BTW, I think reading one book is not enough. I subscribed to SCRIBD and downloaded like 50+ books. I use chess book as a Google. When I get in trouble in a daily 1 day game, I search through my library to find the best way to deal with that situation. Then, I write down note and include my own game as an example.
What is the one chess book that helped you most?
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"Plsy the French" by John Watson. When I first started to play in a lot of OTB tournaments, I had a good Whte repertoire plyaing 1. e4 against most black defenses...,, except the French Defense. So I purchased Watson's book, but found the French Defense so boring that I couldn't read through it. So.... instead, I used to bring the book with me to tournaments, put it, in plain view, close to my chess board (where my oppponents could see it), and... voila! Like magic, hardly any of my opponents played the French vs me. A VERY helpful book!
pdve wrote:
I had pawn structure chess. good book. though I probably favor baburin's winning pawn structures.
also recently bought Chess Structures a grandmaster guide by GM Rios.
Also deserving of praise are all of Dvoretsky's books.
Note "Winning Pawn Structures" by Alexander Baburin is concerned primarily with isolated Queen pawn (IQP) structures.
"Alexander Baburin's extremely popular and well-written book Winning Pawn Structures is even guiltier on this account, dealing only with isolated queen pawns and its descendants!" - comment by John Watson in the following book review...
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/history-and-general-works-part-2.-john-watson-book-review-97?searched=baburin&advsearch=oneword&highlight=ajaxSearch_highlight+ajaxSearch_highlight1
Also see the reader reviews here....
https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Pawn-Structures-Alexander-Baburin/dp/0713480092/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
"I’ll take a moment out to share a story about these two players. I don’t recall where or when it took place (and I’m too lazy to do a deep search), but it’s extremely funny and thus well worth sharing.
Both men (who were sometimes friends and sometimes not) had played in the same tournament, and during the award’s ceremony Alekhine found himself on the podium. Instead of doing the usual 'thank you' routine, he said the following: 'Last night I had a dream. I had died and found myself at the Pearly Gates, but when I tried to enter I was told by Saint Peter that chess players were not allowed into Heaven! I wandered along the endless fence, hoping to find some other entry point, but it was hopeless. Then, suddenly I saw Bogoljubov on the other side, having a great time! I rushed back to Saint Peter and said, "You told me that chess players aren’t allowed in Heaven. But if that is so, why was Bogoljubov allowed in?" Saint Peter replied, "Oh, he only thinks he’s a chess player!"'" - IM Jeremy Silman (2014)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/alexander-alekhine-part-4-his-prime-years