Diamond Member
No cold friend requests please. If we have a fair game or two, I'll add you to my friends/invite list. Otherwise, please stop spamming me.
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Chess-related books that have helped me in one way or another:
general study -
Jacob Aagaard: the Excelling at... and Grandmaster Preparation... series; Practical Chess Defense; Attacking Manual I & II
Jonathan Rowson: Chess for Zebras; The Seven Deadly Chess Sins
endgames -
Jesus de la Villa: 100 Endgames You Must Know
(Not written [or translated?] very well, but it's on educator's 'top 10' lists for a reason.)
mating patterns -
Murray Chandler: How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
(Don't let the cover or title put you off. This is a great introductory book on checkmate patterns.)
Georeges Renaud: The Art of Checkmate
tactics -
Ward Farnsworth: Predator at the Chessboard vols. I & II
(Another goofy cover, wrapped around fantastic content.)
middlegame -
John Nunn: Understanding Chess Middlegames
strategy -
Neil Mcdonald: Chess Secrets - The Giants of Strategy
John Watson: Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy
pawn structure & pawn play -
Alexander Baburin: Winning Pawn Structures
Mauricio Flores Rios: Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide
Hans Kmoch: Pawn Power in Chess
note: Kmoch's book is to chess as kale is to vegetables... very good for you, but can be very
hard to digest. buyer/reader beware.
Sam Shankland: Small Steps to Giant Improvement 1 & 2
Andrew Soltis: Pawn Structure Chess
openings -
John Watson: Mastering the Chess Openings, vol. 1-4
Various Authors: Many, many books too numerous to mention re: specific openings/variations...