I picked up a copy of this one a while back, el cheapo off of Amazon. Because they were written by different authors with different ideas, some of Everyman's Starting Out series take "Starting Out" more or less literally. For example, I found John Emms' "Starting Out: The Sicilian" to have more comprehensible explanations. Flear's "SO: Open Games" is hefty and less wordy.
If you want a very wordy (and well-done) opening book, I would recommend Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren. It's got coverage of nearly all openings, with a lot of explanation including older, less-fashionable lines, and the history of most. It's a great starting place for studying various openings of if you just want to understand roughly what's going on in each.
That said, the thing I tend to be looking for in opening books is thematic ideas. I'm only in the 1500's USCF, so your milage may vary. The fact is that I'm not going to be able to refute someone's offbeat idea over the board, but that's not really necessary at my level. What's more important is understanding roughly where my pieces should go in the pawn structure, what roles they're playing, and why. The goal of the opening is to get to a middle game that works for you, with a playable position where you know approximately what's going on and what you should be doing. If you can get that out of your study, you're on the right track.
starting out, open games by glenn flear
"... [Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren] 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 (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626173432/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen128.pdf
Sample available at:
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/FCO_Fundamental_Chess_Openings.pdf
Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings is not as comprehensive as FCO, but it is probably a lot more readable. If I remember correctly, it was written around 1999. Here is a review:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
More Italian game samples can be seen in My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White by Vincent Moret.
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-understand-openings
Perhaps useful as a reference:
Winning with the Slow (but Venomous!) Italian by Karsten Müller and Georgios Souleidis
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9037.pdf
The following two books by Vincent Moret provide a complete opening repertoire targeted to beginner-intermediate players. You will also learn a lot of chess in the process of reading his books as his explanations of the why's and wherefore's - principles, themes and plans - are as clear as you will ever find in an opening book (from the perspective of the amateur player). I have the book on the White (featuring the Italian Game-Giuoco Piano) repertoire, which I think is excellent for the intended audience, and am awaiting the recently published book on the Black repertoire. Check them out.
There are a sample pages from the books on the publisher's (New In Chess - NIC) website...
"My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White..."
https://www.newinchess.com/en_US/my-first-chess-opening-repertoire-for-white
The repertoire features the Italian Game for White against 1. e4 e5.
Check reader reviews of the book here, where my review (RLBell) lists the specific openings featured...
https://www.amazon.com/First-Chess-Opening-Repertoire-White/dp/9056916335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503740057&sr=1-1&keywords=Vincent+moret
and his most recent repertoire book for Black....(scheduled to be available from Amazon USA in October)...
"My First Chess Opening Repertoire for Black..."
the book's table of contents indicates the openings featured in the Black repertoire...
https://www.newinchess.com/en_US/catalog/product/view/id/2355/s/my-first-chess-opening-repertoire-for-black/
There appears to be a 10% discount from NIC website if you buy both books together.
https://www.newinchess.com/my-first-chess-opening-repertoire-for-white-and-black
Along with Vincent Moret's book, the following are also instructive introductory opening books featuring the Italian Game for White...
https://www.amazon.com/Beating-1e4-e5-Repertoire-White/dp/1857446178/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505428084&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=beating+1+e4+e5
https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Venomous-Italian-Easy-Grasp/dp/9056916742/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505428331&sr=1-1&keywords=winning+with+the+slow+but+venomous+italian
https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Openings-White-Explained-Winning/dp/1889323209/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505427829&sr=1-1&keywords=chess+openings+for+white+explained
The following provides an excellent comprehensive opening repertoire for both White and Black. Features the Ruy Lopez (aka Spanish Opening) for White against 1.e4 e5:
https://www.amazon.com/Better-Chess-Openings-Jef-Kaan/dp/1326180770/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505428595&sr=1-1&keywords=jef+kaan
Otherwise, the following list might have something that interests you. It includes the books mentioned above.
Good Chess Opening Books for Beginners and Beyond....
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-openings-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
Finally, for other chess books on a variety of topics, you might also like to check out...
Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond....
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
this openings book though is a little tricky. it has the opening, in this case it is the quiet italian. and then it has a few games. the problem understanding what is being put across. what parts am i supposed to memorise? if that is the idea.
One way to get use out of the book is to go slow. Set up a board and go one move at a time. With each move, you want to figure out why it was made related to the principles you saw in the other book.
For example 1.e4 stakes out space in center, frees Bishop for development. 1...e5, same. 2. Nf3 develops piece, attacks opponent, prepares castling. 2. Nc6 defends pawn, develops piece etc.
After awhile you'll see many openings have similar general ideas and you'll understand what each is trying to accomplish. Then it'll be easier to remember the moves of the openings you prefer because it will be based on objectives rather than purely memorization.
hello,
i recently got this book as i thought that it would help with my opening knowledge. i am struggling with the idea of these books. i read discovering opening principles by john emm, that was more of an ideas book and very good too.
this openings book though is a little tricky. it has the opening, in this case it is the quiet italian. and then it has a few games. the problem understanding what is being put across. what parts am i supposed to memorise? if that is the idea.
i never really get the idea of openings books. any method that works well. should i read the games without going through the moves, it has pictures at certain stages. this would lead me to believe that the position is important in some way. it would seem pointless to actually play it out if i can not play at that level.
any advice would be great!
thanks
simon