General Books

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The Mammoth Book of Chess - Graham Burgess

This is the British Chess Federation Book of the Year for 1997. It is divided into three parts. The first part, Mastering Chess, delves into the theory of the game; tactics, combinations, endgames, openings etc. The second part, The World of Chess, looks at competitive chess, chess online and chess in the media etc. In the third part, Essential Chess Information, you will find a glossary of chess terms, a brief history of the World Chess Championship, a brief guide to how to play chess etc. This is an entertaining book, great for dipping into.

Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy by Chernev

This is an excellent book because it really emphasises the underlying positional and tactical themes of the games presented. For example the significance of the Knight on d5 as a tool for killing the opponents counterplay is vividly demonstrated by a key game whereby White sacrifices a pawn to obtain it there. Another game by Tal shows how strong the King can be in the endgame, with it marching into the enemy camp snatching pawns. The games presented are definitely as instructional as the book claims! (Reviewer:Tryfon)

The Oxford Companion to Chess by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

This is a great reference book for looking up chess terms. Did you think that "Skittles" was the same as blitz chess in that a clock is used for example? (I did when I was reading Fischer's annotations in My 60 memorable games!) Your wrong! Skittles is "casual or friendly game or games played fast and without a clock". The book is also very strong on player biographies showing photos and key games. (Reviewer: Tryfon)

Winning Chess Brilliancies by Yasser Seirawan

This is the fourth book in a series of four volumes. Yssaer Seirawan explains 12 of the most brilliant games move by move. Includes games by Fischer, Spassky, Karpov, Korchnoi, Kasparov, Nunn etc. I have made a collection of the games contained within the book for you to view.

How Good is Your Chess - Daniel King

A very entertaining and instructive way to improve your chess. 20 chess games are presented and you take the place of the Grandmaster. Can you work out which moves he played in the game? You score points for guessing correctly.

Chess for Tigers by Simon Webb

I hold this book responsible for enabling me to win the Lloyds Under 18 junior national chess tournament beating 3 people 30+ points higher than me in the process. It provides very practical advice about winning. This includes using statistics to guide you in your choice of openings, and more fundamentally to find out what sort of positions you excel in, and try and steer towards these types of positions. The emphasis is clearly on winning, not necessarily improving, because playing continually to your strengths may slow down one's development as a fully rounded player. (Reviewer:Tryfon)

The Inner Game of Chess : How to Calculate and Win (McKay Chess Library) by Andy Soltis

Chess is 99 percent calculation and this book is devoted entirely to this most mysterious and essential chess technique. "The Inner Game of Chess" examines both the technical and practical aspects of how to think ahead--the selection of candidate moves, the evaluation of end positions, finding the proper move order, and the like.

Chess Praxis by Aron Nimzovich

 

This book is Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch's companion volume to MY SYSTEM. This classic is one of the best selling and most instructive chess books of all time. Thousands of satisfied customers have used this book to improve their understanding of positional chess play.

Judgment and Planning in Chess by Max Euwe

Choose the Right Move by Daniel King, Peter Dove, Chris Duncan

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by David Bronstein

Secrets of Practical Chess by John Nunn

Complete Book of Chess Strategy : Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z by Jeremy Silman

Pawn Structure Chess by Andrew Soltis

Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch

Improve Your Chess Now by Jonathan Tisdall

Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player by Lev Gm Alburt

Chess Training Pocket Book : 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas by Lev Alburt

Better Chess for Average Players by Tim Harding

Chess Fundamentals by Jose R. Capablanca

Common Sense in Chess by Emanuel Lasker

The Art of Defense in Chess by Andrew Soltis

Modern Chess Strategy by Lud-Ek Pachman, et al

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