early and often and force your opponent to actually play chess and out of his book comfort zone.

This is a very right advice!

Must admit I found that book of Hartson's of great practical use too.
two similar if slightly more advanced are "100 Tips to Improve Your Chess" by Tony Kosten. and Joe Gallagher's 101 Attacking Ideas in chess - again a tip on every double page. 

You might have just sold me 2 books 😀

The Kosten one is by far the better of the two so if you can get that one, do.
I went from about 1600 to 1800 just by playing through that - but wished I had seen it earlier, but great for revisin as well..

Concur on Hartson's book, love the format. However I guessed the OP would only be up for the first 25 lessons or so - I only managed about 2/3rd of the way, the advanced stuff didn't really apply to me as my mistakes were far more basic. The Soltis book I felt would reward quicker, and when you get right down to it, simpler in terms of textual advice.

The suggested alternative, 'Weapons of Chess' by Bruce Pandolfini is well worth a looksee for those who like to 'dip into' for a few minutes or so, like the Hartson's book. It's a fundamental strategy omnibus, however most importantly doesn't require a chess set as there are diagrams for every described move. Would help with openings as well.

Hartson and Pandolfini are my two Bus/Train books as they can be utilised almost anywhere and anytime you have a few minutes to burn. Thinking about it, there is probably a simple and handy book - to add to the two - that just does named, checkmate patterns. Completing the set, so to speak!

I would definitely recommend Weapons Of Chess by Bruce Pandolfini as mentioned by AlexiZalman.It basically fit the description of the book your looking for perfectly!Quite simply it’s instructive,clear,easy,quick to read,and covers a wide range of chess topics.Good Luck!!

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I heartily recommend Peter Gianaatos' Everyone's First Chess Workbook. This book will teach you everything you need to know until you get over 1500 rating. Past that you might need to learn an opening for white and two for black...one for e4 and one for d4. Otherwise, don't study openings much at all.