Reading chess books

Hello fellow chess players,

I've been wondering for a while now about the following:
What is the best way to read a chess book?

I could read it using the chess.com analysis board but I
could also set up a real board (or two) and play the moves on it.

What is your opinion?

I believe that chess books are old-school thing. better get a Chess Mentor here or at least Tactics Trainer - much more fun then spending most of the time setting up the board again and again/

Actually I AM quite old school so my recommendation is clear: Set up the chess board to go through the book. Returning to the same position after playing down a sideline will help you develop your memory and board vision.

Apart from that I have had quite good experiences with playing through the games in a book, but following the sidelines only in my mind until I had understood them. Depending on the frequency of diagrams you can also try to read the book without a board at all.

so there are basically two approaches - possibly the best thing to do is to try   both and then compare. the answer may also vary depending on your level, whether it is about some advanced opening theory or say just learning basics of tactics.

It depends on the book. Not all books are read with the same goal in mind.

But if you want to improve your chess, the benefit you get from the book will depend on how much work you put in. The more time you spend thinking about the lines in the book (trying to disprove what it says, figuring out why the book is right, etc) the more you will get out of it.

Personally I think board and pieces are best for that. It's not necessary though, if you can analyze in your head very well, or do the same on a computer without turning on an engine, maybe you don't need it.

Another way to do it old school is to use a board but try and do the variations in your head as much as you can.

A three or four move variation should be doable, working up to longer variations.