Paper books or ebooks with an engine?

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TheMoistOstrich

(I was considering if it was best putting this in "chess books and equipment", but I am not asking about specific material or anything.)
 
I have been leafing through forums, videos, and sites to find an endgame book. With all the resources and knowledge out there it's no surprise that there are plenty good books to choose from. I'm considering Silman's book for simplicity sake but was wondering if it's even a good option to get a real book. Wouldn't it be more efficient to get a book that is organized with an engine online? Playing the variations on a chess board can be time consuming and the book may have not considered certain engine moves. Please share your thoughts on which you prefer as I am curious to hear other peoples preferences.

TheMoistOstrich
GingerbreadNinja wrote:

I have never been able to go through a book. I am not even sure what the point is. I reference books all the time, but to go through each chapter and get conditioned to that author's style of play, it's like an encyclopedia.

 

You should play games and study the games you play. Going through books is more beneficial when you can say "Oh yea, I remember that. I played a game and the engine said to play Na5." rather than "Ok, I will have to remember that if that ever happens."

 

By the time something you read comes up, you have waited half a year or longer. Then, to add to your troubles you want to stare at an electronic device and do it instead with an ebook?

 

My approach is to record multiple instances of a problem/mistake in a game, research the master games, research the lower levels to see how they handle it, and then compare that with the engine. After that, I make a choice on how I want to proceed.

 

Any single source is going to be inadequate. What I would like to see is GMs and IMs putting together well written annotations of current tournament/match games. If the current game ends prematurely, see if there is also an older game that is similar. Perhaps, it was drawn early because of it. Things like that will stick in your head more than claiming to have achieved something because you now own a book.

 Your approach is very intelligent! I should have also addressed other resources. I started actually studying chess nearly half a year ago. Analyzing games, watching videos, and playing slower time controls has been my method and it's working well. As you said it's very important to consult many sources. Now as someone who is not capable of getting a coach, I have to use other resources. People learn differently and for me personally I like to alternate between videos and books. Now I have won games with mating motifs such as Greco's mate, Legal's mate, and Damiano's Mate. I learned these motifs in a part of a book. An endgame book will teach major concepts such as visualization, king and pawn endgames, and rook endgames. These are not little instances that will rarely come up but solved chess that I need to learn. So my dilemma is if I should get an in hand book or something you would find on say chessable. In my case rather than treating them as an encyclopedia I get books that are more like a workbook. Most people don't finish books but everything is in them and as long as the material is useful and the reader learns that way then adding that source of information with everything else seems like a good plan.

TheMoistOstrich

1. I didn't necessarily mean a complete package. Obviously if you learn puzzles there will be more. The point is that you build up your skill in spotting them when you would not have previously under the pressure of a live game. Once you know the pattern and positions it can sometimes be clear what to do. If you can't learn every puzzle you shouldn't study them at all??

2. The book I am getting covers lucena and phillidor. Those were the crucial positions I was referring to. Rook endgames. Once you know the lucena it becomes clear what to do in all those positions. The grecos mate was an example of how you could learn a pattern from a book that can appear in a lot of positions. I would not have seen the sequence previously and wouldn't of bothered putting my queen on h5 because after h6 I thought I had nothing. Also the grecos mate uses bishop knight and queen. And the human brain is capable of remembering a lot trust me.

3. So because a high level player doesn't get into a common endgame or a mate I shouldn't learn them? Look at something like Dvoretskys manual. I haven't touched it but I'd assume he talks about what to look for with certain pieces on the board. That would teach you what the best move should be which is exactly what you just said to do. You were missing the point to. This whole time I was talking about patterns and what your goals should be in a position. Looking at things like imbalances to decide what to do next. I not once said you should memorize as many moves and positions in hopes they appear. If you thing all books are like that then you are mistaken. And as for that position it is nothing I would memorize in a book. As you said I would look for the best move I could find. Having practice with looking at plenty of endgame positions would most certainly help though.