Chess Book for Improving Novices

Glen_Quagmire

Hi all,

Im looking for suggestions for a good book that will improve my game. Im looking to improve my openings, tactics and end game. Im not sure of my chess rating but i done an online rating test and it scored ne at 1315. Thanks in advance

Glen_Quagmire

Anyone any thoughts? I would also like to hear suggestions for DVDs if anyone has any.

Thanks

Miles81

I read How to Reassess Your Chess, Fourth edition by Jeremy Silman

fenris

Check out some online chess sites and just play more to generate enough games so that you can start analysing your games for patterns.


Most books will tell you to analyse your own games, but that can be hard if you don't have a volume of games to analyse, so check out some online chess sites and just play more to generate enough games so that you can start analysing your games for patterns, start off with the biggies like the ones that are causing you to lose games out right then work backwards through the games to the point where everything looked alright.

If you have a stand alone chess program like Fritz, just load in your previous games and let Fritz do a blunder check, then see if you agree with the assessment.

Another good tip is to step through the game to where you think the game was lost then change sides and see how the computer handles the situation.

Check out sites like http://chesscafe.com particularly the "Novice Nook" section by Dan Heisman, there is more relevant and useful info on that site and in its archives than is to be found in a ton of chess books, not that that stops us buying them of course!

Glen_Quagmire

fenris wrote: »

Check out some online chess sites and just play more to generate enough games so that you can start analysing your games for patterns.


Most books will tell you to analyse your own games, but that can be hard if you don't have a volume of games to analyse, so check out some online chess sites and just play more to generate enough games so that you can start analysing your games for patterns, start off with the biggies like the ones that are causing you to lose games out right then work backwards through the games to the point where everything looked alright.

If you have a stand alone chess program like Fritz, just load in your previous games and let Fritz do a blunder check, then see if you agree with the assessment.

Another good tip is to step through the game to where you think the game was lost then change sides and see how the computer handles the situation.

Check out sites like http://chesscafe.com particularly the "Novice Nook" section by Dan Heisman, there is more relevant and useful info on that site and in its archives than is to be found in a ton of chess books, not that that stops us buying them of course!

Thanks mate

TheGogginator

Is there a club near you? I've always found that playing with "real" people is best for improving my chess. If you can find someone in a club who is a bit stronger than you but is willing to work back through your games with you that should prove very useful. Personally I rarely play online chess as quite often you can end up playing against Fritz which is rather frustrating...
In terms of other good learning resources, youtube is often helpful for openings or for general mating patterns etc. Some of the videos submitted by "individuals" can be a bit ropey in places but the ones submitted by some of the bigger websites (e.g. wwwChesscom and thechesswebsite) are usually quite instructive. They're certainly good if you just have 5-10 minutes rather than sitting down for an hour.
In terms of books I (like most people) own more books than I have read fully... Here's a few that I've probably gotten the most out of...
Endgames - Just the Facts by Lev Alburt
Openings - Chess Openings for White, Explained and Chess Opening for Black, Explained both by Lev Alburt
Middlegame - Better Chess for Average Players by Tim Harding
One thing to note on the 2 openings books is that while these are detailed and VERY well explained, the authors do have their own style and it may not suit everyone. I have been using these books for a while but I find now that I have parts that suit me and I use and other openings don't suit me so I don't use them (a bit like any book really!)

teflonchest

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

Hi all,

Im looking for suggestions for a good book that will improve my game. Im looking to improve my openings, tactics and end game. Im not sure of my chess rating but i done an online rating test and it scored ne at 1315. Thanks in advance

I guess practice will make you perfect.. Play regularly with players more powerful than you. This will help you increase your skills.