A holy Bible for chess?

Is there this one book that all chess players should have? Is there a book that Kasparov or Carlsen looks in when they wonder about something?

In a word, "no."

How do you know?

There are many. I've heard old men at clubs say things for years like " there are several 'bibles' of chess literature..." and they all have their own short list. Top ten books? Obviously My System will always be high on that list. Chess Tactics for the Advanced player, (SportVerlintag, 1984, Berlin) by Averbakh would be one of my personal favs. I have been putting off digging into the Zurich candidates book by Bronstein from 56(?) but so many other books have insisted it is a must. 

Thanks for your input. I have bought many books myself, and are still looking for more material. I heared the book called "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" is well known but overrated.

BTW: David Bronstein has played at my local chess club :-)

A book that Kasparov or Carlsen looks in when they wonder about something? lol.  That would only be reference material e.g. in openings or endgames.

If you want a book to improve your game, look for something aimed at your level and in an area you're weak.

Thanks Mika, I agree. I have bought some very good books by both international GMs and local talents which has helped my chess abilities a lot.

Bobby Fischer teaches chess is very easy to outgrow; not a high level book really. Most people would recommend 10-1 his other classic, '60 memorable Games'. Also Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch is an old standard. The type of books you really wanna collect are the deep, thorough kind, the ones that repay a second read-through every 5 years or so. 

Wow, I didn't know Bobby Fischer wrote several chess books! I always assumed most books was about him, not by him. Thanks for the classics, checkhappens!

So there's good news and bad news on this issue.....bad news:

The bad news is that chess books are simply a jungle, and there's no way around it. Everyone has a different chess library, and, apart from the aforementioned '60 Memorable Games' and 'My System', and perhaps Jeremy Silman's 'Reasess Your Chess' (which is FAR too young to be considered classic), there aren't really any chess books that every player thinks you should read. 

The good news is that part of the reason for the lack of consensus on reading material is that nobody can agree on what the best moves, the best ideas, and the best positional principles are! Chess is such a dynamic, ever-evolving, and customizable game that, as long as the books you read are helping you improve, it's hard to go wrong.

Repertoire books are particularly difficult for me because they all recommend (and choose to include) particular lines at the expense of others....there's not really any solution but to buy every comprehensive book on 1.d4, read it cover to cover, and make some Frankensteinian horror......but I suppose we can dream 

My System.  In asking around for one book to read that can help someone get better, you will hear most often about this book and "Reassess Your Chess"...but the chess world seems to have love/hate relationship with Silman books, where Nimzowitsch seems to have few detractors.

Some of the concepts are not as key as he thought (overprotection, for example), but still valuable to know.

P.S. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is actually a great book for beginners.  Still love it and remember lots of it 40 years later.

My System

My System

My System

Many, if not most, books afterwords have the same material. But this was the first and, at least the English version, is very interesting to read. He uses very visual analagies and descriptions for the reasons behind the move.

And, unlike the bible, it is not full of faciful fiction.

this one: the chess player's bible - james eade

very nice

Oh, I did just remember that Garry Kasparov was apparently greatly influenced by Peter Romanovsky's "Soviet Middlegame Technique" (at least that's what it's called in English....I don't know the Russian title). I've been working through it, and it's a very good book (even if the theory is pretty outdated and some of the games a tad suspicious) 

Your First Move (Sokolsky) is my chess bible.

Personally, I bought the book, "The Horsey Moves Like This..."

In my opinion, the only book that every chess player should have is The Joys of Chess: Heroes, Battles and Brilliancies, by Christian Hesse. It's an utterly unique treasure of fascinating little problems and puzzles, curiosities, anecdotes, and essays. I haven't seen another book full of such a wide-range of fascinating ideas.

Modern Chess Openings is the Holy Bible of chess. And Bobby Fischer is the true Messiah of chess. There's the old story about a man who went up to Bobby Fischer and asked him for chess lessons. Bobby said, "Ok, for your first lesson read MCO." A month later the man went up to Bobby again and said he had completed lesson one. And Bobby said, "Ok, for lesson two, read MCO again!" 

For beginners, i dont know if there is one.  But 3 beginners books that will really do alot of good are:

My System

Chess move by move

Bobby Fischer teaches chess

"99 Chess Problems" by Jay-Z.