From: perlman@qso.Colorado.EDU (Eric S. Perlman)
Subject: Re: Request Book Recommendations
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 21:01:33 GMT

In article <1993Jan10.074848.26844@klaava.Helsinki.FI> mkukkone@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Mika Kukkonen) writes:
>In <1ffbwwcp511@tweekco.uucp> 824-5054%wwiv@tweekco.uucp (Jay Whitley #824 @5054) writes:
>
>>I agree with Jerry Wilcox's recommendation of Chernev's "Logical Chess
>>Move-by-Move."  The question I have is:  are there any other books
>>explaining every move (to the novice-to-average player) that aren't
>>cryptic annotations?  Chernev's explanations are very good...any others
>>like his?
>>
>>I also like Pandolfini's Solitaire Chess/ABCs in Chess Life...are there any
>>chess books that use a similar format that help explain the moves that
>>are directed toward the non-expert?
>>
>>I often feel that the most significant void in chess books is the bridge
>>between beginners and more expert books.  Many players don't want beginners
>>books, but they don't want to jump up to master-level annotated GM games!
>
>It has been in my mind for some time to write something about this
>subject, as there is a lot of chessbooks in market, and not all of them
>are good. Following books are not for beginner, but for experienced
>player, who has played in competitions and wants to improve.
>
>First few good ones that give annotations after (almost) every move:
>
>	Learn from the Grandmasters, ed. by Raymond Keene
>
>One of my first books, this give some good analysis and thoughts, but is
>a little showy on some parts (W.Browne's part being most useless egotrip).
>Basically the idea was each GM to annotate one game that had a big
>impact to them in youth, and then give the one they thought as their
>best. Luckily most of them escaped that "best" and gave some interesting
>ones (like Tal gave his endgame (!) win over Smyslow in 1964).
>
>	Better Chess for Club Players, by Peter Griffiths
>
>This book has been geared for mid-level or below that players, and as a
>result of that gives some excellent insights to how to play certain
>positions. The games themselves were played by players of mid-level
>strenght, so it may be easier for reader to digest the information in
>them. The book has been divided in three parts, one for games
>illustrating attacking, one for positional play and one for endgames.
>The is also and endgame book of same style by the author, but I have not
>been able to get hands on it.

It's just as good, Mika; since buying it five years ago at a used
bookstore I have referred to it over and over again.  The title is
Exploring the Endgame, by Peter Griffiths.  It's one of two books on the
practical endgame that IMHO no player should be without.  The other one
is Edmar Mednis' Practical Endgame Lessons.  If a player is advanced
enough, two excellent followups to these are Jon Speelman's Analysing
the Endgame and Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy.  However, those two
books are written at a pretty high level.

>	Secrets of Grandmaster Play, by John Nunn and Peter Griffiths
>
>A must for anyone who wants to become a master level player. This gives
>excellent analysis on Nunn's own games and really shows you why those
>GM's and IM's always get into time trouble at weekend tournaments :) .

If Nunn's work is on the list - and I agree with Mika that it should be,
there are two others that should also be there:  The Art of Chess
Analysis (Jan Timman), and Power Chess (Paul Keres).


>Two other titles that are worth buying, if you got the money:
>
>	Chess for Tigers, by Simon Webb
>
>This a really fun book geared on how to become a Tiger instead being a
>sniveling Rabbit that loses to everyone. The basis is on psycological
>side, and this books gives you good advices how to Swindle your
>opponents.
>
>	Play like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov
>
>More general than the "Think like a GM", this also give some insight how
>were are supposed to think when playing. Interesting read, and some good
>advice. 

I consider both Kotov books a must.  Also a must is Hans Kmoch's classic
Pawn Power in Chess, as well as Nimzovich's My System and Chess Praxis.
Finally, I would put in a plug for Alexei Suetin's book Three Steps to
Chess Mastery, which taught me quite a bit.

>	Tal's Winning Chess Combinations, by Mikhail Tal
>					  and Viktor Chenkin
>
>This book (which btw is translated by Hanon W. Russell) is the one that
>really teaches how to see those tactics. Tactical patterns are repeated
>until they really get into your backbone. The name is little flashy, but
>the books is excellent.
>
>	An Opening Repertoire for White, by Raymond Keene
>
>If 1.d4 is your move, then this book gives your some insight of what you
>do have to know. The lines Keene has picked are little wierd on main
>lines, and Keene's analysis is little too optimistic (same as in BCO),
>but it is a good backbone for a repertoire.

These books should, in my view, be supplemented with Karpov's "Openings
in Action" series (there are 4).

>	Chess Endings for the Practical Player, by Ludek Pachman
>
>Hands up, who has studied endings at age below 20 ? IMHO youths never
>have enough patience to study them (I didn't have!), but certain basic
>knowledge in endgame is a must for becoming a good player. This book
>gives an excellent compilation on basic endgames and practical examples
>how to handle them. Learning endgames is not easy, but this book helps a
>lot. 
>
>	Lehrbuch der Shachendspiele, Band 1 & 2, by Juri Awerbach
>
>I mention these two books only, as they are definetely the books to take
>on tournaments where they are still adjourning games, If the endgame
>position is not on these books, then it is not an endgame ! :)
>
>On the subject of Informators, NIC's and various opening books:
>
>I have found these game compilations to be good only as, well, game
>compilations. The analysis on them is biased, full of errors and
>generally worthless. As a funny note, I almost lost one E-mail game
>because I got scared by one recommediation in early Informator, found a
>side line in second oldest to only (later) to see that the line had been
>refuted in newest Informator. Luckily my opponent knew nothing of this!
>
>Dedicated opening books are needed only, if you are at expert level,
>when it is necessary know something to simply avoid losing straight from
>opening. But pick a book where ther are full games, as the positional
>ideas behind openings are the ones that count, not some trappy lines.

I agree completely.  For a long time, I studied opening lines
exhaustively, and my rating stayed around 1700 USCF.  Only when I
applied myself to studying endgames and strategy, and did a lot of
self-analysis did my rating shoot  over 2100.  I still study openings
quite a lot, and many of my wins have this to thank, but opening study
is *USELESS* if you don't know how to follow it up.  

I would add one category to the list which Mika did not mention:
players' best game books.  IMHO the best are Alekhine's (Best Games of
Chess 1908-1939), Fischer's (My 60 Memorable Games), Botvinnik's (both
One Hundred Selected Games and Half a Century of Chess) and Keres' (Egon
Varnusz's 2-volume series is the best one).

-- 
"How sad to see/A model of decorum and tranquillity/become like any other sport
A battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee." -Tim Rice,"Chess"
     Eric S. Perlman 				 <perlman@qso.colorado.edu> 
  Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder