Books

Sort:
gwaash
I have recently started reading books on chess but most of this books state that one should have proper knowledge on modern chess openings kindly would some one give me a list of best chess boos on modern openings ( sorry fo my English)
pwnsrppl2

What openings interest you? If you don’t know which you like, I recommend going over a wide variety of GM games to get a feel for what the openings look like. Then you can read books about those openings instead of just starting with a random collection of books.

kindaspongey
gwaash wrote:
... kindly would some one give me a list of best chess boos on modern openings ( sorry fo my English)

It can be extremely dreary to read about one modern opening after another, but, if you really want to attempt this, you might try Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-openings

FrogCDE

I'd recommend Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren. Clear thoughtful introductions to the ideas behind all the main openings. He doesn't go very deep into the variations, but it's enough to get you started (and you can use a database to go deeper).

Uhohspaghettio1

I like Fundamental Chess Openings as well but he plays clear favourites for some openings and for others he barely mentions them, Another thing is he's supposed to give the strategies for both sides for the rest of the game but often he doesn't at all. A few pointers on what to do like what wing to attack on or what squares to attack would go a long way. For example he barely even mentions 7. Nf3 against the popular Winawer, which is one of the most important options for white in the whole of opening theory. If you're tactical you'll likely go for 7. Qg4, if you're positional you'll likely go for 7. Nf3. He handwaves 7. Nf3 away in a ridiculous manner like it's a relic of the past and gives nothing for it, meanwhile he has an unholy hard-on for the open ruy lopez devoting five and a half pages to that opening, talking about the endgames of it even.    

Meanwhile in the lichess opening explorer there are 5,300 games with open ruy lopez and 2,007 with 7. Nf3 winawar. 

kindaspongey

I have become generally skeptical about the utility of books about lots of openings. How many new books (of this sort) have been published in the last decade? If one is to go for such a book, I think that one has the best chance with the shorter ones. Before going for FCO, I would suggest looking at available online reviews and samples.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626173432/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen128.pdf

http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/FCO-Fundamental-Chess-Openings-76p3561.htm

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/FCO_Fundamental_Chess_Openings.pdf

RussBell

Good Chess Openings Books For Beginners and Beyond...

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

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

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

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

RussBell
69AlphaMale109 wrote:
gwaash wrote:
I have recently started reading books on chess but most of this books state that one should have proper knowledge on modern chess openings kindly would some one give me a list of best chess boos on modern openings ( sorry fo my English)

I think hanging pawns youtube channel is a good place to start,  so far as what he covered already.  Very good starting point

Agreed.  Hanging Pawns' YouTube channel is very good for learning openings.

Chessable.com is excellent for that purpose as well.

Caesar49bc

Just try a few openings. Memorize main variations for 3 moves (6 ply), and see which openings your naturally good at. Then go deeper for the openings you enjoy.

I used to get crushed with the Alapin against the QGD, but now I take it in stride, and I never studied it beyond 3 moves as white.

elky_plays_chess

Not sure if this is gonna help, but here is somethin new from Chessable I find really good https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-the-magnus-sicilian/course/30136/ or https://www.chessable.com/fight-like-magnus-the-sicilian/course/28512/

kindaspongey
john_chandler wrote:

… Vincent Moret's two repertoire books ...

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9050.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/vincent-moret/

On the off chance that gwaash does not know: A repertoire book is not what I would describe as a book "on modern openings". It is a book on selected openings, intended to give the reader a way to deal with most of what one is likely to face. Moret made choices for the reader. So, for example, Moret suggested 3 Bc4 as a follow-up to 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6. No Ruy Lopez (3 Bb5), no Scotch (3 d4), etc. And it does not stop there. For the continuation after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6, he discussed 5 d4. ("5.d3 … will not be covered in this book.") The suggested reply to 1 e4 is 1...d5, so, there is no attempt to help a Black player who wants to use 1...e5, 1...c5, 1...e6, 1...c6, etc. This is all great if the reader is happy using the Moret choices, not-so-great, otherwise. There are many recent repertoire books, so, if one wants one, it might be a good idea to shop around for a book that makes agreeable choices. Another consideration is the approach. Moret relied on a lot of illustrative games to indicate what he had in mind. Some such books have few or no games and more lines to cover what might come up. Most of us will not remember all that much anyway, but it can be nice to have a book that serves well as a resource to look up ideas after a game.

Uhohspaghettio1

Repertoire books give a sort of unnatural development. Think of it like this - if you would like to improve your knowledge on subjects like politics, science or sports and converse with people with a deep interest in them, are you going to read a book with a bunch of ready-made opinions and contingencies to conversations on them and spend many hours going over them, rehearsing them and trying to and remember them word-for-word?

Of course not, that would be ridiculous. You will likely pick up books that you think are relevant and go through them, watch documentaries, or whatever else to help you be informed and get you thinking about them and that's how you'll develop your own ideas and style. Like real life there is no quick fix to chess and it is a process of ideas, not exact move sequences. 

kindaspongey
Uhohspaghettio1 wrote:

Repertoire books give a sort of unnatural development. Think of it like this - if you would like to improve your knowledge on subjects like politics, science or sports and converse with people with a deep interest in them, are you going to read a book with a bunch of ready-made opinions and contingencies to conversations on them and spend many hours going over them, rehearsing them and trying to and remember them word-for-word?

Of course not, that would be ridiculous. ...

Advice that one sees from time to time:

"... 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)

kindaspongey
Uhohspaghettio1 wrote:

... You will likely pick up books that you think are relevant and go through them, watch documentaries, or whatever else to help you be informed and get you thinking about them and that's how you'll develop your own ideas and style. Like real life there is no quick fix to chess and it is a process of ideas, not exact move sequences. 

Unlike conversation, a chess game has to start with an opening. When one does not know much, there are some books that can help one to get started. Also:

"... 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

I agree that one is unlikely to be satisfied for very long with the choices of someone else.