Instructive Game Collections
Continuing from my blog posts on book recommendations featured here, here, and here, today I would like to give a few recommendations for instructive game collections.
Although it isn't the only way to learn strategy and improve your game, master game collections are a fun and practical way to study chess. Some players find a player who they're passionate about - good candidates are Tal, Fischer, and Capablanca - and read everything they can about that player. If you are passionate about the players you are reading about, it helps make what you learn meaningful and helps you retain what you read.
I will save game collections devoted to specific players for a later post. In this article, I want to focus only on game collections that compile games from many players to illustrate general strategic concepts. Most of these books tend to be better suited for beginner and low-intermediate players, but I throw in some fairly advanced ones at the end. Specific players' game collections tend to be more difficult and are better suited for upper-intermediate and advanced players, with some notable exceptions, such as A First Book of Morphy, which I have included in this list.
Without further ado, let's get to the list...
The obvious first item on our list has to be Logical Chess Move by Move by Irving Chernev. It's hard to overstate the virtues of this book, and many people before me have praised this book, so I need not elaborate. I will only note that I believe that what makes this book so great is Chernev's selection of games. Every single one of them is beautiful, entertaining, and instructive. Without a doubt, this book is a must-read for all lovers of chess and is the best place to start if you want to get into this genre of chess literature.
Next on this list should probably be some of Chernev's other books, but first I will give a couple of more recommendations for beginners. One of the best books with easier games is Instructive Chess Miniatures by Alper Efe Ataman. The term "miniatures" is often taken to refer to games of 20 or 25 moves or less. This book has games ranging from the 1850 all the way to Magnus Carlsen. Many of the all-time classics are here, such as the Opera Game and the Evergreen Game, to some modern classics like Wesley So's "Immortal Blitz Game" against Kasparov. I put this book second on the list because I think it is approachable for beginners looking for their first or second game collection.
Before moving on to Chernev's other books, I'll also insert here another book aimed at early beginners, and that is Fred Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans. The games in this book are fairly short and focused mainly on quick checkmating attacks, again making it suitable for beginners. I have a few more such books, but I'll save them for later, because I don't want to push off the Chernev recommendations too much longer.
So now, without further digressions, let's get to the other Chernev books. First, I'd throw in The Bright Side of Chess by Irving Chernev. In this book, he chooses five "Immortal Gems" and ten "Masterpieces of Brillancy," which include classical such as Pausen - Morhpy 1857 and Rotlevi - Rubinsten 1907, as well as about fifty other lesser-known gems. All the games are only lightly annotated, so it shouldn't take too long to go through. The point is not to go too deeply into any of these games, but instead for you to see them at least once so you're more familiar with the masters of the past.
Next is Irving Chernev's The Most Instructive Game of Chess Ever Played. The image below is that of the Algebraic Notation edition by Batsford, but there is also a cheaper Descriptive Notation edition by Dover. If you can read Descriptive, you can save yourself some money by getting the Dover edition. If not, you should either learn Descriptive (it will help you read many other classic books that are well worth it), or you can find Lichess studies with all the games that you can follow along. This book keeps much of Chernev's charm from Logical Chess. Likewise, it is an excellent selection chosen for beauty and instructive value. If you like Logical Chess, you will love this one.
Another Chernev classic suitable for beginners is The 1000 Best Short Games of Chess. This one is also in Descriptive, so you'll have to learn to read that. I have used the games in this book for classes with kids when I needed something quick and to train my blindfold visualization.
I can keep going with the Chernev recommendations, but I'll keep it to only one more: Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games. This one was also published as The Golden Dozen, but that edition is more difficult to find (and more expensive). This book collects games from Alekhine, Bronstein, Smyslov, Fischer, Spassky, Botvinnik, Capablanca, Nimzowitsch, Tal, Rubinstein, Lasker, and Petrosian. This is an excellent list if you want a good range of instructive styles. And, of course, Chernev's signature style makes it easy and engaging to learn from this book.
While we're on beginner books, many people would use this moment to insert A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario. I am violating the "no single player" criterion of this list, but I think this book is more about general principles than it is about Morphy in particular. Think of it as a general instructive game collection that just happens to use Morphy's games. The organization of the book makes this clear enough; it is structured around Reuben Fine's thirty rules - ten for each of the opening, middlegame, and endgame. Personally, I think this book is a little more difficult than what could be called "A First Book" because the annotations are somewhat succinct and it is easy to miss some of Morphy's depth and nuance, but still, many beginner players have said that they learned a lot from this book, so I would not discourage any beginner who wants to read this even at the sub-1000 level.
Remaining on the theme of the classics, I will insert a few more books that are a bit older. The first is Epic Battles of the Chessboard by R.N. Coles, also published by Cadogan as Battles Royal of the Chessboard. This book also has some of the classics of old, like Labourdonnais - McDonnell 1834 to Euwe - Keres AVRO 1938.
Similarly, Reuben Fine's The World's Great Chess Games is a list of some of the classics that are worth knowing for the sake of chess erudition.
Another old book that covers many of the classics is Fred Reinfeld and Irving Chernev's Chess Strategy and Tactics (Ha! I snuck in another Chervev book!). This book covers the classics from Steinitz to the 1930s.
Another book by Fred Reinfeld containing many classics is Great Short Games of the Chess Masters by Fred Reinfeld. This book has mostly shorter games, so it's good for blindfold training once you're done with Chernev's 100 Best Short Games of Chess, mentioned above. In general, memorizing miniatures is a great way to train your blindfold ability.
For some of the classics post-1950s, you can check out Robert Byrne's Great Chess Victories and Defeats. None of these books are terribly deeply annotated, and especially in today's post-computer world, the value of the annotations might be questionable (although Reuben Fine tends to be quite accurate). But it is worth playing through these games, even if fairly quickly, for the sake of exposure to chess history.
The modern definitive collection of classic games covering the period from the 1800s to today is The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games by Graham Burgess, John Nunn, and John Emms. The latest edition has 145 games, with the most recent one being from 2020. The games in this book were chosen based on a set of criteria that included not just instructive value and historical significance but quality of play as well, so it is missing some notable classics such as the Opera Game. Even so, the games in this book do make up an almost complete definitive list of the most famous games ever.
Since I brought up the topic of "miniatures," I will include three books that don't seem like game collections, but they essentially are. These are collections of opening traps, so they might be placed in the "opening books" section, but they're really just collections of miniature games that end with quick traps. The first of these is Winning Chess Traps by Irving Chernev (oops, I thought we were done with him! I lied!).
The next is a set of two books by Bruce Pandolfini, Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps and More Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps 2. Treat these three books like opening books, puzzle books (pause at the critical position and try to find the tactic yourself), or like game collections.
If you like the idea of opening traps/miniatures, you can also check out the books of Carsten Hansen. His book Marvelous Modern Miniatures is a nice collection, and he has an entire series of miniatures in specific openings as well as another series called "Catastrophes & Tactics in the Chess Openings."
Returning to the theme of "attacking chess" that I started when I brought up Fred Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans, there are a couple more on this topic that I could recommend. The first is The Art of the Checkmate by Georges Renaud and Victor Kahn. The book is structured around checkmate patterns, much like Murray Chandler's How to Beat Your Dad, but the games are all (with only a few exceptions) given in whole, so this book is essentially a game collection. Because the games are all fairly short (ending in checkmate or a quick resignation), you can get through this one fairly quickly as well. I show the Russell Enterprises Algebraic edition below, but it is available in Descriptive as well from Dover.
Next is a two-part series called Attack With GM Julian Hodgson. The theme and the cute cover give the impression that this book is aimed at beginners, but some of the games and the commentary are more difficult then you would expect. Still, these are good books for intermediate players who are more focused on tactics and checkmates and are not ready yet for a slow, positional style.
Also in the realm of tactics and attack and checkmates are two books by Neil McDonald, an author who will come up later. Mastering Chess Tactics and Mastering Checkmates are, for the most part, game collections, though there are a number of isolated positions. McDonald's style is very clear and readable, and I recommend all of his books. Again, these are not exactly for absolute beginners, but intermediates who are focusing on tactics and checkmates should be able to follow.
Finally, on the topic of attacking chess is a nice little book called The King-Hunt by John Nunn and William Cozens (more accurately, a John Nunn reworking of Cozen's book). This book is focused on one specific kind of attack - the king hunt in which the enemy king is driven across the board into a mating net, like in the famous game Edward Lasker vs George Alan Thomas. As with most John Nunn books, it's not really suited for an absolute beginner, but as with the other books just listed, it's fairly short and easy enough to follow for intermediates.
The next genre of game collections I'd like to bring up is those that focus on amateur games rather than master games. Some argue that it's better for beginners to learn from amateur games so they see how to correct mistakes that are more likely to be made on their level. Personally, I prefer historical game collections, and it is more common to see masters of old make more inaccuracies than in today's post-engine world, so there are plenty of mistakes to learn from. Furthermore, it is quite common to find classic exhibition games between masters and amateurs. In any case, this type of game collection offers much instructive value, and they're a good choice for an improving beginner.
The first book in this genre is Dan Heisman's Best Amateur Game Book. I have always been a big fan of Heisman because he's one of the only teachers who focuses on the thought process of beginners. I recommend all of his books!
An older book that features games of masters vs. amateurs is Max Euwe & Walter Meiden's Master vs. Amateur. The games in this book are actually made up rather than being real games, but no matter. Euwe is quite systematic and thorough, as in his other books. It's hard to overestimate Euwe's influence on chess education in the middle of the Twentieth Century. There are two other books in this series: The Road to Chess Mastery and Chess Master vs Grandmaster. As far as I know, all three of these books are only available in Descriptive Notation.
Next up on this list, I would like to include books that I consider one step up from Chernev's Logical Chess and The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played. Chief among these would have to be Neil McDonald's Chess: the Art of Logical Thinking. Neil McDonald has already been featured in this list, but if I had to recommend only one of his books, this would be the one. McDonald's commentary is very clear and instructive and is somewhat in the style of Cherven's "move by move" and the books inspired by that (some of which will come up later in this list). I like that he organizes the games in this book by opening, because you can easily look up games if you're preparing a specific opening for your repertoire.
Also by Neil McDonald in the "move by move" style is The Art of Planning in Chess. This book is essentially a follow-up to The Art of Logical Thinking. It has a large emphasis on pawn structure, so it is a good introduction to intermediate chess strategy.
A third book in this unofficial "series" is Neil McDonald's Chess Success: Planning after the Opening.
I feel like I've already included too many Neil McDonald books, but in all honesty, he is one of the best authors of instructive game collections, so I'm compelled to add two more from Everyman's Chess Secrets series. They are The Giants of Strategy and The Giants of Power Play. There are six books in this series, with another three written by Craig Pritchett and another by Colin Crouch, and Everyman offers the entire collection at a discount price bundled as an e-book. While I found the others to be pretty typical as annotated game collections, with nothing special to endorse them, the two by McDonald are worth it if you have come to like his style.
Continuing with the "move by move" style of books is Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Brilliancies. This book has only twelve games, but those are enough to fill nearly 250 pages because every move is extensively commented on. While I would have appreciated more games - Chernev manages to pack thirty-three and sixty-two games into Logical Chess Move by Move and The Most Instructive Games Ever Played, respectively - it is clear that Seirawan was targeting a beginner audience and was trying to take things very slowly. If that's the case, then I think that the games he chose are a little too positional, but I guess you can't have everything. I suppose if you want a good first book that goes beyond attacking chess and into positional chess but still appeals to a beginner audience, this would be a good choice. The three Neil McDonald books listed above (Art of Logical Thinking, Art of Planning, Planning After the Opening) might take that role, but Seirawan takes things a lot slower, so it might be a good idea to quickly go through Seirawan's twelve games before embarking on McDonald's more substantial game collections.
Mind you, if you are looking for a good first book on strategy, I have to mention Michael Stean's Simple Chess. While not a game collection per se, most of the games in this book are given in whole so it could be regarded essentially as a game collection.
The same could probably be said of Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Strategies. It is about the same difficulty as Simple Chess. In fact, the two books are very similar. I read them back to back and found a lot of overlap. If I had to, I'd say that Seirawan's is slightly more difficult.
Sticking with introductory strategy books, Best Lessons of a Chess Coach by Sunil Weeramantry, Hikaru Nakamura's stepdad and coach, is phenomenal. The format and style are good for 1300 or even slightly below. It goes through each game move by move, with lengthy explanation about each move. It has many diagrams, so it's easy to read without setting up a board. The book pauses often to ask the reader to answer questions and solve exercises. Most of the material is focused on introducing fundamental concepts of strategy, but there are some tactical exercises as well. This is one of my most highly recommended books for early intermediates.
Another introductory book on strategy in the "move by move" style is Chess Strategy: Move by Move by Adam Hunt. This book is part of Everyman Chess's Move by Move series. Most of the books in this series are focused on specific players or openings, but this one is on the general topic of Chess Strategy. Like the previous book, it has explanations on (almost) every single move and pauses often to ask the readers questions.
Working our way towards Nunn's Understanding Chess Move by Move, I will first insert two books by Steve Giddins: 50 Essential Chess Lessons and 50 Ways to Win at Chess. Each chapter focuses on a different theme, working its way up from attack and defense to move positional concepts like good vs bad minor pieces, pawn structures, and so on. The author writes that these books are modeled off of Chernev's Most Instructive Games Ever Played (just when you thought Chernev wouldn't come up again, we prove how influential he was in this genre!). The two books are structured essentially the same way, with 50 Ways to Win taking over where 50 Essential Lessons left off. Each game is introduced with a short blurb stating the theme that the game is meant to illustrate. Each game is annotated for almost every move. Finally, and this I really like, are three bullet points listing the essential lessons of that game. I have personally used this same format when annotating my own games in Lichess studies.
Along exactly the same lines is John Nunn's Understanding Chess Move by Move. It is almost exactly the same format as the two Giddins books listed above, and I suspect that Giddins was as much influenced by Nunn's book as he was by Chernev. I only listed Giddins first because I think they are a little easier than this Nunn book, but can be a bit difficult at times. This book is very frequently recommended as a good intro for strategy in a game collection format, but I think it is somewhat harder than some of the others I listed. I would suggest starting with Neil McDonald's Art of Logical Thinking and Giddins's 50 Essential Lessons before Nunn's Understanding Move by Move.
John Nunn has another book, Understanding Chess Middlegames, which is somewhat similar in that it is a collection of short lessons, each highlighting a different concept. Although not strictly a game collection because each mini-lesson starts in the middle of a master game, I am including it here because it is a good companion volume to Nunn's Understanding Chess Move by Move. If only the beginning moves of each game were given, this could be called a game collection, but it is easy enough to find the games on chessmoves.com by searching by players, location, and year and see how the games go to that point.
Another couple of books from Gambit Publications in a similar format to Giddins and Nunn are Zenon Franco's Winning Chess Explained and The Art of Attacking Chess. Zenon Franco is an excellent commentator, and these books have lots of really nice games explained well.
Zenon Franco has lot of other books that I could recommend, but I'll just throw in another from the Everyman Move by Move series that I mentioned above. He has several books in that series dedicated to specific players (Morphy, Lasker, Rubinstein, Keres, Spassky, Anand), one that is on a general theme, like the book by Adam Hunt listed above, is Planning Move by Move.
One more recommendation from Gambit Publications that I'll mention is Igor Stohl's Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces. It came out around the same time as Nunn's Understanding Chess Move by Move, but I would consider it a bit move advanced than that one. I've seen this book highly praised by master coaches I respect.
An author and YouTuber I like is Daniel King. He has several books that are presented as "tests", the object being that you are expected to guess the next move, and you are assigned points for how good your choice is. However, these books are essentially game collections, so I will include them on this list. The games are well chosen to illustrate different themes. The books are titled How Good is Your Chess? by Daniel King, Choose the Right Move by Daniel King & Peter Dove, and Test Your Chess with Daniel King.
Finally, I will end this list with a couple of recommendations by all-time greats. Many world champions and world-champion-adjacent players have authored game collections of their own games, but only a few have published game instructive game collections aimed at improving players with games culled from a variety of players. I've already mentioned Euwe, who wrote extensively for the general audience, but I'll include two others here, one old and one relatively newer. Samuel Reshevsky's The Art of Positional Play is an excellent collection, each game illustrating a different basic theme. I believe it is only available in Descriptive Notation, but if you don't mind reading Descriptive, this book is well worth it.
Finally, Jan Timman's The Art of Chess Analysis is a classic masterpiece. I'd save this for more advanced players because the verbal commentary is somewhat sparse, so you'll have to know enough to read between the lines, and he sometimes gets into more detailed analysis.
Anyway, that's it for today's list. This list covers a wide variety of skills and styles and should satisfy players of all levels. In the future, I hope to do a few on-game collections by world champions or other masters.
