Journey to 2000 (rating) Where to start?

Please take the time to read, I really like to better my game. Thanks.

My average rating is 1350-1400, I seem to have hit a wall, can't get past it. When white I can only play my strongest when my opponent agrees on an Italian game. When they reply with Sicilian, I'm lost. My question: What book is best to get on openings? That discusses not only the patterns but also discusses the purpose of the pieces on those positions. Any additional advice would be greatly appreciated and would be most likely taken.

I would suggest, if you are really stuck in the sicilian, to purchase "MCO 15". Any opening questions will be answered there. Or for more depth into the Sicilian itself, look for "Starting Out: The Sicilian". 1300-1400 though? Go do some tactics!

start from 1400

no, uh... seriously, Estragon gave some advice in here which i personally fully agree with, and playing+reviewing is my main improvement method up to this day. you could post some of your sicilian games

the everyman book on the bb5 sicilian is not a "starting out" book. it's a pretty advanced book actually. i think the gawain jones anti sicilian book on bb5 may be more accessible.

I dont think it's about the opening, i think the way to improve is learning tactics and endgames, normally a 1400 player won't play you theoretically more than a few moves, so, be able to recognise attacking positions it's important or when you can go for a winning endgame.

To improve your endgame i would suggest the "100 endgames you must know" by Jesus de la Villa, this helped me a lot.

Studying tactics and endgames is probably best but if you must study openings then try to find something that explains the ideas behind the openings instead of just spewing endless unexplained lines (like MCO).  The classic book for this is Reuben Fine's "The Ideas Behind theChess Openings" which has been reprinted in algebraic.  Of course theory has advanced a bit since 1943 so you may need something more modern...The current gold standard in 1 volume opening encyclopedias is Paul van der Sterren's "Fundamental Chess Openings".  He deliberately doesn't go more than 5 or 10 moves deep but will often take a paragraph to explain a single move.  Some folks hate it because it doesn't give lines that are long enough, but once you understand the general plans for each side you should be able to hit a database for more depth.  If you have deep pockets there is a 4 volume series on "Chess Opening Essentials" that covers the same ground but with fancier diagrams, color printing, and lots of example games.  Hope that helps.

Thank you all guys, yes I do think that tactics is the current problem rather than opening, missing out the 3-4 move combination often. I'm about finished on L. Polgar's 5334 Chess Problems. What's the next book after this?

@manfredmann, yes I think I should switch to d4 in order to prevent black's Sicilian. I'm currently trying the Queen's gambit as it is the only d4 opening I know.

@LoveYouSoMuch, Thanks for linking me to Estragon. I'm sorry I can't find any recent Sicilian games as I've decided to rest from chess for a week. It won't be problem anymore though, I'm switching to d4.

@SPkrain, thanks for that suggestion on endgames. I haven't been able to win a number of won matches because of my endgame blunders.

@baddogno, yes I think I should get a copy of "Fundamental Chess Openings," as I am planning to switch to Queen's Gambit but have no idea how to win with it.

My book recommendations

Openings: Fundamental Chess Openings 

Endgame: Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge

Tactics: Tune Your Chess Tactics Antenna

Middlegame: Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy

Sicilian. I have read a series of 3 books :Dragon, Najdorf, Schevenigen. If you have the patience, then do. If not, you can play other then 1. e4.

And how about Ruy, Caro, etc?

fundamental chess openings is a pretty pointless book. it has about as much info on an opening as the relevant article on wikipedia. if you want to just try out an opening, watch some kind of youtube video explaining it and then look through a few master games in a database - then just test it out, play some games, look in the database after your games and see when someone left the book lines.

once you find an opening you like playing, and like the positions you get out of it, then it might be worth buying a book just on that one specific opening to look deeper into the ideas of it.

You could try an all-inclusive repertoire book like John Watson's A Strategic Opening Repertoire for White.  It would probably be best to have a coach that can explain the ideas of your favorite openings or watch chess.com videos on them and focus more on tactics/strategy/endgames.

I would recommend trying some coaching, as it looks like you're going to lose a lot of time. If you went through Polgar's 5334 and are still stuck at 1350, you're probably not using your book resources correctly...

Try improving tactics before focussing on the opening.

kabayan,

just crossed the 2000 treshold for correspondence (3 days/move) after regular study for the past year or so.

my first book: better chess for average players

next: 1000 checkmate combinations by henkin- an absoutely amazing book that i happened to read at the right time in my development. finished it in about 6-8 months, but it was worth the effort.

henkin's book will teach you tactics, but then the next step is the much more difficult to grasp skill of positional play, so, my next recommendation is:

artur yusupov's level 1 chess books- not for the faint of heart. must be a very self-motivated learner to get the most out of this series. i have mangaged to finish the first 2 books and currently in the middle of the third.  failed most of the chapters on positional play, but the only "punishment" is that you have to redo the chapter again.

what worked for me might not work for you, so take what i say simply as a suggestion. i am sure that are lots of other good books out there.

as for opening books, there is a pile of half a dozen or so books on my desk that have never been used. my opponents staunchly refuse to play the opening i happened to be reading, and even worse, do not make the moves that the book wants them to.

Thank you all, I now fully realize that tactics is my current problem.

Congrats. Your mom is a genius.

This is what I'm about to do..........I enjoyed playing Chess very much. I'm an amateur working and studying to improve. I meet lots of wonderful people playing this game. Chess make me whole and humble.

From The End to The Beginning

1. Read Reasasses your Chess up to page 52 then read the Amateur's Mind book then finish the Reassess Your chess.
2. Read Best Lessons of A chess Coach
3. My System 

Once these book are read and understand then I will start on endgames study

1. Read Fundamental Chess ending up to page 57 that cover Pawns Ending at the same time I'll be reading (1.Pawn Power in Chess and then 2nd Undertanding Pawn Play in Chess.) Continue reading FCE and start on Silman's Endgame Course.

Then I will read The Middlegame book 1 & 2 by Euwe and Kramer and Modern Chess Strategy by Pachman

Then back to working on pawns

Read Pawn Struture Chess by Soltis then The Ideas behind the Chess Opening by Fine.

Also, John Watson's Mastering the Chess Opening Vol: 1-3

One a everyday basic I will be solving tactical puzzles form The the Complete Chess Workout By Palliser, Combinative Motfifs by M. Blokh, Practical Chess Exercices by Ray Cheng, and Sharpen your Tactic by GM Lein and Boris Archangelsky. That goes well with this training because it doesn't give you a hint what to look for.

Also, I will go over two GM games daily from these books

• Understanding Chess move by move by John Nunn
• Grandmaster Chess Move by Move John Nunn
• Capablanca's Best Chess Ending by Irving Chernev
• Learn From Garry Kasparov's Greatest games by Eric Schiller
• Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games Vol 1 By Igol Stohl
• Bobby Fisher My 60 Memorable Games
• My Best Games of Chess 1908-1937  Alexander Alekhine
• Fischer World Champion by Max Euwe & Jan Timman

Very useful advice:

Winning Chess Endings by Yasser Seirawan (International Grand Master), page viii

 “Studying the endgame will teach you how to land those “won” positions and to avoid the bad ones.  Although some middlegames or openings end in a decisive checkmate or perpetual check, most games come down to an ending in which the game is well balanced and ends in a draw, or one in which the stronger side tries to force the advantage and gain victory.  You will have a decided advantage if you have a good grasp on ending strategies.

Furthermore, your skills in all facets of the game will improve.  By learning in advance all those positions that won or drawn, you’ll be better to steer your way through the middlegame.  The more experience you have in the ending, the better your own middlegame play becomes.  Then, as you get better in the middlegame, you learn to choose openings that suit your middlegame tastes.  In short, improving your endgame improves your whole game.” 

A World Champion’s Guide to Chess by Susan Polgar (Grandmaster)

“I highly recommend that beginners and intermediate players work mostly with tactics and endgames and solve tactical exercises every day.  Tactics and endgames are the foundations of chess.  Opening study is important only at much higher levels such as expert, master, and beyond.  It is enough for beginner and intermediate players to understand only the basic principles of chess openings. . . .

My father used to say: ‘Prepetition makes a master.  Repetition makes you a better chess player.’  And he was right.  Solving thousands of puzzles really helped me become the play that I am today.  The point is not to memorize the actual positions but to remember the ideas, to recognize the patterns.  Chess is largely a matter of pattern recognition.  The more patterns you know, the better player you will be.  It is said that an average grandmaster has a mental library of about 20,000 patterns, which includes tactical, strategic, and endgame patterns.  The main aim of this book it help you build your own library of ideas.”