Larsen beats Fischer for a change. I wonder who else around here has a copy of 50 Udvalgte Partier.
Expected My System to be higher up than that.
Best chess book ever
Sort:
11. Arthur Bisguier: My 60 Memorable Losses to Bobby Fischer
ed1975 wrote:
Larsen beats Fischer for a change. I wonder who else around here has a copy of 50 Udvalgte Partier. ...
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/995.pdf
Just got Nunn's "chess course" about Lasker. Looks good, but it will take me years to read that. :-)
More great book list.
1600 and above
Practical Endgame Play Beyond The Basics
Improve Your Chess Now by Tishdall
Fire on Board by Shirov
Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition
Modern Chess Strategy by Watson
Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy by Hansen
The Art of Attack
Amateur to IM
I don't remember exactly who it was now, but on a chess.com vid I remember the speaker saying Larsen was one of the nicest chess players he'd ever met/on the circuit.
For my money the "best chess books" are those that focus on practical play. Thus I will be excluding many books considered classics. So in no particular order:
"Understanding Your Chess" By James Rizzitano
"The Seven Deadly Chess Sins" By Jonathan Rowson
"Chess For Zebras" By Jonathan Rowson
"Predicament In 2-Dimensions" By Ariel Mengarini
"Excelling at Chess" By Jacob Aargaard
"The Chess Doctor" By Bruce Pandolfini
"How to Choose a Chess Move" By Andrew Soltis
"The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess" By Andrew Soltis
"Chess Tips for the Improving Player" Amaztia Avni
"The Rules of Winning Chess" By Nigel Davies
"50 Ways To Win at Chess" Steve Giddins
"50 Essential Chess Lessons" Steve Giddins
"Logical Chess Move by Move" Irving Chernev
"A Fresh Look at Chess" Lev Alburt
"A First Book of Morphy" Frisco Del Rosario
"Devious Chess" Amatzia Avni
"Chess For Tigers" Simon Webb
"Chess Master... at any age" Rolf Wetzel
"Practical Chess Psychology" Amatzia Avni
"The Amateurs Mind" By Jeremy Silman
"A Guide To Chess Improvement" Dan Heisman
"Creative Chess" By Amatzia Avni
"Dynamic Chess Strategy" By Mihai Suba
"The Search for Chess Perfection II" By CJS Purdy
"The Secrets of Practical Chess" By John Nunn
"Improve Your Chess Now" By Jonathan Tisdall
"Russian Chess" By Bruce Pandolfini
A book that is considered one of the best is My System by Aron Nimzowitsch. We are currently doing a group book study via my blog. Check it out HERE. Get a copy of the book and join us. The idea is to go slow and understand deeply.
There isn't any that has been published yet. But I'm working on a book that has all the content you'd ever find about chess. But the size of the book is very large...
Oct 28, 2017
0
#31
Important is to take one book and work with it. Really, do not do the mistake I did to have a lot of books but not work with them. One book, work hard with it, next book, work hard with it, and so on. I am a typical example of a guy who didn't do like this, and my chess library is excellent, but my game absolutely ridiculous.
ghost_of_pushwood wrote:
Can't say I'm too thrilled by Larsen. Even by chessplayer standards, the guy's a raving egomaniac.
There has not been much raving in the last nine years.
Kasparov knows a thing or two about chess :)
"... Just because a book contains lots of information that you don’t know, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be extremely helpful in making you better at this point in your chess development. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
"... The books that are most highly thought of are not necessarily the most useful. Go with those that you find to be readable. ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010)
"... 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
"More" what?
Oct 29, 2017
0
#36
ghost_of_pushwood wrote:
Still, since you never tried all this hard work, how can you say that that would've worked either?
Good point! My point is that you should try hard at the first book - hopefully a good book - and not spend money with other books, otherwise you will fill your bookshelf with books without improving much your game. But wait: with some books I worked hard, at least with some chapters. But if I had to start again, I would take one of the first books I bought and work hard with it. One is a book by Tarrasch, the other by Euwe.
100 Selected Games by Botvinnik
Soviet Middlegame Techique by Peter Romanovsky
Principles of Opening and Middlegame by A. P. Sokolsky
Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual
Tactics of Endgames by Jenő Bán
Perpetual Chess by István Bilek
Soul of a Chess Fighter by József Forgács
Chess is my Life by Andor Lilienthal
Strategy of Endgame by Mihail Shereshevsky
They are my favourite ones. Regardless your level, they are pure joy to play through.
^ Nice to read some recommended titles different to the usual Heisman, Silman, Chernev, Reinfeld and the usual crowd, great as those authors are.
More Great 1600 above books
Chess Lessons by Popov
Positional Decision Making at Chess bY GM Gelfand
Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide by GM Rios
Beat The Grandmaster by Kongsten
How To Become a Deadly Chess Tactician
Mastering Engdame Strategy by Hellsten
Many years ago, I saw a discussion about choosing a chess book. This was my favorite comment:
"Remember, if you like books--like reading them and owning them--there's no such thing as 'one chess book.' ... as you acquire one or two and read them through--even if you don't--you'll find yourself drawn to the chess section every time you walk into Walden's or Barnes and Noble or Borders. If you leaf through the books and compare their contents to what you need, you'll soon find yourself dedicating a shelf or two of your bookcase to chess books. You'll want to have all of Sierawan's books (as soon as they're back in print). You'll yearn to complete your collection of Alburt's series. You'll start haunting used book shops for old copies of Fischer's 'My 60 Memorable Games.' Your hair will gradually grow unkempt, and a distracted wild look will creep into your eyes. If you're separated from your books for too long, your hands will begin to twitch and you'll start plotting knight moves across the checkered tablecloth at the Italian restaurant where you're supposed to be wooing your wife / girlfriend. You've entered a perilous zone ... 'Chessbibliomania' is not a condition to be easily dismissed, and research has shown it isn't curable. Maybe you'll be better off just buying a gin rummy program for your computer and avoiding this chess book madness altogether. :) Happy reading!!"
Quality Chess Blog published its list of the 10 best chess books of the 20th century.
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/blog/2855
1. Mikhail Tal: The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal
2. Bent Larsen: 50 Selected Games
3. Bobby Fischer: My 60 Memorable Games
4. John Nunn: Secret of Practical Chess
5. Isaak Lipnitsky: Questions of Modern Chess Theory
6. Mark Dvoretsky: Secrets of Chess Training (now School of Chess Excellence 1)
7. Alexander Alekhine: Best Games
8. Mikhail Botvinnik: Best Games
9. Aron Nimzowitsch: My System
10. David Bronstein: Zurich 1953