Please, if anyone could reccomend some good chess books,
I would be grateful.

On Nov 30, 2:19 am, Frenki wrote:
Please, if anyone could reccomend some good chess books,
I would be grateful.

At various times there have been discussion of books
for beginners, books on all aspects of the game, etc.
Here is some of what has been written:


2002-11-28 17:35:21 PST

The most commonly recommended book for beginners is usually
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess". Even if you know the
basic rules, it goes into enough depth to teach you plenty.


2002-12-15 15:43:17 PST

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess by Patrick Wolff
Excellent book.


2002-12-16 18:04:22 PST

Wolff's book is not just for complete beginners.


2003-01-04 05:55:55 PST

Wolff's book is superior


2003-01-04 06:06:53 PST

The Complete Idiot's Guide may well be
your best one volume purchase at this stage.

At least one other post mentioned tactics practice. Again this is
*very* sound advice but only if you already know what pins,
forks, skewers, deflection etc are.


2003-01-29 13:32:32 PST

A modern and highly praised general introductory book is
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" by Patrick Wolff, a
former US Champion.


2003-05-26 16:56:20 PST

Feel free to hide it when friends come over, but the Idiot's chess
book by Patrick Wolff (GM) is a great book. Obviously you
don't need to learn the rules but there is a lot of good elementary
instructional material.


2002-11-28 20:02:08 PST

"How to Reassess Your Chess"
is too advanced if you've just learned the rules.


2002-11-28 21:08:47 PST

even if "How to Reassess Your Chess"
is too hard now, it may well become a book that
[one] is glad to have in the future. Many have
expressed such feelings.


2002-11-29 17:48:27 PST

["How to Reassess Your Chess" is]
Waaaay too advanced.


2002-12-02 17:20:19 PST

I have not seen Silman's book, but I understand it is meant for the
advancing club player, someone on their way to Expert and beyond
(maybe that's why I haven't seen it ;-).

When I was very young and learning how to play, my Dad got me "Bobby
Fischer Teaches Chess," and it was a very good beginner's guide.
Later I found "The Penguin Book of Chess Positions," a small pocket
paperback that explains basic tactics and accompanies the ideas with
"find the best move" tactics problems. It is a great book to tote
around and read one or two pages at a time.


2002-12-23 18:56:03 PST

I would suggest "Reascess Your Chess" and it's companion
work book, both by IM Jeremy Silman.


2002-12-23 19:50:03 PST

Absolutely not!!! "How to Reassess Your Chess" is widely
regarded as a great book on positional play, but if you
don't already have a firm grasp of tactics, it's not going
to help you any. First learn to how to avoid getting
clobbered by basic tactics, then move on to real strategy.


2003-02-09 12:55:33 PST

Any of the Silman books are good. I highly recommend "How
to Reaccess Your Chess.


2003-01-12 08:22:05 PST

The Amateurs Mind -IM Jeremy Silman A wonderful book
for players up to Expert level. You can read more of/about
Silman in www.jeremysilman.com


2003-05-30 10:50:09 PST

Silman is great, but you do need basic tactics down first, that
will take away alot of the whys and whatfors when silman
says this or that piece should go here or there. Fred Renfield's
red and blue tactics books (1000 positions each) should help
you a lot as it did me. With Silman though it's helpful to read,
try to understand, then go out and play and apply those
principles.. then come back in 6 months and reread.. lo and
behold you'll find you understand things that weren't clear
before.


2003-05-26 18:28:14 PST

"The Art of Checkmate" by Renaud and Kahn is a MUST
READ for everyone below 1600. I can't tell you how much
I wish someone had shoved this book into my hands when
I was first starting out.


2003-05-29 18:22:25 PST

I agree that "The Art of Checkmate" is excellent, better and
more useful for most players than 99.9% of chess books, and
I give it my very highest recommendation.


2003-01-12 11:04:17 PST

Whatever you do, make ABSOLUTELY SURE you get one or
two books on tactics. Very important that you understand the
basic tactical ideas such as pin, skewer, fork, etc.! "Winning
Chess" by Reinfeld would be an excellent one to start with there.


2003-05-26 18:28:14 PST

"Winning Chess: How to See THree Moves Ahead" by
Chernev and Reinfeld is, IMHO, the best primer on tactics
there is, although it's pretty simple--anybody over, say, 1100
should be able to solve every problem in it pretty quickly. (If
you can't, then you need this book. Everything else is
secondary!)


2003-05-29 18:22:25 PST

I agree that "Winning Chess: How to See THree Moves Ahead"
is excellent, better and more useful for most players than 99.9%
of chess books, and I give it my very highest recommendation.

However, I disagree with the statement that "anybody over,
say, 1100 should be able to solve every problem in ["Winning
Chess"] pretty quickly." I am rated about 2000 USCF and
known as a tactical player, yet I have to think about some of
the positions before I can solve them. I consider it an excellent
basic primer, with enough substance to interest even a player of
my rating who wishes a quick review of tactical fundamentals.


2003-05-27 10:20:08 PST

I really love this book ("Winning Chess", Chernev & Reinfeld).
It was my very first chess book. I still reach for it first when I
want to brush up on tactics. I recall the thrill of setting up and
executing forks, pins, skewers, etc. while my still-tactically
-unknowledgeable friends didn't know what hit them.

I do have one beef with this book, however. I found one
position which was a "help combination", where the opponent
had to blunder in order for the featured combination to succeed,
while the text seemed to imply there was no way to avoid the
combination. This was a two-edged discovery -- I was pleased
that I was able to "refute" the author's analysis, but then I
wondered how many of the other examples were also help-style
combinations instead of being really forcing. In the end, I
decided that for me at least, it's a good thing, because I would
look at each problem with a more critical eye, seeing if I could
refute them, too, instead of just swallowing the author's analysis.

I wouldn't say the examples in the book are extremely easy, I'd
give most of them a medium-difficulty, which is why I think it
is a good book to go back to from time to time. After the first
few easy illustrative problems in each motif, the problems
typically get harder, with many pieces on the board. Anyway,
I highly recommend the book, if you can find it.


2002-08-05 16:40:42 PST

"Mammoth book of chess- Graham Burgess"

Maybe, give that a try. (It is probably unrealistic
to expect "the whole shebang" in one book.)


2002-08-06 20:32:31 PST

My experience is that books like this are not very
satisfying. Trying to cover a lot in many different
areas tends to mean that no one area is covered very
well.


2002-12-31 19:59:28 PST

The Mammoth book of Chess, by Graham Burgess.
Good book.


1 Jun 2006 13:13:25 -0700

If there is a Barnes and Noble bookstore near you,
you might be able to find Chess, Tactics and Strategy
by Graham Burgess in the discount section. The
book is over 500 pages and the discount price is
about $8. (The original title was: The Mammoth
Book of Chess.)


2002-08-06 09:28:10 PST

An alternative might be Seirawan's "Play Winning Chess"


2003-01-04 05:55:55 PST

Sierawan's "Play Winning Chess" is superior


2003-01-13 08:35:47 PST

I think Yasser Seirawan's _Winning Chess_ series is good:
Play Winning Chess, Endings, Tactics, Strategies, and
Brilliancies.


2003-05-26 16:56:20 PST

The Seirawan "Winning..." series should also be good for you.
Give them a browse.


2003-05-26 18:28:14 PST

"Winning Chess Strategies" is, in many ways, sort of a "How to
Reassess Your Chess for Dummies" book--and the series as a
whole is very solid.


2003-05-28 01:32:55 PST

I would recommend an EASY tactics book like Winning Chess
(Reinfeld and Chernev). I think Winning Chess is out of print,
but I've heard that Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan is also
good.


2002-08-06 22:08:43 PST

Maybe 500 Master Games of Chess.


2002-12-31 21:22:00 PST

500 Master Games of Chess by Dr.S. Tartakower & J.DuMont
EVERYTHING A GROWING BOY NEEDS :-)))


2002-08-07 08:21:53 PST

Maybe look at Lev Alberts Comprehensive chess course.


2003-01-04 05:55:55 PST

Alburt's "Comprehensive Chess Course." is superior


2003-01-12 11:04:17 PST

"Comprehensive Chess Course" volumes I and II by Alburt
would be very helpful.


2002-12-15 16:33:24 PST

You say that you know the basics. This being true, your first book
should be:

"Everyone's 2nd Chess Book" (sic)
by Dan Heisman, published by Thinkers Press

Indispensible.


2002-12-16 05:51:28 PST

I'll second the recommendation for Everyone's 2nd Chess Book.
In fact, you may want to go to chesscafe.com and check out Mr.
Heisman's column, the Novice Nook. Go to the archives, where
they have all of his past Novice Nook columns archived and
specifically look up the articles on a generic study plan and book
recommendations.

While you're there, check out the (in)famous article, "400
Points in 400 Days" by Michael de la Maza. Well worth reading
to get a perspective on the importance of tactics, even if you
don't end up following his method of study (most people won't).


2003-01-03 20:23:09 PST

Not sure if Heisman's book is quite what you are looking for.
Lots of good, practical advice, but I'm not sure it's the kind of
thing that's going to make you feel like you're ready to go out
and conquer the world. It's kind of like buying a book about
how to play golf -- great stuff, very informative, but it doesn't
take the place of pounding a couple of thousand balls at the
driving range.

For the biggest return on your investment, buy a tactics
workbook and go through it cover to cover two or three times.
Takes time, yes, takes discipline, yes, but it will also improve
your play more dramatically than anything else at this point.


2002-12-16 18:04:22 PST

I would take a look at Logical Chess Move by Move, with good
material on attacking motifs and the rudiments of positional play


2003-01-03 20:23:09 PST

Chernev's Logical Chess is a good choice, and I think they
have an algebraic edition now.


2003-01-12 11:04:17 PST

I like "Logical Chess" because it explains every single move of
master games. Yes, every single move!


2003-05-27 08:10:26 PST

Pick up a copy of Logical Chess Move by Move by Chernev. It
was just reprinted in algebraic. It has some very instructive games
and every move of every game is explained. Take your time and
spend 30-60 minutes on each game. This should inprove your
game immensely.


2003-05-28 01:32:55 PST

Logical Chess is fantastic, but encourages a rather unimaginative
style of play. Still, I would recommend Logical Chess


2003-06-04 11:54:32 PST

I'd highly recommend starting with the Novice Nook column
that goes over a study plan. The title is obvious, so you
should have no problem finding it. The books that he
recommends, at least for the first two steps of the study
plan (as far as I've gotten) probably really are the best
books of their type out there. Chernev's "Logical Chess:
Move by Move" is in Mr. Heisman's study plan as one
of the first books you should read.


2003-05-27 13:17:23 PST

The book by John Nunn, "Understanding Chess Move by Move"
(Gambit 2001) should be mentioned in this thread. It resembles
Logical Chess Move by Move by Chernev but goes probaby
deeper and is certainly more modern. Logical Chess is from
1957, but I do not think this is very important.


2003-05-28 01:32:55 PST

Understanding Chess Move by Move is quite an advanced book,
dealing with modern games that are, in general, more difficult to
understand than older games. If you struggle with The Amateur's
Mind, I advise you not to get Nunn's book yet. Nunn also has a
tendancy to want to explore all the main variations in a position,
sometimes quite deeply, instead of just focussing on the ideas
and general plans related to the position.


2002-12-16 18:04:22 PST

Either of Reinfeld's "1001" books


2003-05-26 19:52:25 PST

At your level you would do much better with a
beginner/intermediate book. Pick out anything by Fred Reinfeld
-- I recommend 1001 checkmates.


2003-05-28 01:32:55 PST

Reinfeld's 1001 combinations book contains some very difficult
puzzles, and they're spread in amongst some easier ones with no
indication that they are more difficult. This can be demoralising
for a beginner, and tends to interrupt progress when you're just
trying to "drill" a particular tactical theme. I think you'll find it
hard to regularly do tactics puzzles if they're too hard, so I advise
you to go for an easy tactics book.


2002-12-17 18:41:02 PST

The first chess book I have read was the monstrous-sized Fred
Reinfeld book, I forget the name of it. Maybe it's called "Complete
Book of Chess", but I am not sure. It's still around. I read that
whole book, and led me into the eccentric world of chess, which
I have never left!


2002-12-18 12:36:45 PST

I have "The Complete Chess Player by Fred Reinfeld" and Highly
recomend it. It's 300 pages ($10.00), and covers all the major
areas. It's thorough without being overwhelming.


2002-12-20 17:10:54 PST

Perhaps there is a confusion going on here.
"Complete Chess Course" [is] a rather large
hardback by Reinfeld that is not the same as The Complete
Chessplayer.

I have never tried to read the large hardback, but I did
read most of The Complete Chessplayer. It seemed
to me to be a reasonable beginner book. One problem
with it (in my opinion) is that it leaves readers with
the impression that they should study all openings.
I fear that many may have decided to give up on
chess after trying to get through Reinfeld's five
chapter presentation in that book. Other parts of
the book seemed okay to me. Modern beginner
books are probably better, but also more expensive.

I suspect that the large hardback is similar in
quality and faults, except that it is more expensive.
For that kind of money, it is probably better to
go for a more modern book.


2002-12-21 12:22:08 PST

"Complete Chess Course" is probably expensive now. In
my day, when I read it (in 1967, I think), it was much cheaper!


2003-05-08 09:54:52 PST

I'm living in another age here, but Reinfeld's The Complete
Chessplayer used to be pretty good.


2002-12-16 18:04:22 PST

"Combination Challenge" by Hays


2002-12-16 18:04:22 PST

Laszlo Polgar's giant "Chess: 5,334 Problems, Combinations
and Games."


2003-05-26 13:29:10 PST

Jan Timman has written some instruction booklets about chess
and a some excellent books on chess analysis. He plainly states
that it is not necessary to understand _every_ move, but to slowly
grasp the idea behind the setup.

You might follow two separate roads: one using The Amateur's
Mind and How to Reassess Your Chess, and one using books
with tactical puzzles, like Polgar's 5334 (or something) or
Sharpen your Tactics. Recognizing standard tactical situations
that can lead to material wins or mates is a process taking some
time. If you start to recognize the patterns (even starting from
simple mate sequences) you might find the contents of The
Amateur's Mind more understandable. And repetition can do
your good. Return to some earlier situations in the book and
replay them.

Remember that no one got his knowledge by sleeping with a
book under the pillow. Training is working, not just reading
and understanding. Hold on and good luck.


2002-12-16 18:04:22 PST

I also like the series by Fred Wilson, all of which have
"303" in the title.


2002-12-23 19:50:03 PST

As I said in an earlier post, go with the recommendations
in Dan Heisman's Novice Nook column. His suggestion of
going through John Bain's "Chess Tactics for Students" over
and over to memorize it has helped me immensely.


2003-05-27 10:20:08 PST

I also recommend the more basic Bain's "Tactics For Students".
Those problems are easier than those in the "Winning Chess",
but it's a very good first tactics workbook (it has no explanation
other than a short introduction to each motif, but ample hints in
each problem).


2003-06-04 11:48:50 PST

"Winning Chess: How to See THree Moves Ahead" has been
out of print for over 20 years. I tried searching for it when I
first started, but I gave up, because all the places I found that
were selling it used were charging at least $40 for it.

I found that Bain's "Chess Tactics for Students", followed by
"How to Beat Your Dad at Chess" by Murray Chandler
provided plenty of study material of this type.


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Lasker's Manual of Chess by Dr. Emanuel Lasker


2003-01-04 06:06:53 PST

IM(H)O Lasker's Manual is very dry with a dated style more likely
to put you off at this stage! I'd say maybe this book should be part
of your purchases at the next level, ie after you've absorbed
something like The Complete Idiot's Guide


2003-01-05 19:52:36 PST

Lasker's manual was my first chess book and I loved it! At the
time I was reading the novels of Hermann Hesse and found
Lasker completely congenial. If you dislike early 20th century
late (post-) romanticism, avoid the book. As a beginning player,
you need not worry about the datedness of the book; it contains
more than enough material to get you to a decent class of play.


2003-01-29 22:04:53 PST

Some sample pages of Lasker's book may be seen at
www.amazon.com


2003-05-26 10:38:27 PST

If you are not afraid of descriptive notation, Lasker's Manual
of Chess would cover what you need.


2004-08-14 21:02:13 PST

It may be heresy to say so but I really didn't like Lasker's
Common Sense in Chess that much....


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

How Not to Play Chess by Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Common Sense in Chess by Dr. Emanuel Lasker


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

The Art of Chess Combination by Eugene Znosko-Borovsky


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

The Middle Game in Chess by Eugene Znosko-Borovsky


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

The Art of the Middle Game by Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Modern Chess Strategy by Ludek Pachman (I was a little bit
reluctant to include this crippled version of Complete Chess
Strategy)


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Rubinstein?s Chess Masterpieces: 100 Selected Games by Hans
Kmoch


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

The Immortal Games of Capablanca by Fred Reinfeld


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

My Best Games of Chess, 1908-1937 by Alexander Alekhine


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Emanuel Lasker: The Life of a Chess Master by Dr. J. Hannak


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games by Mikhail Botvinnik


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953 by David Bronstein


2003-01-04 06:30:29 PST

Masters of the Chess Board by Reti


2002-11-28 20:02:08 PST

I would add Capablanca's Chess Primer as a possible book to try.


2003-05-26 10:38:27 PST

You might want to get Capablanca's Primer of Chess and Chess
Fundamentals. And a book on endgames and tactics.


2004-08-14 21:02:13 PST

It may be heresy to say so but I really didn't like
Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals that much....


2003-01-12 11:00:42 PST

Here is one I really liked:
http://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Produ...roductID=3D522
John Nunn's Secrets of Practical Chess.


2003-02-07 22:46:04 PST

1) Edward Lasker - Lasker's Manual of Chess 2) Lasker's
Chess Strategy 3) Cherney - Combinations The Heart of Chess,
Once you have made it through these, then and only then try 4)
My System by Aron Nimzovich - Edited by Fred Reinfeld.


2003-01-12 11:04:17 PST

My System is a bit overrated, IMO. I think it was innovative,
which is not necessarily what we need to read to learn from.


2003-05-26 12:26:07 PST

My System --Aaron Nimzowitsch. Read the first 100 pages.
Several times.


2003-05-26 13:23:10 PST

I found My System a very tough cookie to read.


2003-05-26 16:40:29 PST

The under 1600 crowd often need to be reminded that a rook
on the seventh is a good thing and the square in front of an
opponent's passed pawn is an excellent place for your piece.
They tend to drift about looking for a combination that will
win it all.


2003-02-07 22:46:04 PST

The English translations of Nimzovich's works like Chess
Praxis are acceptable.


2003-02-07 22:46:04 PST

A modern player did a piece called something like "Nimzovich
a Reappraisal" I understand it was good.


2003-01-12 11:04:17 PST

an older book called "How To Win in the Chess Openings"
by Horowitz is very digestible.


2003-01-16 18:46:18 PST

Take a look at Euwe's "The Logical Approach to Chess"


2003-01-16 19:48:38 PST

I also recommend Euwe's "Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur."
The title is something along those lines.


2003-05-27 08:10:26 PST

Another great book is Chess Master vs Chess Amateur

Do not feel bad losing to Fritz. 95 percent all all players
would lose to it. You can change the playing strength and
make it play weaker so check the options and good luck.


2003-01-29 13:32:32 PST

"The Game of Chess" by Siegbert Tarrasch. Not a great book
for an 8 year old, but then, very few such comprehensive chess
books are.


2003-01-29 22:04:53 PST

You might want to read what John Watson has to say abaut "The
Game of Chess" at
http://www.jeremysilman.com/book reviews/jw game chess.html .

Some sample pages of Tarrasch's books may be seen at
www.amazon.com


2003-01-29 23:45:33 PST

There is a book by C.J.S. Purdy & G. Koshnitsky called "Chess
Made Easy". The 1st author was correspondence chess world
champion, and an excellent writer. I'm not sure if you can still
get it, but it would make an excellent first book.

Here is a web reference for you:

http://misc.traveller.com/chess/trivia/b.html


2003-01-30 02:44:21 PST

Harry Golombek - The Game Of Chess, probably the best ever
beginner's book, and it probably still is.

But if you can't find it, I'd agree that Patrick Wolff's Complete
Idiot's Guide is an excellent substitute.


2003-02-07 22:46:04 PST

Lasker's Chess Strategy


2003-02-08 14:01:18 PST

Lasker's Manual of Chess was written by Emanuel Lasker.
Chess Strategy was written by Edward Lasker.


2003-05-27 10:59:15 PST

Let me put in a good word for Edward Lasker's Chess Strategy
(1916, available cheap from Dover) and Modern Chess Strategy.
The books offer a nice combination of general principles and
specific positions, and don't have much overlap.


2003-02-07 22:46:04 PST

Chernev - Combinations The Heart of Chess


2003-05-08 02:06:36 PST

Although it's aimed at kids, "Tips For Young Players" by
Matthew Sadler is very good. Because it is written for a
younger audience it is easy to follow and covers all aspects
of the game.


2003-05-08 03:37:46 PST

Michael Stean's "Simple Chess" is superb, and short.
If you buy it from http://www.amazon.co.uk
then it might be the best four pounds 94 pence you ever spend.


2003-05-11 14:38:02 PST

Lasker, the complete self tutor.


2003-05-29 10:32:32 PST

I would like to add one recommendation which is a book
called '64 Things You Need to Know in Chess'. I can't
remember off hand who wrote it (David Walker?) but it's
published by Gambit Books based in the UK. Maybe it's the
next level for you after familiarising yourself with a few forks,
pins, skewers, and mates. All I can say is that after I read I
thought - Yes I understand the game a little better now.

As I've said before in a different thread Gambit seem to have
an editorial policy of employing players whose achievements
we can realistically aspire to. I've often thought that I could
learn far more from someone rated 2,3, or 400 points above
me than many IMs or GMs (there are of course honorable
exceptions).

The soundest advice I can offer at the moment is don't hang
your pieces. This absurdly simple notion got me 100 Blitz
points overnight at ICC and I've seen it in at least one other
player's finger notes.


2003-01-04 05:55:55 PST

Remember, if you like books--like reading them and owning them
--there's no such thing as "one chess book." ...
as you acquire one or two and read them through
--even if you don't--you'll find yourself drawn to the chess section
every time you walk into Walden's or Barnes and Noble or
Borders. If you leaf through the books and compare their contents
to what you need, you'll soon find yourself dedicating a shelf or
two of your bookcase to chess books. You'll want to have all of
Sierawan's books (as soon as they're back in print). You'll yearn
to complete your collection of Alburt's series. You'll start
haunting used book shops for old copies of Fischer's "My 60
Memorable Games." Your hair will gradually grow unkempt,
and a distracted wild look will creep into your eyes. If you're
separated from your books for too long, your hands will begin to
twitch and you'll start plotting knight moves across the checkered
tablecloth at the Italian restaurant where you're supposed to be
wooing your wife / girlfriend. You've entered a perilous zone.
..=2E. "Chessbibliomania" is not a condition to be easily dismissed,
and research has shown it isn't curable. Maybe you'll be better
off just buying a gin rummy program for your computer and
avoiding this chess book madness altogether. Happy reading!!


2003-01-11 23:18:27 PST

I've found this site invaluable for selecting the best books to
improve my game::

http://www.chessville.com/instructio...to_improve.htm

It has everything you need to know.


2003-01-12 08:18:43 PST

I've written a chess primer which I am happy to distribute free
of charge. If anyone would like me to email them a copy, just
email me at . Be warned:
zipped, it's still 980KB, so expect a big email. :-)


2003-05-26 16:56:20 PST

I run a site that has instructional e-mail newsletters and message
boards for players of your level. Check out the sample issues at
the links below, they are free. Much of the material comes
directly from questions from casual (1600) players. Annotated
amateur games are the most popular section.

http://www.chessninja.com/whitebelt/...1whitebelt.htm

http://www.chessninja.com/whitebelt/...tebeltKEJH.htm


2003-05-08 09:54:52 PST

have you looked at Dr. Dave's Web site at University of Exeter?


2003-05-08 11:50:17 PST

Have a look at the chessville web site. url below. Try the drop
down for instruction / general instruction and advice / The path
to improvment. The book list is seperated into recomendations
for various parts of the game and also which books suit various
playing strengths. http://www.chessville.com/index.html
The other 1 on the same site is a similar type article following
the same drop downs only try suggestions for improving your
play inplace of The Path to improvment. The highly acclaimed
Seirwan series is also back in print and is written for beginners
with all the tecnical jargon cut out and written in an easy to
follow style. I have the winning chess tactics and have read it
3 times. The site below is selling cheaper than Amazon.co.uk
as the are offering =A310 off if you buy the 3 books reducing the
total from =A342:97 to =A332:97.
http://www.chessdirect.co.uk/acatalo...g_93.html#ap43


2003-05-26 20:55:06 PST

I discuss this question extensively in my Novice Nook article
Chess Books and Prerequisites:

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf

..=2E.I even specifically address the Silman book issue.


2003-05-27 05:47:14 PST

improving in chess =3D hard working,so,you have to do a lot
for it. otoh, we do'nt have to re-invent the wheel. have a
look at the following site. www.chessville.com and look
under instruction. ps: the sites below are indeed ,also very
good. (especially, the novice nook,from Dan Heisman at
chesscafe) http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
www.danheisman.com


2003-01-21 18:21:06 PST

AddALL is an uber-search engine for (they claim) 40+
book dealers, including Alibris, Half.com, and others.
I've found some wonderful prices there ... Not necessarily
chess books, but fairly serious technical and engineering
material. Several folk had mentioned _Everyone's Second
Chess Book_ by Dan Heisman. AddALL found it for me at
Half.com for $11; lists for $14.95 at BN.com.


2003-05-29 23:32:10 PST

Try http://www.bookfinder.com/


2003-05-30 01:52:36 PST

Try something like he
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cg...=3D1856&meta_=
id=3D1

This is great stuff, thanks!

Tom Brown wrote:
And if you want recent games played in tournaments around the world,
try this site. It has the most recent games in PGN or Chessbase
format, and archives of past games going back at least 2 years.

http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html

TWIC's archives actually go back to November 1998 on the website.
They only have archives going back to issue 211, which suggests that
there's another four years' worth that they don't have.

http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/twicp.html
http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/twicp1.html

(The domains chesscenter.com, chesscentre.com and chess.co.uk all
point to the same place.)

I don't think TWIC is very useful for novices, though -- the games
aren't annotated so they're not all that helpful. Better to get a
good book of annotated games (e.g., the ones by Chernev, then
something like the annotated best games of Capablanca, Alehkine and
maybe Botvinnik, in whatever order takes your fancy).


Dave.

--
David Richerby Hungry Vomit (TM): it's like a pile
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ of puke but it'll eat you!

.=2E. "Chessbibliomania" is not a condition to be easily dismissed,
and research has shown it isn't curable.

Isn't this the truth. I'm now above 500 chess books "but I just can't
help myself." And don't think that having/browsing a lot of books
will somehow make you a good player. The person who pointed out that
all the books in the world don't substitute for practical experience
is dead on. I'm living proof of it. A balance of study and play is
needed, and I read elsewhere that at the low levels, 80% play and 20%
study may be right.

Another resource I didn't see mentioned here (though not a book) is
Chess Tactics Server (chess.emrald.net). It's free and, importantly,
it feeds you problems at a difficulty level based on how you are
doing. (Its downside is its emphasis on speed solving, but you can
take your time and let speed come when you have developed your pattern
recognition enough.)