Chess Books for Developing Club Players

I was recently asked about my chess book recommendations for players at the lower rungs of club chess. I have a lot of chess books, and have read a significant number of these (my backlog is still a bit long!). Anybody’s list is bound to be very subjective, however here are a few suggested reads!

Openings

I was very tempted to not recommend any books in this category. Most books on specific openings are way beyond that needed by club players and they also go out of date quickly.

The book I gained a great deal as a junior was “How to Play the Opening in Chess” by Keene & Levy. Unfortunately it has been out of date for a long time! (Originally issued in 1974 and I think it was last printed in 1989 - still in descriptive notation). Its a book you may find in a second-hand bookshop!

I believe the best single volumes on openings, that is currently available, is Fundamental Chess Openings (Paul van der Sterren, Gambit Publications). Van der Sterren talks about the ideas of all the popular openings. There are few variations and it is a very enjoyable read. It gives a great overview of openings and can help developing players in their understanding of typical plans.

Middlegame/ General Technique

There are a lot of options in this space, so I will try and focus on those that I found most useful:

• How to Reassess Your Chess (Jeremy Silman, Siles Press). This book looks at strategic thinking, focussing on the imbalances in each position. A good primer on strategy.

• Chess Strategy for Club Players (Herman Grooten, New in Chess). This is one of my favourite books and covers similar ground to Silman’s book. I think if you are below 1700 then definitely How to Reassess your Chess is the better book, above that then I personally would choose Grooten’s book.

• Improve Your Chess Now (Jonathan Tisdall, New in Chess). I have an older edition of this book, and I assume that the New in Chess edition is probably enhanced. This is a great book for working on your calculation and thinking technique. Probably a challenging read if below 1700 but probably worth the investment in time and effort.

• Chess Tactics from Scratch (Martin Weteschnik, Quality Chess) This book goes through the various tactical motifs and deconstructs them. It gives increasingly challenging examples of each. I was surprised how much I picked up from this book, demonstrating how poorly I had learned the subject in the distant past.

Endgames

This area is an important and often neglected area of chess study. If you understand better how pieces operate with little material on the board, it can translate to better play earlier in the game. There are a lot of books on this subject, a lot of the material is way above the average club player (my advice is not to attempt Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual which is often quoted as a classic, but even international masters find it pretty challenging). My recommendations are:

• Silman’s Complete Endgame Course (Jeremy Silman, Siles Press) This is a course that breaks the material down to grading bands, so it can be worked on in a structured way by all levels of player (the lowest band is Unrated to ELO 999). This is great for weaker players but can be a little frustrating for stronger players as related subjects are scattered across the bands. Having said that, I believe this is the best book for relatively new players.

• 100 Endgames You Must Know (Jesus de la Villa, New in Chess). This has become, quite rightly, a modern classic. It works through a series of (100!) theoretical positions that form the backbone of endgame understanding. Ideally you already have some basic knowledge, so I would suggest that this book is best for players over the 1600 level.

• Chess Endgames for Club Players (Hermann Grooten, New in Chess). I am a fan of Grooten’s style of writing and explanation of chess. This book looks more widely at endings. While it does include some of the basic theoretical positions it also covers wider subjects (for example liquidation into endings). I would probably say this is better suited for 1600 players or above.

Other Chess Books

This section covers some other books that do not fall naturally into the other groups.

Firstly if you ever see a copy of Chess for Tigers (Simon Webb) in a second hand bookshop, buy it! It has an irreverent but practical attitude to chess (the chapter titles include How to catch Rabbits and How to trap Hefalumps). Sadly it has been out of print for a long time and, in my opinion, desperately needs a reprint. ( I think you can get an e-book copy for the Kindle)

Some suggestions of (current) books for consideration include:

• My 60 Memorable Games (Bobby Fischer, Batsford). This is probably the best collection of games for club players. Fischer talks about some of his most interesting games (not all wins!). There are a lot more words and less variations than in many other game collections. It’s a classic book and worth playing through for any chess player, if only to marvel at the brilliancy of the famous American in his prime.

• How to Study Chess on Your Own (Davorin Kuljasevic, New in Chess). If you are serious on improving your chess, then this book gives plenty of ideas on how to study. It is especially interesting as it talks about the relative merits of different material and approaches now available in the digital age.

• Chess is My Life (Victor Korchnoi, Progress Chess). This is a fascinating autobiography of one of the greatest chess players that did not become a world champion. From the siege of Leningrad in World War 2, through the battles with the Soviet authorities and his battles with Anatoly Karpov, it is a gripping read. There is a bit of chess (nine annotated games) but this is first and foremost a story of a fierce competitor fighting against all odds.

Kevin D

Note:Book links are affiliate links to Amazon.co.uk (where available). Any income is reinvested in Derby Chess Club.