Wilmslow Chess Club

Chess Book Review

Teach Yourself Better Chess: Bill Hartston: Hodder & Stouton: UK £6.99?

An excellent reference manual making 75 general pointers to good chess play. Each 'lesson' occupies two facing pages. This and the detailed contents section at the front makes looking up specific points very easy. Crucial if you have a limited amount of time for study. Covers opening development, the various pawn weaknesses, good and bad bishops, bishops of opposite colours, rooks on the seventh, the wrong rook and a lot of general advice about good thought processes. This book is both easy to read and highly instructive.

101 Chess Tips?: (I need to get the details on this. The only thing I can guarantee is that it has "101" in the title).

This is similar in format to Teach Your Better Chess. Some of the ground covered is the same as in the latter, but a lot of it is different. Also easy to read and highly instructive for people with not much time to study.

Secrets of Chess Training: Mark Dvoretsky: BT Batsford Ltd: £14.99?

Divided into three sections: Analysis of Adjourned Positions, Endgames, and Studies, this is a book for people who want to get into the nuances of Chess. It is a book requiring time and effort, which unfortunately I do not have right now. Though I do not doubt that the effort would be worthwhile, and I agree wholeheartedly with the methods described. I remember an adjourned game of my own which I had the rare opportunity of having an entire weekend to study. It gave me great insight into the subleties that must exist in even comparatively simple positions and the importance of accuracy in dominating the board.

The Complete French: Lev Psakhis: BT Batsford Ltd.

If you are into the French, this is excellent. If not, buy something else.

The French Defence: Watson? (I need to check the details). (Available in Stockport Library)

Another excellent book on the French. It is interesting to note the different styles between this and the previous book. If I had to buy only one of the two it would be this one. Possibly because it comes across as more of a personal view.

Batsford Chess Openings 2: Kasparov, Keene: BT Batsford.

The best single volume opening book currently available. Though my opponents and I frequently leave it behind by move 5. A statement which I find is true of even specialist opening books. I sometimes think that opening theory nothing more than a conspiracy between people who have read the same books. Since you obviously have access to the internet, you could use www.chesslab.com instead. But it's still nice to have a hardcopy reference.

Batsford Chess Endings: Jon Speelman, Jon Tisdall, Bob Wade: BT Batsford

Excellent. As far as I can tell (and how would a minnow like me know otherwise), this covers everything you need to know about endgames and is very well presented. The only drawback is figuring out where to begin studying. What part time chess players like myself really need is some idea of how to prioritise their study.

The Mammoth Book of Chess: Graham Burgess: Robinson Publishing Ltd

A good all round populariser and best introduction to the game that I have seen, including a discussion on the general state of chess as a current popular activity. Summarises all the main openings, presents basic endgames and has a nice section on attack and defence. It's the sort of chess book you would want to take on holiday. Not heavy, but not trivial.

The World's Greatest Chess Games: Graham Burgess, Dr John Nunn, John Emms:

Annotated games! Always good material for study, so why not pick the best. These games have also had the benefit of being commented on and analysed more than any others and since they are from different historical times, there is plenty of variety in the styles of play. See the GAMES section of http://www.chesscorner.com for the games. But you need to buy the book for the annotations.