How to study a chess book
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I generally try to visualize the position mentally and run through all the variations, and, if I am unable to complete this action, then I use my actual chess board to go through the moves. In my opinion, you are not utilizing a chess book to its full potential if you are not setting up a chess board to study with, be it mental or physical.
Not a silly question, and sorry that I do not have an answer for it. However, I noticed that there is also a "Reassess Your Chess" workbook, and I wonder if that is a good companion to the book itself. Of course it is marketed that way, but has anyone had any experience with the two books working together?
Good point KnightNotHorse! Off to Amazon.com 
I was in a bookstore the other day and noticed the workbook. Is it new? Has anybody used it? JRF2k, to answer your question, I try to visualize as much as possible, but on the complete games I always set up a board and go through each move. I think this is helpful, because I try to think of the best move for both white and black and then I see if I was on or not to what was played. It's very slow going, and to be honest, I only do about a game or two a night with that book.
I saw a suggestion at Amazon that Amatuer's Mind is a better book to start with. I have that one too, I wonder if I should switch? I am only on chapt. 2 of Reassess so it wouldn't be hard to switch.
Unbeliever wrote: I generally try to visualize the position mentally and run through all the variations, and, if I am unable to complete this action, then I use my actual chess board to go through the moves. In my opinion, you are not utilizing a chess book to its full potential if you are not setting up a chess board to study with, be it mental or physical.
You are absolutely correct bro., Even the late Aron Nimzovitch suggest two chess sets. One for the actual game the other for analysis. But I must add that one must be objective in reading books. You can use two books if you like for example, you can compare the annotations and analysis of two different authors of a book which contains the same game played by the same players. Don't forget that authors are marketeers too so it would be obvious that they tend to be bias in certain parts of their book and sometimes you would be dragged into "Trust" but they all come to meet as one, Teaching us kibitzers the right methods. The solution to finding truths is objectivity.
baltic wrote: Unbeliever wrote: I generally try to visualize the position mentally and run through all the variations, and, if I am unable to complete this action, then I use my actual chess board to go through the moves. In my opinion, you are not utilizing a chess book to its full potential if you are not setting up a chess board to study with, be it mental or physical.
You are absolutely correct bro., Even the late Aron Nimzovitch suggest two chess sets. One for the actual game the other for analysis. But I must add that one must be objective in reading books. You can use two books if you like for example, you can compare the annotations and analysis of two different authors of a book which contains the same game played by the same players. Don't forget that authors are marketeers too so it would be obvious that they tend to be bias in certain parts of their book and sometimes you would be dragged into "Trust" but they all come to meet as one, Teaching us kibitzers the right methods. The solution to finding truths is objectivity.
True.
JRF2k,
With that book, I typically set up a board, either a real board on a table, or use a .pgn viewer and go through it on a screen. But unless you are a MUCH better visualizer than I, Im not sure it is possible to go through that book in one's head. Some of his examples are entire games, and require long set-ups.
JRF2k wrote:
I saw a suggestion at Amazon that Amatuer's Mind is a better book to start with. I have that one too, I wonder if I should switch? I am only on chapt. 2 of Reassess so it wouldn't be hard to switch.
I have heard that you should read The Amatuer's Mind first as well. I guess it depends how advanced you are. Reassess Your Chess is for intermediate/advanced level players. From NM Dan Heisman 's web site:
"Silman Book Reading Order
My recommended order (though all stand alone):
1) Read Reassess Your Chess through page 52. Then put it away!
2) Read all of The Amateur's Mind.
3) Read the rest of How to Reassess Your Chess.
4) Read The Workbook"
http://danheisman.home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/General_Book_Guide.htm
Hope that helps. I'm just a beginner sort of, so I'm going through The Amateurs Mind first.
Is reasses your chess a good read for a beginner? I was just wondering i have heard soo much about this book, from my friends.
No, Reassess Your Chess is for intermediate/advanced level players.
If that's the case, then I better switch to Amatuer's Mind.
I have all of them (Amateur's Mind, Reassess and the workbook) - I found them all to be a little over my head when I first started working with them. What I really found helpful was just understanding the way Jeremy wants to talk about everything: seeing things in terms of imbalances first, learning how to identify them, then learning what the imbalances tell you about how to play the situation.
I don't think you have to be too strict about order or anything - in fact, I grab my chess books at random and just take them on the train or whatever. I like to trust that my brain is soaking things in, and just gentle re-exposure over time leads to real results.
The workbook is great though by the way - and in fact, I owned the workbook BEFORE I owned Reassess... and it was just fine. He reviews the basics of his imbalance system for one (and though I couldn't solve ANY of the problems, that was fine - you just go through his answers, and like I said, slowly absorb). Don't be afraid if you're not understanding it very well or you can't guess the correct answer to any of the problems! It is good for your mind to feel it's dwelling in something it can't yet fathom. It's a sponge. Trust it. Trust time. Just take the information in.
Great post! So as a new player wanting to learn what books should I buy to help introduce me to chess. I have Pandolfini Chess Complete that im reading. Just wondering what books I should put in my library.
I read and highly recommend "Silman's Complete Endgame Course".
I consider really useful transcribe (chessbase format) games that you like it, from all books and authors you can find. It's very instructional studying a game for several points of view.
Before that, I would like to reproduce the game one or twice with no reading at all, only to memorise moves and take a picture in my mind
Regards
Currently, I am going through the book Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Stilman. What is the best study strategy to use when reading a book on Chess? Do you set up every position that's talked about, go through all variations? Sounds like a silly question, I know.
How do you do it?