Weapons of Chess: An Omnibus of Chess Strategies by Bruce Pandolfini is a great, easy to read book for beginner/intermediate players, focusing on themes/plans behind various positions.
Strategy and positional play book
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Dec 24, 2013
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#3
You should concentrate more on tactics. If you must learn some strategical concepts I'd recommend Silmans books, but since you've already read it, tactics.
My System (Aron Nimzowitsch), a chess classic.
Dec 24, 2013
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#5
Pythonas wrote:
My System (Aron Nimzowitsch), a chess classic.
Again, too complex if you're <1400 and that's an understatement. I'd encourage players of all levels to read some form of strategy/positional books, but choose one that's fitting.
Chess Secrets : The Giants of Strategy by Neil McDonald
It has three chapters on pawns, and one each on Restraint , Blockade , and Provocation and Prophylaxis. Other chapters are 1 The Seventh Rank, 2 The Outpost and Open Files 3 Planning on a Grand Scale.
Up to date and far easier reading than My System , although Nimzowitsch's play is discussed. I estimate it's "one-notch" higher than Silman's. Merry Christmas.
My System
Hansen's Improve Your Positional Play
Aagard's Basic Positional Ideas Chessbase CD
And Dvoretsky's School of Excellence Positional Play.
Hi Friends here you have an article about prophylaxis with some advices and examples http://www.chess.com/blog/JRgascon/profilactic-thinking-i
Mastering Chess Strategy (Hellsten)
There are good books covering positional chess concepts included in this list..
http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/chess-books-for-beginner-to-intermediate-players
Chess Strategy for Club Players by Grooten
Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition by Oudeweetering
Mastering Chess Strategy by Hellsten
Understanding Chess Middle games by Nunn
Chess Secrets : The Giants of Strategy by Neil McDonald
Silman actually wrote a book called 'The Complete Book Of Chess Strategy'. It has a lot of good stuff.
Other that, I would say 'My System'.
Jan 25, 2015
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#13
For beginners (i.e. everyone under 1400), Chernev's Logical Chess Move by Move is highly recommended.
Jan 25, 2015
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#14
kleelof wrote:
Silman actually wrote a book called 'The Complete Book Of Chess Strategy'. It has a lot of good stuff.
Other that, I would say 'My System'.
The Complete Book of Chess Strategy is a reference book and not a particularly strong one. It's the one Silman book that was not worth the money I spent.
Ziryab wrote:
kleelof wrote:
Silman actually wrote a book called 'The Complete Book Of Chess Strategy'. It has a lot of good stuff.
Other that, I would say 'My System'.
The Complete Book of Chess Strategy is a reference book and not a particularly strong one. It's the one Silman book that was not worth the money I spent.
Depends on your level I suppose. When I bought it, I was just a casual player with no real knowledge of chess beyond the basic rules.
That book really introduced me to a lot of basic, neccessary, ideas about chess.
Yeah, I look at it now and it seems pretty basic. But, I believe that was the point with the book in the first place.
Jan 25, 2015
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#16
Good point, kleelof. I suppose my view is distorted because I was ~1600 USCF when I bought the book.
For the novice (or those rated under 1500) a first book for introducing positional elements and techniques would be Bruce Pandolfini's "Weapons of Chess". A good companion or follow-on to this would be Dan Heisman's "Elements of Positional Evaluation" (again written for the same audience). Follow these with Michael Stean's superb "Simple Chess" for an excellent treatment of how to employ fundamental positional concepts and technique. Finally "Techniques of Positional Play" by Bronzik et. al. is a very good compendium of practical examples of positional technique exerpted from (mostly) grandmaster games.
Hi, can anyone suggest me a good book on chess strategy and positional play? I already have Silman's "How to reasses your chess", which is good, but it doesn't include every aspect of positional play, like there is little on pawns and nothing about control of the center, prophylaxis, and other thing aren't in the book.