... I'm thinking of working through Judit Polgar's "Teaches Chess 1" ("How I beat Fischer's record"). Is that a good idea? ...
I suggest taking a careful look at pages 11 and 12 as reproduced here:
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/HowIBeatFischersRecordExcerpt.pdf
How should a weak/novice player improve his game? ...
"... for those that want to be as good as they can be, they'll have to work hard.
Play opponents who are better than you … Learn basic endgames. Create a simple opening repertoire (understanding the moves are far more important than memorizing them). Study tactics. And pick up tons of patterns. That’s the drumbeat of success. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (December 27, 2018)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/little-things-that-help-your-game
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-start-out-in-chess
https://www.chess.com/blog/michechess89/8-tips-to-increase-your-online-rating
https://www.chess.com/news/view/rapid-chess-improvement
https://www.chess.com/news/view/a-new-years-resolution-improve-your-chess-with-new-lessons
https://www.chess.com/article/view/mastery-chess-lessons-are-here
"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf
"... If it’s instruction, you look for an author that addresses players at your level (buying something that’s too advanced won’t help you at all). This means that a classic book that is revered by many people might not be useful for you. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2015)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Here are some reading possibilities that I often mention:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5856bd64ff7c50433c3803db/t/5895fc0ca5790af7895297e4/1486224396755/btbtactics2excerpt.pdf
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.chess.com/blog/ForwardChess/book-of-the-week-openings-for-amateurs
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090229/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review492.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-openings
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf
... I'm thinking of working through Judit Polgar's "Teaches Chess 1" ("How I beat Fischer's record"). Is that a good idea? ...
I suggest taking a careful look at pages 11 and 12 as reproduced here:
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/HowIBeatFischersRecordExcerpt.pdf
Many thanks kindaspongey! For both your messages. What a great lot of wonderul information. Just what the doctor ordered. I'm spoilt for choices now, but I'll pick a good starting point - maybe Judit, but maybe also Irving Chierev's Logical Chess, we'll see - and then work on that while also bearing in mind some of the others. It's much appreciated.
Thank you for your post. I'll keep it in mind to avoid the bad habit ... :-)
If I remember correctly, that one is in descriptive (1 P-K4 P-K4) notation.
How should a weak/novice player improve his game? I'm thinking of working through Judit Polgar's "Teaches Chess 1" ("How I beat Fischer's record"). Is that a good idea? I've got a few other books too, but this one looks promising.
Buy diamond membership here and go through the lessions. Analyse all your games with the chess.com analysis. Google and use youtube. This got me from 650 to 800 in less than a month.
Watch these https://youtu.be/oBjsxDTFPSo
Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-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
If I remember correctly, that one is in descriptive (1 P-K4 P-K4) notation.
Contrary to rumor, descriptive notation does NOT cause cancer.
Never heard that one, but I have heard of people who would rather avoid such books. Perhaps reasonable to provide a warning? Are there reasonable algebraic alternatives to The Art of Chess Combinations by Znosko-Borovsky?
How should a weak/novice player improve his game? I'm thinking of working through Judit Polgar's "Teaches Chess 1" ("How I beat Fischer's record"). Is that a good idea? I've got a few other books too, but this one looks promising.