Book recommendations for a ~1500 rapid player (evaluation & planning)
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Hi everyone,
I’m currently around 1526 in rapid and I’m looking for book recommendations to keep improving.
I train tactics regularly and play slower time controls when possible, but I feel stuck and I suspect my main weaknesses are position evaluation, planning, and decision-making, rather than pure tactics.
I’m looking for books that focus on:
• Positional evaluation (who’s better and why)
• Planning and strategic thinking
• Improving the thinking process during a game
• Practical material suitable for an intermediate player (~1500 rapid)
I’d really appreciate recommendations that explain: – Why you recommend the book
– What specific skills it improves
– How it should be studied (exercises, annotating games, etc.)
Thanks in advance for the help.
Not a single response after four months ...
For strategy, the books on my own wish list (or to-read list) are the following:
- Back to Basics: Strategy by Valeri Beim (2011), which looks like a good first book for getting into strategy.
- Foundations of Chess Strategy by Lars Bo Hansen (2005), which purportedly "creates a framework in which the various elements can be systematically included and organized – a framework that will help chess-players to think about chess strategy during practical play".
- Simple Chess by Michael Stean (short; a classic).
- The Power of Pawns: Chess Structures Fundamentals for Post-Beginners by Jörg Hickl.
The question is how much of this you can apply to rapid games. One tip I have come across is using your opponent's time to think about pawn structures, plans and strategy. You should also make sure you understand the plans that underpin the openings you play, so you know more or less what to plan for once you're "out of book".
For the plans or ideas behind the chess openings, there are several books that should be good:
- Understanding the Chess Openings by Sam Collins (2005; 224 pages).
- FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren (2009; 480 pages)
Some YouTube videos on the openings you play can also be helpful; listen with an ear for typical plans and ideas instead of just a series of moves to memorise.
But the most important thing is analysing your own games and keeping track of your weaknesses, so you can adapt your study time and book choices to those weaknesses. (I keep a spreadsheet of all my games and I have columns for several types of weaknesses, such as opening, specific tactics and endgame.)
