Tactics book

Can someone give me some suggestions for tactics books?

Itd be better if it wasnt simply a compilation of puzzles at set levels, but rather gave useful insight as well.

Polgars chess tactics for champions was good..

thanks in advance

John Nunn's Chess puzzles book. It has 300 puzzles, and applications of puzzle excercises. All of them are basically tactics....and are cool. Objectively, I am not sure if it has helped me yet.

It is a great chess book though.

Back to Basics: Tactics by NM Dan Heisman (I'm half way through reading it for a 2nd time).

Thanks for the suggestions.

Tactics time! seems like its really popular, has anyone read it?

I read Heisman's Back to Basics : Tactics and agree its excellent. My Elo went up. But with your rating you may benefit from one of Weteschnik's books. Currently I'm about three-quarters of the way through Understanding Chess Tactics . It's more difficult than Heisman's book and many of the combinations are deep. I'm about 1300 OTB and solve less than half of the positions. Repeatedly he shows how great players lure their opponent into a tactical situation.

My issues with Weteschnik are : this volume does not have a chapter on overload, although it is mentioned several times. Above all its too verbose and some of the prose is awkward. Probably it was translated. Nevertheless I value my copy higher than most of the two-dozen chess books on my shelf.

1ernie, can you tell me a little more about how Weteschnik's book compares to Heisman's?  Would it be redundant to have them both?  I also have Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics, but he gives too many hints with each puzzle, making it a little too easy to solve.  Heisman was more of a challenge, but looking for even more pattern recognition tips and techniques, etc.

Strategy and Tactics in Chess by Max Euwe

(Please note this book is in descriptive notation)

1000 Checkmate Combinations by Victor Henkin

Chess Tactics for Advanced Players by Yuri Averbakh

School of Chess Excellence 2: Tactical Play by Mark Dvoretsky 

The Magic Tactics of Mikhail Tal by Karsten Muller

Combinational Motifs by Maxim Blokh

Manual of Chess Combinations Volumes 1a and 1b by Sergey Ivascheckno

Manual of Chess Combinations Volume 3 by Alexander Mazia

Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar

Checkmate Tactics by Gary Kasparov

Get the good stuff when shopping for tactics books and books on chess combinations.

10 Books!

1ernie, can you tell me a little more about how Weteschnik's book compares to Heisman's?  Would it be redundant to have them both?  I also have Seirawan's Winning Chess Tactics, but he gives too   

Bruch, I tried to give a detailed answer. Once I previewed it and it was lost. Retyped whole thing and submitted and it was severely truncated. I'll answer when chess.com fixes the editor. Regards

So in other words, we're never going to get your answer.

  Answering Bruch re Weteschnik’s, Heisman’s and Seirawan’s   tactics books :

I’ve read all three. I've got nostalgia for Seirawan as it was the first tactics book I read years ago. It's excellent for beginners. Heisman’s is for advanced novices. Weteschnik’s is definitely more difficult. Roughly Seirawan’s is for Elo < 1100, Heisman’s900 – 1500 and Weteschnik’s 1200-1900. All are outstanding for the niche they fill.

OTB I’m 1270-1380. In Heisman I got about 75 % correct while in Weteschnik only 45 %.  Heisman’s broader in coverage but Weteschnik is deeper. Neither has a chapter on my favorite tactic overload , although it’s briefly mentioned in both ( in some places Heisman calls it overworked )

In many of Weteschnik’s positions a tactical ‘motif’ ( as he calls it ) is not obvious. The player forces or lures the opponent into one, ie great players do not find tactical shots but create them.

Does anyone know if Weteschnik’s 2^nd edition “ Chess Tactics from Scratch” has new material ?

My 7-decades-old eyes appreciate the large clear diagrams in Weteschnik. And whose move is marked with a white/black triangle. It passeth all understanding why chess books are published with no move indicator by the diagram.

Regards, Dave L (composed with my Boston ernie on my lap)

Hi Dave (& Ernie),

Thanks for the info.  I agree with your assessment of both Seirawan's book and Heisman's.  I just picked up Weteschnik's from the library.  It looks more difficult as you mentioned, but I am hoping it helps me create more tactical positions - lure them in as you would say.  Reviews on Amazon suggest Weteschnik's later book "...from Scratch" has more puzzles and some small updates to the prose.  I am particularly interested in Weteschnik's book since he didn't begin studying chess until he was 25.    I'm hoping his insights as an adult learner strike a chord with me.  Thanks again. -Matt

I have Nunn's tactics books but I find it too difficult. The hardest puzzles require strong calculating skill. And there is too difference in terms of difficult between each puzzle. So i stop studying it and I will re-open it when I will become a strongest player. Now I prefer chesstempo because it give you puzzle of your actual level.

So I read the first chapter on pins in the Weteschnik book.  I found it to be OK. 

Pros:  Some of the examples are brilliant.  He is certainly thorough - there were nearly 50 pages devoted to pins! 

Cons:  The translation from German was a little rough and the prose seemed overly technical at times.  Bit of a dry read, I think it will be tough to slog through it.  I had no idea there were only a few actual excercises...

While at the Library next to Weteschnik's book, I found Lev Alburt's Chess Training Pocket Book.  The one with the rediculous cover depicting an attractive woman watching Lev play chess?!  I took it home just as a joke to show my wife, but I started reading it as well and I like what I've read so far.  It's a short 25 page intro then 300 problems.  Anyone done much with this book?  I think it could be a handy little puzzle book to have around.  I like the fact that there is no organization to the puzzles, just themes.  And the answers are on the facing page, not in the back, which is way more convenient to read.  I also like his creative titles to the combinations - these little monikers might help me remember them better (or at least give me a hint without giving the whole puzzle away).  It kind of reminds me of a tougher version of Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.  Too bad the cover is bananas!   At any rate, if you've read Lev's book, did you like it?  Are his other books worthwhile?