I bought a copy of The Amateur's Mind and I find it to be a bit complex -- only in the sense that it's a bit hard to visualize so many moves ahead when he only provides an opening diagram. Am I the only one who has this problem? I understand the notation, it's just hard to visualize at the level I'm at now.

Is there another book that people would recommend instead? I've been doing a ton of tactics puzzles on Chess Tempo and feel like I'm learning a lot -- I think my main problem is how to get to the point in the game where I can capitalize on the knowledge that I've gained via the tactics puzzles I've been doing. Would someone recommend an openings book perhaps? 

Or is the answer that I just need to move really slowly through the book? 

I'll suggest chessmentor you can select a rating less than 1500.

I've never read the book so I don't know if he has suggested otherwise but here's a very useful tip.  Whenever you read a chess book, keep a physical board with you.  Play out the moves on the board.  It really helps.

You're not supposed to play through the game in your head. You're supposed to use a board. 

This is making more sense then. I assumed that people (regular people, not GM people) were just better at keeping that stuff straight in their heads. Glad I'm not alone. :-)

@OP: Yes, we may have no shame in using a board to follow the moves of a game!  However, another perspective is that books such as this one can help us to train ourselves to visualize a number of moves from a given diagram by just the notation--first a few moves, then several moves, etc. After a while, we can begin to picture what Nc5, e.g., would look like. We just have to be patient with ourselves--we that aren't gifted enough to just do it right off the bat, that is.

As EminenceGrise said: You're not supposed to read the book without using a board. I devoured "Amateur's mind". It's somehow much more fun than "How to reassess your chess 4th edition" even though both cover the same topics.  

Can low rated players get anything out of it? 

Silman is a great teacher but you should already be rock solid on the basic chess principals for sound play, The book assumes you are at that level and proceeds to build on the fundementals of analyzing the elements contained in the position to arrive at the appropiate PLAN. of course use a board to study the material as others have stated, but visualization is CHESS may i suggest that the problems presented at the end of the book, you should try to arrive at the proper plan and sequence of moves without use of a board as if you were playing OTB. SILMAN IS SUPERB that is my opinion despite of what has been said in these forums. GOOD-LUCK   lol

Well, they should first get a firm grip on basic tactics and a sound thought regime at the very least (as Dan Heisman's books teach). Silman doesn't teach you these things at all, but rather presupposes you already know them (as mateologist correctly stated). Thus, if people read Silman's books too early, there is the very serious danger that they might think chess is all about evaluating a position regarding certain important key positional aspects ("imbalances"), deriving a plan from these and then finally chose the best candidate move accordingly. However, this is only correct while the position is not bristling with tactical possibilities. My favorite Silman book is his brilliant endgame course btw - it's the first book on this subject which I didn't find tedious. (It's hard to believe, but in fact it's a "page turner" as far as endgame books go.)   

I don't have too much trouble with tactics under 1600 or so.

You're not alone! The book is a bit above the intended audience. People assume, from the word "Amateur," that the book is written for beginners or improver's. However, it delves into subject matter that can be over the heads of someone fairly new to the game. Most chess books require a few reads in order to pick up the information. I teach chess and have my students do the following when working with a chess book.

1. Always have a chess board and pieces set up with the position being described in the book.

2. Try to determine the reason for each move before reading the explanation. This forces you to examine the position in detail. Even if you don't get the solution correct, you'll be more apt to understand the explanation.

3. Work through each chapter twice. What doesn't make sense or isn't clear will often make sense the second time around.

4. Break up each section into smaller sections. In other words, don't try to read and understand an entire chapter at once. Break it down. For example, if one chapter covers a full game, work on 4 or 5 moves at a time. Once you understand those moves (or concepts) move on to the next 4 or 5 moves.

Like I said, you're not alone. I often get a chess book that's a bit over my head and have to really work at it to get the information contained within to stick in my head.

Yes, it is complex and has great tempo.

What would you recommend prior to The Amateur's Mind? I'm just starting playing again after not playing for years. I've done a lot of tactics problems and definitely feel like my fundamentals are improving immensely. Thanks to everyone.

Hi,

I find Amateur's Mind bit over my head. Hence could you suggest 2 or 3 books before I read Amateur's mind so that I can pick the one available in my neartest book store.

Bye,

Schach Zug um Zug: Bauerndiplom, Turmdiplom, Königsdiplom - Offizielles Lehrbuch des Deutschen Schachbundes zur Erringung der Diplome.

• Gebundene Ausgabe: 272 Seiten
• Verlag: Bassermann Verlag; Auflage: 6 (8. Januar 2004)
• Sprache: Deutsch
• ISBN-10: 3809416436
• ISBN-13: 978-3809416432

 For novice players i will recommend to you what worked for me, CHESS FOR DUMMIES (original version) do not let the title fool you many from my generation consider it the BIBLE for novice players ! you will NOT need to set-up a board the book is about 3 inches thick with diagrams taking you from how the pieces move to WHY and HOW to develope and fight for the center. WHY moves are played in some of the most popular openings are clearly examined diagram by diagram. The book is the pathway to fundementally sound chess.    TAKE-CARE !!

I prefer reading chess books using my PC, (ie playing out the games in Fritz or a Chess DB) because it's way easier to "reset" the board after going thru variations, sub-variations and/or your own analysis. However it's usually a lot faster to set up midgame or endgame positions using a real board & set.

People shouldn't have to learn German before they can improve on their chess, should they? I'd suggest A Guide to Chess Improvement. The best of Novice Nook from Dan Heisman. Even to profit from this book, people should already have some experience with the game above and beyond just knowing the rules. (As for the very first chess book to read, maybe Seirawan's "Play Winning Chess" would be a candidate.)