Exeter Chess Club: Educational Chess Books
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"Books should be used as we use glasses: to assist the
sight. But some players make use of them as though they conferred
sight"
-- Jose Raul Capablanca
[P.S. I have been asked, is that quote really Capa or in fact from
Lasker? Search me, I've been quoting it for years and forgotten where
I saw it. Anyone?]
Contents
There are also books recommended in the CHESS FAQ: the rec.games.chess
newsgroup Frequently Asked Questions list (with answers).
Canonical books:
the sources for the games and some of the notes
- CHESS magazine
- BRITISH CHESS MAGAZINE
-
- **Alekhine - My Best Games of Chess (3 vols.) [Bell/Batsford] Descriptive (new one-volume Algebraic edition)
- Avni - Danger in Chess [Pergamon]
- Basman - Chess Traps (J) [Pergamon]
- Batsford Chess Yearbooks 1975,1976 [Batsford]
- **Botvinnik - 100 Selected Games [Dover] Descriptive
- *Bronstein - The Chess Struggle in Practice [Batsford] Descriptive
- *Chernev - Logical Chess [Faber] Descriptive
- *Chernev - The Most Instructive Games of Chess ever Played [Faber] Descriptive
- Dubois - Steinitz Best Games of Chess [Dover] Descriptive
- DuMont - 200 Modern Chess Miniatures [Bell] Descriptive
- Dvoretsky - Training for the Tournament Player [Batsford]
- *Euwe & Kramer - The Middle Game I/II [Bell/Batsford] Descriptive
- Evans - The Chess Opening for You [R.H.M.] Descriptive
- Fine - Basic Chess Endings [?Bell] Descriptive
- *Fine - The Ideas behind the Chess Openings [Batsford]
- **Fischer - My 60 Memorable Games [Faber] Descriptive [Batsford] Algebraic
- **Gligoric - The Nimzo-Indian Defence [Pergamon]
- Hartston - The Kings of Chess
- James & Hartston - The Master Game
- Keene & Edwards - The Chess Player's Bedside Book [Batsford] Descriptive
- **Keene & Kasparov - Batsford Chess Openings [Batsford]
- Korchnoi - Chess is my life [Batsford]
- Kosteev - 40 Lessons for the Club Player [Batsford]
- *Kotov - Think Like a Grandmaster [Batsford]
- Kotov - Plan Like a Grandmaster [Batsford]
- Krogius - Psychology in Chess [R.H.M.] Descriptive
- *Littlewood - Chess Coaching [Crowood]
- Lombardy - Snatched opportunities at the chessboard [] Descriptive
- Mednis & Crouch - Rate your Endgame [Pergamon]
- **Nunn & Griffiths - Secrets of Grandmaster Chess [Batsford]
- **Nunn - My Best Games of Chess [Batsford]
- Nimzovitch - Chess Praxis [Bell] Descriptive
- **Nimzovitch - My System [Batsford]
- Pfleger and Treppner - Chess: the Mechanism of Mind [Pergamon]
- Reinfeld - Improving Your Chess [Faber] Descriptive
- *Reti - Masters of the Chessboard [Dover] Descriptive
- *Reti - Modern Ideas in Chess [Dover] Descriptive
- Schoenberg - Grandmasters of Chess []
- Shatskes - English Opening [Chess Player] Descriptive
- Sokolsky - Pawns in Chess [Chess Player] Descriptive
- Soltis - The Art of Defence in Chess [] Descriptive
- **Speelman et al. - Batsford Chess Endings [Batsford]
- *Stean - Simple Chess [Faber] Descriptive
- Taimanov - Winning with the Sicilian [Batsford]
- Tartakower & DuMont - 500 Master Games of Chess [Bell/Batsford] Descriptive
- Tartakower & DuMont - 100 Master Games of Modern Chess [Bell/Batsford] Descriptive
- Tal & Damsky - Attack with Mikhail Tal [Cadogan]
- *Walker - Chess Openings for Juniors [Oxford UP] (J)
- *Walker - Test Your Chess: Piece Power [Oxford UP] (J)
- *Walker - Attacking the King [Oxford UP] (J)
- **Webb - Chess for Tigers [Pergamon]
- **Vukovic - The Art of Attack [Pergamon] Descriptive
- Znosko-Borovsky - How to Play the Opening in Chess [Dover] Descriptive
* Recommended (Chernev and Walker particularly)
** Recommended for advanced study (Webb, Nunn and Dvoretsky particularly)
... (J) Junior book
*** Other book recommendations: ***
Botvinnik: Selected Games 1967-1970 [Dover] Descriptive
Chernev & Reinfeld - Winning Chess [Faber] Descriptive
Livshitz - Test Your Chess IQ (3 vols.: BCF 160+, 180+, 200+) [Pergamon]
Silman: Re-assess your chess [?]
I've not read many of these myself, but these recommendations will have been
made carefully by the BCF. I'd welcome opinions of yours. All the books in
the "collections of games" section are in Descriptive notation; the Fischer
book is for advanced players only.
Verbatim... (DrD)
A STARTER BOOK FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
- PURNELL'S CHESS FOR CHILDREN by MJ Richardson (Pergamon)
Some editions have the title PERGAMON'S CHESS FOR CHILDREN
- The alternative is STARTING CHESS by AJ GILLAM
A CO-ORDINATED COURSE FOR BEGINNERS
- MOVE ONE by R James (Faber)
- The alternative recommendation is THE BATSFORD CHESS COURSE by MJ Basman (Batsford), followed by THE SECOND BATSFORD CHESS COURSE by the same author
ADDITIONAL BOOKS FOR ESSENTIAL DAILY PRACTICE
- HOW TO PLAY THE OPENING LIKE A MASTER by MJ Basman
- SIMPLE CHECKMATES by AJ Gillam (Batsford), also SIMPLE CHESS TACTICS
- CHESS SKILLS pamphlets (BCF)
USEFUL BOOKS FOR THE IMPROVING PLAYER
- CHESS TRAPS FOR YOUR UNWARY OPPONENT by MJ Basman
- SPIKE'S CHESS PRIMER by DG Ellison (Crowood)
- CHESS FOR TIGERS by S Webb
- FIND THE MATE by MJ Basman
PLAYING IN SERIOUS COMPETITIONS
The young tournament player should select from the following list:-
- PLAY BETTER CHESS by LW Barden (Octopus)
- CHESSERCIZES by B Pandolfini (Octopus)
- CHESS OPENINGS FOR JUNIORS by JN Walker (OUP)
- ATTACKING THE KING by JN Walker (OUP)
- CHESS ENDINGS - ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE by Y Averbach (Pergamon)
- WINNING ENDGAMES by A Kosten (Crowood)
- NIGEL SHORT'S CHESS SKILLS by ND Short (Hamlyn)
- BLUNDERS AND BRILLIANCIES by I Mullen and M Moss (Pergamon)
COLLECTIONS OF GAMES
- WINNING CHESS by I Chernev and F Reinfeld (Faber) (N.B.
Not a game collection but a collection of tactical ideas from actual
play - DR)
- LOGICAL CHESS MOVE BY MOVE by I Chernev (Faber)
FOR PARENTS
- THE COMPLETE CHESS ADDICT by M Fox and R James (Faber)
- THE OXFORD COMPANION TO CHESS by Hooper & Whyld (OUP)
A word about descriptive
notation:
learn it! (actually, that's two words - but
you get the point. There is a host of really cracking chess literature
in English which is often too cheap to pass up [second-hand or, like
the Dover editions, not in need of re-setting]. Can you really wait
for Batsford to commission a "Twentieth Century Edition" of Reti's
Modern Ideas in Chess, on sale at £12.99
when you can pick it up for a fraction of that price, brand new from
Dover? Of course not. It's worth becoming bilingual.)
Pricing: as accurate as I could get June 1993. Look around for
bargains - I nearly fell for a John Walker classic for £9.99 then saw it
brand new for £3.95 elsewhere!
- I grew up on Stanley Bott and Raymond Morrison.
Chess for Children, More Chess for Children, and
The Chess Apprentice. (Descriptive, £
op)
Straightforward and engaging treatment for junior school ages,
although rather old now and sadly only in Descriptive. For a more
contemporary Algebraic treatment, John Walker's First Steps in
Chess is good.
-
Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld.
Winning Chess. Faber, 1956
(Descriptive, £3.95/Algebraic, £6.99).
isbn 0 571 09231 4
Well-illustrated training programme in chess tactics.
-
John Walker. Chess: Attacking the King. Stephens, 1989.
(Algebraic, £3.99)
isbn 1 85260 220 1
The basics of attacking play, clearly explained. Good examples.
-
John Walker. Chess Openings for Juniors. Stephens, 1989.
(Algebraic, £3.99/9.99)
isbn 1 85260 219 8
The basics of opening play, clearly and entertainingly explained.
-
Irving Chernev. Logical Chess, Move by Move. Faber, 1962
(Descriptive, £5.99)
isbn 0 571 09039 7
Light-hearted and thorough exploration of chess ideas through detailed
commentary of master games. Covers material to take beginners to next level.
-
Michael Stean. Simple Chess. Faber, 1978. (Descriptive, £3.99) isbn
0 571 11257 9
Wonderfully clear discussion of some difficult strategical themes in the
middlegame. A little gem.
-
Simon Webb. Chess for Tigers. Maxwell Macmillan, 1991 (
Algebraic, £5.95)
isbn 1 85744 021 8
Practical guide to making the most of your chess style.
"I'm still confused, but now I'm confused on a much higher
level"
-- ANON.
- Reuben Fine. The ideas behind the chess
openings. (algebraic edition) Batsford, 1989. (Algebraic,
£11.99).
isbn 0 7134 5788 0
A real classic -
occasionally hard work but the best single volume on the openings
around. Made so much clear to me; rather dated, but because it does
not concern itself with variations, not as much as you might fear.
- Kasparov, G and Keene, R. Batsford Chess Openings 2. Batsford
1992 (Algebraic, £19.99).
isbn 0 7134 6099 7 or Korn, W (Ed.) Modern Chess Openings 13th edn. (Descriptive)
Do get one of these for reference and study of your chosen lines.
-
Richard Reti. Modern Ideas in Chess and Masters of the
Chess Board. Dover, 19. (Descriptive, £)
Rich and clear exposition of the development of chess strategy and
then-current opening theory, explained through a review of the masters of the
day. Charmingly written in a rather old-world English - for good readers only,
but some of the best advice for any player. Perhaps juniors could look at the
games with an older partner.
-
Pachman, L. Modern Chess Tactics, Attack and Defence in Modern Chess
Tactics, and Complete Chess Strategy. (Descriptive) Dover.
Slightly old-fashioned style (fewer diagrams) but as clear and comprehensive
a treatment of the game of chess as you could wish. His books on the openings
(Open games, Semi-Open Games, Indian Defences and The Queen's Gambit
from Chess: Sutton Coldfield ) are also comprehensive for their day,
but now rather dated - which means of course, that they are a good second
string if you have a modern book which neglects unfashionable lines.
-
Tartakower,S and Du Mont,J 500 Master Games of Chess. (Descriptive) Batsford.
The idea of explaining openings and their characteristic middlegame ideas
through complete games is nothing new - here's the grandparent of them all, a
really good read, games from every opening with commentary and diagrams.
Naturally dated but the basic chess sense is as good now as ever. My
guess is they tried to find games that illustrated every idea in chess they
could think of, because the attention to the range of strategical themes and
tactical ideas is meticulous.
-
Mednis, E and Crouch, C. Rate your endgame. Algebraic: Maxwell
Macmillan, 1992.
isbn 1 85744 020 X
Nice collection of practical advice and endgames, with test-yourself
sections.
-
Fine, R: Basic Chess Endings (Descriptive) /Speelman et
al.: Batsford Chess Endings (Algebraic)/Keres: Practical
Chess Endings (Either). Do get one of these for reference and basic study of the
key endings (K and P, K+R, K+B,
K+N, K+Q).
For entertainment and browsing:
-
Chernev, I. The Chess Companion. Faber. (Descriptive)
A charming collection of chess writing and short stories, together with
classic games, problems and oddities.
-
Hooper,D and Whyld,K. The Oxford Companion to Chess. (Algebraic)
Oxford.
A marvellously thorough reference book, but also great fun to browse in.
-
James,M and Fox,D. The Even More Complete Chess Addict.
(Algebraic) Faber.
A vigorous and cheerful collection by two real enthusiasts - some games, but
at its best with a glorious set of stories and gossip.
"Chess is a game of understanding and not of memory"
-- ZNOSKO-BOROVSKY.
-
Alexander Kotov. Think like a grandmaster (isbn 0 7134 3160 1,
Train like a grandmaster and Play like a grandmaster. Batsford
(Algebraic, £12.99 ea.).
Influential and comprehensive texts on every aspect of chess; there is overlap between the two volumes. Nice to see self-assessment exercises.
-
Max Euwe and Hans Kramer. The Middle Game, Vols I and II.
Bell, 19. (Descriptive, £ and Descriptive, £).
A complete handbook of middle game themes and structures. A host of basic
instruction for budding masters that haven't budded.
-
Aaron Nimzovitch. My system. Bell, 1950. (Descriptive/Algebraic, £)
Now classic, a brisk re-assessment of chess strategy, although needs
a pinch or two of salt. His pungent style has made this one of the
most widely-quoted chess books. See also his Chess
Praxis, a games collection with his commentary. Keene has
written a good book on Nimzovitch.
-
Michail Botvinnik. Selected games 1947-70. Batsford.
(Descriptive, £).
The dominant figure of post-war chess describes his games. Botvinnik makes it
all sound so simple.
-
Alexander Alekhine. My best games of chess 1923-35. Bell,
19. (Descriptive, £)
[New (Algebraic) edition, Batsford 1996]
The greatest games of the greatest player, with his own notes. Brilliant,
precise, dynamic.
-
Igor Dvoretsky. Secrets of Chess Tactics and Secrets of Chess
Training. (Algebraic) Batsford.
The Soviet Union's premier trainer reveals his best methods and positions.
For budding masters who fancy something chewy.
| COOL TIP: It's always a good idea to borrow these before spending money on
them: they will all repay study over time but all could do with balancing ideas
from other authors.
|
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Gerzadowicz, S Thinker's Chess (Thinker's Press)
MacDonald, N Defence in Chess (Master Class)
Any more? Or similar?
For example, Otherwise OK Books with a Confidence-Sapping Error on
the contents page: No.1: The London System by
Andrew Soltis advertises a line of the Advance French on the contents
page!
This document (books.html) was last modified on 30 Apr 1996
by
Dr. Dave