Chess Books List

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Avatar of Ziryab
Mohan_Kumar_Chess wrote:

After reading many articles, I have found these are the books suggested as good often. But I don't knew for which category of players these books are intended for. So, if you have read them please suggest the category like beginner, intermediate, advanced, IM,GM level. Or like U1400, 1400-1800, 1800-2200, Above 2200. 

  1. 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus De la Villa excellent
  2. 700 Opening Traps by Bill Wall I'd pass
  3. 1000 Checkmate Combinations by Victor Henkin one of the best on the topic
  4. 1001 chess exercises for beginners useful for the target group
  5. 1001 Dedly Checkmates by John Nunn don't know this book
  6. 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations classic that I've used a bit
  7. 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games by Lazlo Polgar worth having
  8. A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames by Nikolay Minev Excellent text
  9. Amateur to IM by Jonathan Hawkins cannot say
  10. Art of Attack in Chess by Vladimir Vukovic read a few months ago and will again
  11. Artur Yusupov's Complete Chess Training Course John Donaldson tells me these are worthwhile
  12. Back to Basics - Strategy by Valeri Beim Can recommend Beim's book on Morphy, but do not know this one
  13. Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine dated, but set a standard
  14. Bent Larsen, The Best Games by Bent Larsen I hear good things
  15. Blindfold Chess by Eliot Hearst & John Knott Capablanca's don't know
  16. 100 Best Games of Chess by Golembek Capablanca's 100 best? Reading now.
  17. Carlsen's Assault on the Throne by Vassilios Kotronias & Sotiris Logothetis hard to say
  18. Chess College by Efstratios Grivas hard to say
  19. Chess Endings Essential Knowledge by Yuri Averbakh One of my top recommendations
  20. Chess for Zebras by Jonathan Rowson some rave about it
  21. Chess Gems - 1000 Combination You Must Know by Igor Sukhin hard to say
  22. Chess Is My Life - Autobiography and Games by Viktor Korchnoi excellent
  23. Chess Lessons - Solving Problems by hard to say
  24. Mark Dvoretsky Chess Lessons by Vladimir Popov hard to say
  25. Chess Strategy for Club Players by Herman Grooten hard to say
  26. Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide by Mauricio Flores Rios in my save for later


  27. To be continued. Appointment arrived.

 

Avatar of Ziryab
Mohan_Kumar_Chess wrote:

After reading many articles, I have found these are the books suggested as good often. But I don't knew for which category of players these books are intended for. So, if you have read them please suggest the category like beginner, intermediate, advanced, IM,GM level. Or like U1400, 1400-1800, 1800-2200, Above 2200. 

  1. 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus De la Villa
  2. 700 Opening Traps by Bill Wall
  3. 1000 Checkmate Combinations by Victor Henkin
  4. 1001 chess exercises for beginners
  5. 1001 Dedly Checkmates by John Nunn
  6. 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations
  7. 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games by Lazlo Polgar
  8. A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames by Nikolay Minev
  9. Amateur to IM by Jonathan Hawkins
  10. Art of Attack in Chess by Vladimir Vukovic
  11. Artur Yusupov's Complete Chess Training Course
  12. Back to Basics - Strategy by Valeri Beim
  13. Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine
  14. Bent Larsen, The Best Games by Bent Larsen
  15. Blindfold Chess by Eliot Hearst & John Knott Capablanca's
  16. 100 Best Games of Chess by Golembek
  17. Carlsen's Assault on the Throne by Vassilios Kotronias & Sotiris Logothetis
  18. Chess College by Efstratios Grivas
  19. Chess Endings Essential Knowledge by Yuri Averbakh
  20. Chess for Zebras by Jonathan Rowson
  21. Chess Gems - 1000 Combination You Must Know by Igor Sukhin
  22. Chess Is My Life - Autobiography and Games by Viktor Korchnoi
  23. Chess Lessons - Solving Problems by
  24. Mark Dvoretsky Chess Lessons by Vladimir Popov
  25. Chess Strategy for Club Players by Herman Grooten
  26. Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide by Mauricio Flores Rios
  27. Chess Training Pocket Book by Lev Alburt read it twice
  28. Critical Moments In Chess by Paata Gaprindishvili probably good
  29. Deep Thinking - Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins by Garry Kasparov doubtful
  30. Dvoretsky's Analytical Manual by Mark Dvoretsky if you are willing to work
  31. Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual 4th Edition by Mark Dvoretsky I have and use the first two editions
  32. Dynamic Chess Strategy by Mihai Suba read in the 1990s; found inspiring

    Maybe I'll do more later

    For Example, 
    You can categorise like
    Beginner - 1, 6, 7, 14, ....
    Intermediate - 3, 4, 9, .... likewise.

    And you may suggest books too. I will update them in this list. Thank You.

 

Avatar of Shirley39

Chess Beatdowns     To learn more, click here.

Avatar of Ziryab
Mohan_Kumar_Chess wrote:

After reading many articles, I have found these are the books suggested as good often. But I don't knew for which category of players these books are intended for. So, if you have read them please suggest the category like beginner, intermediate, advanced, IM,GM level. Or like U1400, 1400-1800, 1800-2200, Above 2200. 

  1. 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus De la Villa
  2. 1000 Checkmate Combinations by Victor Henkin
  3. Art of Attack in Chess by Vladimir Vukovic
  4. Chess Endings Essential Knowledge by Yuri Averbakh
  5. Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual 4th Edition by Mark Dvoretsky
  6. Masters Of The Chessboard by Richard Reti
  7. Modern Ideas in Chess by Richard Reti
  8. My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer
  9. My Best Games of Chess by Alexander Alekhine
  10. Paul Morphy A Modern Perspective by Valeri Beim
  11. The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein Volume 1 & 2 by John Donaldson and Nikolay Minev
  12. The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played Irving Chernev


 

These dozen make a good core for any chess library.

Avatar of GeorgeWyhv14

Dvoretsky books are good for all levels.

Avatar of Knights_of_Doom

Your list is missing my four favorite books, so it is hard for me to take seriously happy.png

Avatar of RussBell

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

Avatar of jmoopening
Back to Basics - Strategy by Valeri Beim
Chess College by Efstratios Grivas
Fundamental Checkmates by Antonio Gude
These three books catch my eye.
Avatar of Christopher_Parsons

79, 80, and 129

Can anyone give any info on these books from experience of reading and applying them, or are you aware of any better resource along these lines?

Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch

Pawn Structure Chess by Andy Soltis

Winning Pawn Structures by Alexander Baburin

 

Avatar of Ziryab

I read Pawn Structure Chess in the 1990s. It will teach you general plans in groups of openings based on typical pawn structures. I should revisit it. I started Kmoch. You have to learn a new language.

Avatar of Christopher_Parsons

Was that literal, in terms of Hans being German? or was that figurative, in terms of it is like learning a new language?

And thank you for replying. 

Avatar of Ziryab

No. Kmoch has his own terminology. Whatever the language you read the book in, you need to learn the language he invents.

See https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/pawn-power-in-chess-by-hans-kmoch-glossary-of-terms

 

Avatar of Christopher_Parsons
Ziryab wrote:

No. Kmoch has his own terminology. Whatever the language you read the book in, you need to learn the language he invents.

Oh, so I might have to throw my definitions for ideas or terms out the window, in order to understand him? Is he at least consistent, or perhaps he used a translation service to put his book into print, in English, which led to a bunch of confusing contradictions? 

Avatar of Ziryab

The terminology does not stem from translation problems. Read @RussBell’s comments at the link. I’ve only dipped into Kmoch. He’s read the book.

Avatar of Christopher_Parsons
Ziryab wrote:

The terminology does not stem from translation problems. Read @RussBell’s comments at the link. I’ve only dipped into Kmoch. He’s read the book.

I have a book called positional chess handbook by Israel Gelfer, but it is a bit superficial. 

I read commentary Russ Bell and what he says makes a lot of sense to me. I think the book would be a great read. I find I continually form my own colloquialisms and turn nouns into verbs especially, to more efficiently turn an action into a description. 

Avatar of KitMarlow

In the U1400 category, where I am now, I would consider studying the following books:

  • 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games by Lazlo Polgar (I own a copy)
  • Back to Basics - Strategy by Valeri Beim (I own a copy)
  • Chess Endings Essential Knowledge by Yuri Averbakh (I own the German translation, Erfolg im Endspiel)
  • Learning Chess Workbook by Rob Brunia and Cor van Wijgerden: I own three books in Dutch based on the steps method (levels 3 to 5), which I will start studying in a month or two.
  • Morphy - Move by Move by Zenon Franco
  • Tactics Time by Carson and Brennan (but I already have a sufficient number of puzzle books at the moment).
  • Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (I own a copy and read it years ago. I can't remember the level this is for.)
  • The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev
  • The Soviet Chess Primer by Ilya Maizelis (I am currently reading this book.)
  • Winning Chess Strategies by Yasser Seirawan with Jeremy Silman
  • Winning Chess Tactics by Yasser Seirawan with Jeremy Silman 

I did not include the following books to avoid duplication:

  • Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine (see Averbakh)
  • Fundamental Checkmates by Antonio Gude (see Averbakh)
  • Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht 
  • How to Beat Your Dad at Chess by John Nunn (I already have enough basic books)

Some books I have in mind after passing the 1400 level:

  • Chess Training Pocket Book by Lev Alburt (I own a copy; At my level, it's almost usable for calculation training but not yet for pattern recognition).
  • My System and Chess Praxis by Aron Nimzowitsch (I own the German versions)
  • Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch (I own the German version)
  • The Game of Chess by Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch. (I own Dreihundert Schachpartien in German)
  • Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics by Van Perlo
  • Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 by David Bronstein (I own a copy)

I didn't see any books by Dan Heisman, which are great for this level. These include Everyone’s Second Chess Book, A Guide to Chess Improvement: The Best of Novice Nook, The World’s Most Instructive Amateur Game Book, Back to Basics: Tactics, Is Your Move Safe? and Looking for Trouble: Recognizing and Meeting Threats in Chess.

I also missed Silman's Complete Endgame Course, which players below 1400 can already start studying.

Avatar of long_quach

These are the actual chess books on my bookshelves.

My Best Games of Chess 1908-1923
Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Games
Bobby Fischer: Profile of a Prodigy
Capablanca's Hundred Best Games of Chess
Game and Playe of the Chesse
200 Brilliant Endgames
Logical chess : move by move
Practical Chess Endings
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played
Winning Chess Traps
Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur
Judgment and Planning in Chess
The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings
The Ideas Behind The Chess Openings
The World's Great Chess Games
My 60 Memorable Games
Samurai Chess
Must know chess concepts to become a strong player
Chess Traps: Pitfalls And Swindles
How to Improve Your Chess
How To Think Ahead In Chess
How to Win in the Chess Openings
An Opening Repertoire for White
Keres' Best Games of Chess
Chess for Fun and Chess for Blood
Modern Chess Strategy
How Computers Play Chess 
Modern Chess Opening Traps
Marshall's Best Games of Chess
The King’s Gambit: A modern view of a swashbuckling opening
How Karpov Wins
Official Rules Chess
Chess Praxis
My System: A Treatise on Chess
Secrets of Grandmaster Play
Understanding Chess Move by Move
Best of Chess Life and Review, Volume 2 
Chess Opening - Traps and Zaps
Beginner's Guide to Winning Chess
Colle's Chess Masterpieces
The Complete Chess Course
The joys of chess 
Winning Chess Openings
Reshevsky's Best Games of Chess
The Art of Positional Play
Winning Chess Openings
Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors
Best Lessons of a Chess Coach
Improve Your Chess Results
Cờ Tướng Trận Địa Pháo
Tuyệt Kỹ Trung Cục Thực Dụng Cờ Tướng .
Chinese Chess
Xiangqi Syllabus on Cannon
Xiangqi or Chinese Chess Book of Board Game Strategy
Xiangqi - Introduction
Stepping-stones to Go
Go and Go-Moku
The Way To Go How to Play the Asian Game of Go
In the Beginning: The Opening in the Game of Go
Learn to Play Go
Learn To Play Go, Volume 2: The Way of the Moving Horse
Learn to Play Go, Volume 3: The Dragon Style
Learn to Play Go, Volume 4: Battle Strategies
Learn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I)
38 Basic Josekis
The Game of Go

To be continued . . .

Avatar of long_quach

Continues . . .

Choosing which chess book to read is the problem. Is the challenge.

I face the same challenge in re-learning Vietnamese again, although it was my first language.

If you try to learn a foreign language, you will run into that problem.


I don't know how you compose your list, but it sucks.


The first book I will recommend is the one and the only:

Irving Chernev
Logical chess : move by move

Avatar of long_quach

The second, logically follows the first:

Irving Chernev
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played


I haven't worked out the logic of what the third book should be.

Avatar of long_quach

Back to language.

If you have a basic grasp of a language, The Bible is one book I recommend. It kinda recommends itself. The Bible means The Book.

To re-learn Vietnamese, I'm reading the Cadman Bible and the KJV. It's in every language. You can focus the meaning of the sentences. And it's available on audio CD (or free on the Internet) because it is the Bible.


And of course Fairy Tales, how a child learns. That's the key.

This one is the Vietnamese version of Cinderella.


You have to teach yourself how to learn in a step-by-step process.