I recommend Andrew Soltis's <The Inner Game of Chess How to Calculate and Win >. It is really very inspiring. As stated on its back cover: This book examines both the technical and practical aspects of how to think ahead - the selection of cnadidate moves, the evaluation of end positions, finding the proper move order , and the like.
Book Recommendations
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Have you read any chess books before?
Jan 25, 2014
0
#4
Thanks ebillgo! And Bardu, I have read The Complete Book of Chess Strategy by IM Jeremy Silman... thats about it :)
I'm looking for the next level of improvement; maybe a good book on the endgame with pawn structures, an in-depth look at common openings, etc.
I'm not an actual beginner haha but I'm not really strong... I don't think that helps though :)
Marie_Abraxzas wrote:
Kotov's "Think like a Grandmaster" is a great book for novices.
If you are interested in opening theory, the "Bible" of opening books is "Unorthodox Chess Openings" by Eric Schiller. If you can only have ONE chess book, that should be the one.
Think like a grandmaster isn't for novices and Unorthodox Chess Openings is not anyone's chess bible. This poster is either trying to be funny, or trolling.
Jan 25, 2014
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#6
I was wondering if the "Unorthodox Chess Openings" suggestion was a joke or not, oh well. Thanks JG27Pyth, I hope you wont mind if I ask... do you happen to have any book suggestions?
Jan 25, 2014
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#7
Silman's The Amateur's Mind took me from 1100 to 1350 in four weeks, and I'm not even a third of the way through. I highly recommend it - it is written like there is a coach talking to you telling you everything that is wrong with what you have been doing.
Endgames are a great place to spend your study time. If you like Silman's style, I'd recommend his Complete Endgame Course.
If you are interested in pawn structures, I would check out Andrew Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess.
Also, you might want to check out Logical Chess Move By Move by Irving Chernev, a very nice game collection.
Jan 25, 2014
0
#9
Thank you all! I truly appreciate the recommendations.
I think whats left to add to my soon-to-be chess collection :) are books on becoming better with positional chess and an in-depth analysis of common opening. Any suggestions would be really appreciated! Thanks again :)
Tactics in the Chess Opening, 5 volumes by Frisco Nijboer
most preffered first 3 volumes regarding to the white's 1. e2-e4 with lots of interesting games and ideas
for players who likes attacking chess.
Hi. I would like to recommend the inexpensive and short Positional Chess Handbook by Israel Gelfer. A book that is one or two steps above Silman's. The book shows more than 200 games with brief discussion organized by the usual concepts of good bishop, good knight, etc. The authors has a brief prose, which is actually the opposite of Silman's. Considering there are so many games to review you will improve your board vision while reading it because setting up each game in you computer or board set would be way to much work. Cheers.
LikeTheLake wrote:
Hi. I would like to recommend the inexpensive and short Positional Chess Handbook by Israel Gelfer. A book that is one or two steps above Silman's. The book shows more than 200 games with brief discussion organized by the usual concepts of good bishop, good night, etc. The authors has a brief prose, which is actually the opposite of Silman's. Considering there are so many games to review you will improve your board vision while reading it because setting up each game in you computer or board set would be way to much work. Cheers.
For those interested, I think it should be noted that this book doesn't show full games. It's a good book, with many positions from real games, and partial games, but those that like to see how the position is reached will be disappointed. Personally I don't care, just thought I'd mention it.
Jeremy Silman's book The Amateur's Mind is a curiously inspiring book. I don't think he has the last or the only word on how to learn chess (and sometimes you get the feeling from Silman that he thinks he's all that) but he writes about chess with an energy and passion that is infectious. He has passionate advocates and passionate detractors. I'm in neither camp, but obviously I'm more advocate than detractor.
The Amateur's Mind is in my opinion a great place to start. I also think the resources on chess.com are fantastic -- they just need a little curating. Filtering the wheat from the chaff can be tough. David Pruess's content has always struck me as very fine, and Daniel Rensch's too... but I'm more personally familiar with their intermediate content than their beginner content.
*oh hey Danny, I thought you were a total beginner because of the earlier "Kotov is good for novices remark" and I hadn't read the whole thread -- saw you've got Silman's Complete Strategy book... that's fine as a handy explanatory-reference but it isn't intended as a primary instruction. Amateur's Mind and How To Reassess Your Chess are intended purely to instruct.
GL.
Hey everyone,
I consider myself to be somewhat higher than beginner level and I'm looking for some books that you feel are essential for chess improvement. Books on opening theories, training tactical vision, improving the endgame, etc. Really anything that improved your game. I don't mind if you think the book was dull, as long as its helpful :)
Thank you for your time.