Is it Worth Reading Chess Books?

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IpswichMatt
Ziryab wrote:

If I know anything about chess that is not true, the likely culprits are books by Irving Chernev or

Two posters not impressed by Chernev! - what do you think he said that was bad advice? I know that for years after reading "Logical Chess Move by Move" I'd never play h3 (or h6 with Black) if I'd castled short. I loved that book though!

Ziryab

Actually I like a lot of Chernev’s books and sometimes promote them in these forums. But they must be read critically.

He makes historical claims that are simply unverifiable. One of my favorites: “white announced mate in eight” in Taylor v. amateur in The 1000 Best Short Games of Chess (1955). Taylor says something quite different when he presents the position in his Chess Brilliants (1869).

Also Chernev was not a master and did not have engines. There will be errors in analysis.

Ziryab

I think that Logical Chess Move by Move is a vey good book for players to study after they have worked through Capablanca’s Chess Fundamentals and A Primer of Chess. In game one, however, White resigned prematurely. Do not blindly accept Chernev’s assessment. He can be wrong.

tygxc

#21
There are better authors than Chernev.

Ubik42
The thing about Chernev is he had a very dogmatic style of writing. Reading him gives the impression you don’t really have to calculate much, just play philosophically based on a few maxims, you will be the hero and your opponent the villain for violating the holy principles.

But the principles he lays out work until they don’t.

It’s entertaining and may have some value to beginners, but I think there are more modern books that are far better.
IpswichMatt
Ziryab wrote:

He makes historical claims that are simply unverifiable. One of my favorites: “white announced mate in eight” in Taylor v. amateur in The 1000 Best Short Games of Chess (1955). Taylor says something quite different when he presents the position in his Chess Brilliants (1869).

Don't leave us hanging! What did Taylor say?

IpswichMatt
Ubik42 wrote:
The thing about Chernev is he had a very dogmatic style of writing. Reading him gives the impression you don’t really have to calculate much, just play philosophically based on a few maxims, you will be the hero and your opponent the villain for violating the holy principles.


 Brilliant comment! Made me laugh too

A lot of the time when a player violates some principle, and you know they have - it's still really difficult to take advantage of it.

Difficult game, chess.

 

IpswichMatt

The first book I ever read was called "How to Think Ahead in Chess". Instead of diagrams it contained photographs of a chess set and board.

It was basically a repertoire book, and each of the opening lines chosen was apparently a forced win.

Ubik42
I think people stopped writing those sorts of books once engines were available and it was easy to see the forced win was actual -.76 pawns or something like that.
IpswichMatt

IIRC the suggestion for White was to play some Stonewall thing, and most of White's moves were followed by one or more exclamation marks so 1 d4!, then 2 e3!! and 3 f4! and Black should think about resigning.

Ziryab
IpswichMatt wrote:
Ziryab wrote:

He makes historical claims that are simply unverifiable. One of my favorites: “white announced mate in eight” in Taylor v. amateur in The 1000 Best Short Games of Chess (1955). Taylor says something quite different when he presents the position in his Chess Brilliants (1869).

Don't leave us hanging! What did Taylor say?

 

The book can be read free on Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Chess_Brilliants_One_hundred_games_examp/3BpdAAAAcAAJ

Here's all that can be known with certainty about the game. The five moves leading to the position can be reconstructed with some variability in move order. The checkmate in eight can be worked out. Everything else is speculative and unsourced.



Ziryab
IpswichMatt wrote:

IIRC the suggestion for White was to play some Stonewall thing, and most of White's moves were followed by one or more exclamation marks so 1 d4!, then 2 e3!! and 3 f4! and Black should think about resigning.

 

I read that book, too, but happily did not adopt the Stonewall.

dfgh123

I read it too I think it's the origins of why I started playing QGD lasker.

SaturnAscends
Floating-Duck wrote:

Absolutely not.

All knowledge that takes time to accumulate is worthless.

If you cannot become a GM in under a week you should probably stick to playing chess on weekends for fun.   incase it wasn't inherently obvious, this stooge is either joking or wrong. 

 

sndeww
Ubik42 wrote:
The thing about Chernev is he had a very dogmatic style of writing. Reading him gives the impression you don’t really have to calculate much, just play philosophically based on a few maxims, you will be the hero and your opponent the villain for violating the holy principles.

But the principles he lays out work until they don’t.

It’s entertaining and may have some value to beginners, but I think there are more modern books that are far better.

When I was starting out, his dogmatic principles helped me cut down reams of variations of calculations, and instead to focus on a few. They were usually right, too. Of course, I later outgrew such rigid principles, but they definitely helped me in many ways.

GeorgeWyhv14

Improvision is faster than books.

sndeww
GeorgeWyhv14 wrote:

Improvision is faster than books.

yes, light is faster than sound. 

Ziryab
jwmcneil wrote:

I'd like to find a book that helps me to lose interest in this game?  Is that book out there?  The one that tells my brain to stop wasting time on this game?

 

Any book by Franklin K. Young should serve the purpose.

Sadlone

Worst possible way to ruin your chess and time, never ever read , just play

sndeww
Sadlone wrote:

Worst possible way to ruin your chess and time, never ever read , just play

whatever makes you happy man