Chess Stack Exchange
Chess Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [books]

Questions concerning chess literature.

193 questions
34
votes
4 answers

Which classic chess books are in the public domain?

While looking through Project Gutenberg I noticed that Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals is there (I believe that should mean it is in the Public Domain). I was also able to find Modern Ideas in Chess by Richard Rèti on line. What other famous…
retrodanny
  • 1,261
  • 8
  • 15
26
votes
3 answers

Did Bobby Fischer actually write "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess"?

Did Bobby Fischer actually write his bestseller primer “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess” (1966, 978-0553130539), or was it written by a ghost writer? I often ask myself this question because it seems very unlikely (to me, at least) that Bobby could keep…
A. N. Other
  • 6,816
  • 2
  • 28
  • 66
24
votes
2 answers

What is the Dorfman method in chess?

On various occasions in commentaries or interviews, e.g. during the World Championship commentary with Peter Svidler and Anish Giri, I've heard the Dorfman method being mentioned. I then learned that this method, devised by the well-established…
user929304
  • 3,386
  • 20
  • 44
22
votes
5 answers

How to improve from ~1200?

I am not new to the game of Chess. I have been (casually) playing it for over a decade, and I would like to get better at it. I know the basic rules of the game very well, I understand basic tactics (forks, pins, skewers, zugzwang), good bishops…
Arka Mukherjee
  • 329
  • 2
  • 5
20
votes
8 answers

Dr. John Nunn vs Irving Chernev's "Logical Chess Move by Move"

I have the book "Logical Chess Move by Move" by Irving Chernev and personally I find it to be a great book especially for beginners, but I heard that GM John Nunn has really criticized the book. This makes me read the book with caution and slight…
xaisoft
  • 16,845
  • 10
  • 71
  • 140
20
votes
1 answer

Trading queens in the opening

Which standard openings in chess usually pave the way for an early queen trade in the game? In other words, which opening has a high probability of exchanging the queens in the opening itself? Does any opening contain queen trade as a part of…
Haran
  • 621
  • 6
  • 12
19
votes
5 answers

How useful is a 40-year-old chess book?

I have a chess book which I find great in terms of tone, formatting, etc., but the computer does not agree with some variations I gave it. How much has chess changed since 1977? I imagine the rise of the computers (and computer chess) the last…
11684
  • 1,256
  • 11
  • 23
18
votes
11 answers

Books that help improve your chess without a chessboard

I am looking for books that can help me improve without a physical/digital chessboard. I have a kindle, and I have many places in school where I can read, but not many where I can open a chessboard without people coming from all 4 corners to see…
MikhailTal
  • 3,371
  • 4
  • 24
  • 50
18
votes
11 answers

What are some good books for chess openings?

I am not new to chess, I have been playing for around 6 years. But I don't know much about chess openings technically. What are some of the very good books to learn important opening moves?
Chethan N
  • 281
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
18
votes
1 answer

Stockfish is considering a move in a book by GM Mihail Marin as a blunder

In the book English opening volume 1 by Mihail Marin at this position [fen "3nrrk1/bppq2p1/p4p1p/2Pp4/1P1P3N/P1BQ2P1/5PKP/4RR2 w - - 2 21"] 1. Qg6 (1. Ng6) He suggests Qg6 whereas stockfish suggests Ng6 and evaluation drops from +4.3 to +1.1 after…
Shreyash Talpade
  • 459
  • 3
  • 8
15
votes
4 answers

What book should I refer to to begin learning chess?

I'm a highschool student and want to play chess seriously. A friend of mine taught me the basic rules of the game. What book should I refer to to begin learning chess? I tried Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals but got stuck in the first chapter due…
Soham
  • 253
  • 1
  • 5
14
votes
10 answers

How to study a chess tactics book?

I've been playing chess for quite a while now, but I still consider myself a beginner. I play with friends most of the time. Now I want to get better so I bougth a tactics book (Yusupov: Build up your chess - The fundamentals). But I'm wondering how…
DocFeelgood
  • 141
  • 1
  • 3
14
votes
4 answers

Opening book series with "complete" explanations

I am looking for opening books, preferably a series that explain different openings, where the opening is explained with a complete view: strategic plans for main variants, main tactical ideas, usual pawn structures and how to play them (e.g.…
zunbeltz
  • 265
  • 1
  • 6
14
votes
3 answers

Chess Logic - Tigran Petrosian's doctoral dissertation

I have recently learned that former chess world champion Tigran Petrosian earned a PhD title from Yerevan State University; the title of his dissertation title was Chess Logic. I would like to read what he wrote. I can read Russian. Any idea how to…
MichalRyszardWojcik
  • 3,260
  • 16
  • 37
13
votes
1 answer

Harry Potter Chess Analysis

So, I've been reading Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. If you haven't read the book yet, or watched the movie, and you don't want any spoilers, stop reading this question. Continuing, there is this chess scene, where Harry, Ron, and…
Anonymus 25
  • 233
  • 1
  • 6
1
2 3
…
12 13