Book Recommendations

Most people run away from studying books and gravitate towards just watching videos because it's easier. The truth is, that, books, and analyzing your own games, using algebraic notation, is the best way to improve. That is why I believe most beginners don't improve. They do not want to do the hard things, that a crucial for improvement.

I'm reading "My System".

It's not so easy to read and the chess is high level... But I like the fact that the guy is completely insane, his writing is figurative, wild and at times absurd. Some parts of the book are as good as a real book, not a chess book!

I also just really admire how accurate they were (not always) way back in the 1910s-1930s.. Not only before engines but almost before chess was truely competitive and modernized, and still... They were so so strong... It's incredible.

Too old for what? It's just written very nicely... Sure he sometimes gives weird analysis where he thinks he's winning the entire game with the Phildor and actually Leonhardt is +2-+4 the entire game... Until he blunders and Nimzo sacs his entire life on his king... It's entertaining and it's like chess history... I'm not looking for "the best" improvement book for like... playing tournaments and being competitive...

Thanks for sharing that commercial and yes the battleship coordinates are pronounced like pawn moves, but it takes a while to learn how to read the moves in a chess book because of pieces (not just pawns), recognizing the locations on the chess board and also because those locations are "flipped" when you have the black pieces.

@KeSetoKaiba

I was actually introduced to Algebraic Notation by Battleship before Chess.

Not too old, but a bit dogmatic and not at all useful for a beginner.

I agree there are better books, especially for a beginner (it is NOT a beginner book!). However, I suspect you have not read it because it is not a theory book, but a strategy book. The ideas put forth in that regard are no less relevant today than they were 100 years ago. The main issue I have with the book is 1) his writing style is very dry, 2) he can be very dogmatic at times.

But like I said, I agree that it is not a good choice for a beginner looking to improve. The same goes for "The Amateur's Mind" and "How to Reassess Your Chess" by Silman. These books are simply not appropriate for the level of the OP.

The books the OP, and people at the OP's level, would need are ones that cover basic opening principles, thought process, basic winning endgames, and tactics, tactics, and more tactics.

For example, the books I tend to recommend for adult beginners:

Play Winning Chess by Yasser Seirawan
Winning Chess Tactics by Yasser Seirawan
Silman's Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman (just the first couple chapters for now)
Logical Chess Move by Move by Irving Chernev
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev
A Guide to Chess Improvement: The Best of Novice Nook by Dan Heisman
Chess Tactics for Students by John Bain
Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar
1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners by Masetti and Messa
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess by Murray Chandler
Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games by Lazlo Polgar

By the time an adult improver has absorbed the material from those, he or she would be ready for the Yusupov series, Mastering Chess Middlegames, and could start looking at the Aagaard series and Gelfand series.

I do recommend reading My System at some point - but not so much for the improvement aspect, but rather for the chess culture/historical aspect.

Put the chess board on a Lazy Susan.

The standard USCF floppy board has numbers and letters on the axes.

Hello @fizzleputts

I appreciate your thoughts on this matter and that you took the time to share them.

I’m finding generally in life, you know, to get any good at anything months and months, if not years, is a better expectation to have than otherwise. I see your point and when I decided I wanted to devote time to chess, I did so aware that I wouldn’t see much improvement for awhile.

Hm, I hadn’t really thought about all of that. I had a vague idea that chess might be an avenue towards self-improvement. Self-improvement can be tricky because it’s often arduous and uncomfortable. My idea was that by starting to study chess it would allow me a discipline that could foster better analytical thinking, perhaps, and strategic thinking. It is something to study. Studying is good for you, in my opinion, just stimulating the mind and finding new ideas and concepts to explore and chew on. I don’t have too many ambitions as far as money goes. I was hoping more for the intellectual benefits and, since it’s a game, and one that I enjoy playing at that, I was hoping it would make the process more appealing, thus, giving me all the more more reason to follow through.

Anyways, general update for anyone else reading:

I started reading Pandolfini’s Ultimate Guide to Chess, and am about half way through. It turns out this notation stuff gets easier the more you read it. I haven’t memorized the board but when I read the notation Ifigure it all out quickly enough. I’ve been playing games against humans (not just the computer) and my elo is around 500, so I was interested to see where I am.

I had another question. I was thinking of making a mew thread but don’t wanna breach any forum etiquette by having two threads around. Anyways, I’ve been working with the London System and I’ve learned how to get all the pieces where they go, but would really like to get a closer look at what to do once you set up. I am going to scour YouTube more for answers, but it’s hard. In many videos I’ve seen, the instructor explains how to ge the opening, gives a few tips for how to respond to certain moves, and then plays a few games. I’m really trying to dig into the strategy, as that seems to be my weakest point in the game. So, I’m looking for a book or video that really goes into not just how to set up the system, but strategy on how to proceed. Maybe that is a hard ask because every game goes so differently. I’ll be needing to learn how to be more strategic, and I was thinking this might be an avenue in which to do so.

Anyways, thanks everyone for your contributions! Logical Chess: Move by Move is next on my radar once I finish Pandolfini’s!

P.S. I was specifically looking for books because I’m way more efficient at retaining info from books than I am from videos. I do watch a few videos a day as well! 

Introduction To The London System & Jobava London System...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/the-london-system

book recommendations are at bottom of article.

You might also check out the following article...

The Stonewall Attack...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/stonewall-attack

In particular, see at the bottom of the article, the section 'Stonewall Attack vs The London System'.

Perspective on Aron Nimzowitsch's "My System"...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/perspective-on-my-system-by-aron-nimzowitsch

I tend to agree with much of what @PawnTsunami had to say about the book. That is, it's a strategy book appropriate primarily for the post-beginner, intermediate player (1300-1400+).

Can you explain what you mean by dogmatic?

I am just a more or less advanced beginner player, I don't need to become 2000 online, I just like to feel I am improving slightly all the time.. Like I have no aspirations to "improve", just maybe not to decline (I am 1900 lichess, which is like 1600-1650 here maybe, this account is for 10+0 mostly)

So do you consider My System not useful for these goals?

thx

There are somethings that Nimzowitsch asserts are important that do not come up all that often (over-protection is one that comes to mind).

But keep in mind it is essentially a book on strategy. Most improvement below 2000 comes in building tactical patterns recognition. In that regard,.it will not help at all. That is not to say you won't learn something, but reading a Calculus book when you are still learning basic arithmetic is not going to make you better at arithmetic. The same goes for reading advanced strategy books when tactics are your biggest weakness.

Looking for gifts for a friend who is getting very into chess. I know his favorite openings are the catalan and the czech benoni. He has been playing for 2 years but doesn’t have too many books. Any suggestions?

I wouldn't recommend an opening book. Theory is constantly changing and if they do decide on an opening book, then it should be a personal choice so that they can pick an author with a repertoire they are willing to put into practice.

If you want a book as a gift, then you might get a puzzle book, or a book with a collection of chess games.

Your friend might also use a premium membership on chess.com if they don't already have one. Just brainstorming ideas for you

The only chess book I ever read is the one Im going to recommend because it was made for begginers-intermediate players to understand the game and the basic strategy.

logical Chess by irving chernev.

Also...I would recomend you to take a look to this book atleast when you reach 1200 elo, because all that you are going to learn in that book nobody in your level will know and that theory can confuse you and ironically make you lost games because your oponents make random or different moves. You need to develop your basic vision chess, use an easy system-opening as the London System, analyze your games and do puzzles not a lot, you can do 10 per day and that is enough and keep that way over and over.

It's the only one I recommend.

olá

very strong chance someone already suggested it, but Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is good, i read it

100 opening traps for kids made my rating shoot up