Yusupov's series from Quality Chess

Think very many are likely to feel obliged to use language as approved by NM ghost_of_pushwood because of mocking by NM ghost_of_pushwood?

Think very many would be likely to feel obliged to use language as approved by NM ghost_of_pushwood after seeing the ("general") reason in the mind of NM ghost_of_pushwood?

NM ghost_of_pushwood:  ... But also make sure that you're really picking [concepts] up (not just trying to sound like a genius).  It's a problem endemic to the chess world...

See any specific examples of someone trying, in this thread, to sound like a genius?

How about Soltis' Inner Game of Chess? Is that a good one?

That was recommended to me. 

Very good book. It could be called "All About Calculation in a Much Better Way Than Kotov Did It"

Yep, that's the one I was referencing. I had it on my wish list for a while, but never pulled a trigger on purchasing it, mainly sue to some poor reviews of it. But I am considering it again in light of what OldPatzerMike said above. I am just generally wary of authors who put out constant books, usually at the expense of quality and thoroughness. 

Descriptive (1 P-K4 P-K4) notation. Does it have exercises?
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486202909.html

http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Inner-Game-of-Chess-The-77p3897.htm

Yup. This was an informative thread for a while.

For those who are interested, there are a couple of free FB groups devoted to studying Yusupov’s books that aren’t filled with meaningless links to reviews and books by other authors.

...or you could state your opinion here about his training books, SmyslovFan. 

Just my 2 cents here.  After reading the recent comments/questions about the Yusupov series, I feel the need to clarify that the Yusupov books are more than just a bunch of tactical exercises.  Each chapter has a theme and the topic could be centralization of your pieces, or a certain type of endgame, for example.  Think of the chapters as covering various building blocks of chess knowledge.  That said, the recommendations on other books on positional chess are good, including Silman, Pachman, "Simple Chess", etc.  The Yusupov books may not be for everyone, but I know a Master that swears by them.

I don't mind in principle getting at least some Yusupov's training books, but my issue is that considering that each book averages about $25, the entire 9-book course is over $200. And I just wonder whether it's efficient to get all 9, or maybe pick and choose. I am quite confident that the green ones (level 3) is beyond my level now, so I wouldn't get them anytime soon anyway. But I also wonder whether any of the orange ones would be redundant for my skill level. But I'll probably try at least one orange one and see how it goes. 

I nearly broke 2200 over the board. The first book is mostly review, but the rest of the series can be very difficult, even for masters.

Ideally, the series should be a textbook to be used with a knowledgeable coach who can pick and choose the best examples for you, and supplement the material as needed.

The series covers everything you need to become a strong master, but perhaps not in the order you need.

I do not know if this is likely to make much difference to you, but there are actually ten books. The most recent book is another orange one with material apparently connected to the first three orange books. The idea seems to be to consider the latest book to be the new part 4, while the non-orange books are now parts 5 through 10.

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/Revision&Exam1-excerpt.pdf

The books do not seem to be organized in a way that would help a selective buyer to focus on one “area”:

"... This book is the first volume in a series of manuals designed for players who are building the foundations of their chess knowledge. The reader will receive the necessary basic knowledge in six areas of the game - tactics, positional play, strategy, the calculation of variations, the opening and the endgame. ... To make the book entertaining and varied, I have mixed up these different areas, ..." - GM Artur Yusupov

In the first orange book some of the subjects are:  The value of the pieces, Centralizing the pieces, Realizing a material advantage, Open files and outposts, Weak points

The second orange book:  Pawn weaknesses, Exploiting weaknesses, The semi-open file, Outposts, Coordination of the pieces

The third orange book:  Diagonals, Realizing a material advantage 2, Positional advantages, Attacking, The passed pawn

I’ve read the first two orange books and am currently about 1/4 through the 3rd.

The course covers all topics, so positional evaluation is a part of the overall course. Those chapters where you have to make a qualitative assessment and a positional move are the hardest IMO.

Yusupov recommends reading his books in this way.

• read the chapter intro, try to solve those positions in your head and then play out all the annotations OTB
• when solving the puzzles, set the pieces up OTB, don’t move them but write your variations down
• If you can’t solve it in a certain time without moving the pieces then try with moving the pieces 
• check your answers after solving the puzzles , play out the variations, and score yourself.
  Repeat the chapter if your score is too low

I go a step further and try to set the puzzle positions up OTB from memory. By the time I’ve memorized the position my brain is already evaluating it.

So Yusupov books aren’t just the content within but also his recommended training method. It’s more time consuming but higher quality studying. 

I think the course is great but see your point about not wanting to spend 75$ on books below your level. Only you can determine what level to start at.

you can train like that with any material of course

I guess the only way to know is to get one orange book and find out what level it is. Given that I am not a rated OTB player and my blitz rating here is usually around 1500, I am pretty sure orange books will be a good fit for me in the beginning. 

Thanks for all the info. 

The Orange books are a good fit for a 1500-1600 USCF OTB player. The sections on openings are the weakest, in my opinion, and a lot of the sections are tactical in nature.

I completely bombed trying the first  book in the second series after going through the first three orange ones, so those are probably best for 1700-1800+ USCF.

I probably should go through the orange ones again and see if I've improved any. 

I don't know if there is a correlation between blitz rating here and what the equivalent would be in a rated OTB game. But I definitely play better with longer time controls, since many times I get into trouble right in the opening in bullet/blitz. 

One shortcut would be to buy the orange "Revision and Exam" and see how you do with the puzzles in that one.  If they are reasonably challenging, you could go back and buy book 1 of the orange series and start working your way through the series.