Book Recommendation on Middle-Games

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NationalPatzer

Hello, I am a 1800 USCF player and aspiring National Master. I've recently become interested in pawn structures and would like a book recommendation that deals with middle game plans due to pawn structures. Also, I'd be interested in hearing some good endgame books.

. . .

I've already read Silman's Reassess Your Chess and My System. I'm considering Drovetsky's Endgame Manual, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for it yet.

I play the English and Dutch Defense, so a book which talks about these pawn structures and middle-game plans would be cool. I'm just looking to improve, and I thought learning about pawns more would be the first place to start

jambyvedar

Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/235/chess_structures_-_a_grandmaster_guide_by_mauricio_flores_rios/

 

Understanding Chess Middle Games by GM Nunn

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Chess-Middlegames-John-Nunn/dp/1906454272

 

Lessons With a Grandmaster 1 and 2 by GM Gulko

https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Grandmaster-II-Boris-Gulko/dp/1857446976/ref=pd_cp_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=B894W7G9KJFRMEF58TZS

 

https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Grandmaster-Strategy-Psychology-Everyman/dp/1857446682/ref=pd_cp_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1T89RA6R6DCBJ1J27D1E

 

kindaspongey

Possibly of interest:
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Seirawan stuff:
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
50 Essential Chess Lessons by Steve Giddins
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708100833/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review534.pdf
Simple Chess by Michael Stean
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104258/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review400.pdf
Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf
Chess Secrets: The Giants of Chess Strategy by Neil McDonald
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092313/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review620.pdf
Chess Strategy for Club Players by Herman Grooten
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101926/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review696.pdf
Chess Training for Post-beginners by Yaroslav Srokovski
https://web.archive.org/web/20140712013538/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review945.pdf
Chess Strategy: Move by Move by Adam Hunt
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093249/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review890.pdf
How to Reassess Your Chess (4th ed.) by Jeremy Silman
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708095832/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review769.pdf
The Art of the Middlegame
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Art-of-the-Middlegame-The-77p3554.htm
Winning Pawn Structures by GM Alexander Baburin (1998)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140718055446/http://chesscafe.com/text/wps.txt
Understanding Pawn Play in Chess by GM Drazen Marovic (2000)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708110136/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review249.pdf
Dynamic Pawn Play in Chess by GM Drazen Marovic (2001)
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/books-of-many-flavours
Winning Chess Middlegames, An Essential Guide to Pawn Structures by GM Ivan Sokolov (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708091955/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review676.pdf
Pawn Structure Chess by GM Andrew Soltis (2013)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101523/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review908.pdf
Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide by GM Mauricio Flores Rios (2015)
"There is also masses of stuff in the book that made me go 'Oooh!' and 'Aaah!' so I think it will have the same effect on you! In particular, I loved Rios' exposition of White's plan of exerting queenside pressure against Hedgehog systems. I'd seen one of the games he quotes in his chapter but I'd never remotely made any link to a structured way of fighting the Hedgehog structure, so this chapter was a real eye-opener for me ...
In conclusion, warmly recommended. Lots to learn!" - GM Matthew Sadler
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7495.pdf
The Power of Pawns by GM Jörg Hickl (2016)
"The didactic concept of the book is admirable. Each chapter defines the structures, explains the typical characteristics and shows the plans for both White and Black. The reader participates by assessing positions and invariably receives useful tips for practical play." - FM Harry Schaack
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/the-power-of-pawns/
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9034.pdf
Zurich 1953 by Bronstein
http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/review-zurich-1953-bronstein
Python Strategy by Tigran Petrosian
http://sagarteacheschess.blogspot.com/2015/09/python-strategy-book-review.html
Petrosian’s Legacy by Tigran Petrosian (1990)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103409/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review309.pdf
Petrosian: Move by Move by Thomas Engqvist
"Engqvist gives us a rare treat and a genuine, sympathetic understanding of one of chess' greats who nowadays tends to gets lost in the shuffle!" - Michael Ciamarra (2014)
Grandmaster Chess Strategy by Jürgen Kaufeld & Guido Kern
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093410/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review812.pdf

kindaspongey

Various endgame study possibilities discussed at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7742.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105702/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review645.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9026.pdf
http://chessimprover.com/averbakhs-chess-endings-essential-knowledge/
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708234309/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review704.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Understanding_Chess_Endgames.pdf
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/endings-endings-endings
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/the-end-game-comes-before-we-know-it
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
Before buying any particular book, I suggest going to the publisher site to see if it is possible to view a sample.

K_Brown
NationalPatzer wrote:

Hello, I am a 1800 USCF player and aspiring National Master. I've recently become interested in pawn structures and would like a book recommendation that deals with middle game plans due to pawn structures. Also, I'd be interested in hearing some good endgame books.

. . .

I've already read Silman's Reassess Your Chess and My System. I'm considering Drovetsky's Endgame Manual, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for it yet.

I play the English and Dutch Defense, so a book which talks about these pawn structures and middle-game plans would be cool. I'm just looking to improve, and I thought learning about pawns more would be the first place to start

 

There is the book "Chess Structures" by Mauricio Flores Rios that does exactly what you described as @jambyvedar and @kindaspongey pointed out. 

 

Another method and a quick reference is just google searching "pawn structure" and then finding the link on it to wikipedia.