Best book explaining each move

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mooni

What is the best latest chess book that explains game move by move?

I know of two good books that do this :

1. Logical Chess: Move By Move: Irving Chernev - 2003

2. Understanding Chess Move by Move: John Nunn - 2001

I am looking for something latest, explaining games that have been played more recently so that they cover new ideas.

baddogno

I have both and found Chernev too basic and Nunn too advanced for me...Embarassed

Laughing

Heisman kind of agrees:

Recommended Instructive Game Anthologies (in roughly ascending order of difficulty):


  • Logical Chess Move by Move - Irving Chernev
  • The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book - Heisman
  • Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking - Neil McDonald
  • (Note: the non-anthology A First Book of Morphy by del Rosario can be read here)
  • Simple Attacking Plans - Wilson - contains a variety of master-master, master-amateur & amateur-amateur games
  • The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played - Irving Chernev
  • The Art of Planning in Chess - Neil McDonald
  • Winning Chess Brilliancies - Yasser Seirawan
  • Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur - Euwe and Meiden
  • 50 Essential Chess Lessons - Steve Giddins
  • Chess Success: Planning After the Opening - Neil McDonald
  • (Chess Strategy for Club Players Grooten can be read here - it has mostly games but some game snippets)
  • The Giants of Strategy - Neil McDonald
  • 50 Ways to Win at Chess - Steve Giddins (after this book I would go to individual game collections)
  • Understanding Chess Middlegames - John Nunn - Even though some of the games omit openings, this book is similar to Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played in that the games are organized by themes, and thus very helpful.
  • Giants of the Power Play - Neil McDonald - the final of this excellent five-book set
  • Sacrifice and Initiative in Chess - Sokolov - a fitting follow-up to The Art of Attack by Vukovich
  • Understanding Chess Move by Move - John Nunn
  • Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces - Igor Stohl
  • Zurich 1953 - David Bronstein
mooni

Thanks a lot. Will take a look.

baddogno

You're very welcome. That list is dangerous though.  Thought I was immune to its' charms, but may have to move a few volumes over onto my Amazon wish list.  Usually I find they're already there...Laughing Of course I might already have one or two unread books around the house...Wink

RussBell

This may be what you are looking for....

"Chess the Art of Logical Thinking: From the First Move to the Last" by Neil McDonald.

https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Logical-Thinking-First-Move-ebook/dp/0713488948/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473285716&sr=1-1&keywords=chess+the+art+of+logical+thinking

The book is identical in format to Irving Chernev's "Logical Chess Move by Move" but the 30 games analyzed are from the modern era, spanning the period 1978-2003.  GM Neil McDonald is one of the better chess authors in terms of expository writing, and explaining the "why's" and the "wherefore's" to the chess amateur readership.

mooni

Thanks for your suggestions. I am planning to take one of the below:

1. Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking - Neil McDonald

2. 50 Essential Chess Lessons - Steve Giddins


RussBell

Several more interesting books along these lines...

"Winning Chess Brilliancies" by  Yasser Seirawan...

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Brilliancies-Everyman/dp/1857443470/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473299157&sr=1-1&keywords=winning+chess+brilliancies

Seirwan's book analyzes 12 great games played by world championship caliber players spanning the period 1972-1990, including games of the Fischer-Spassky and Karpov-Kasparov world championship matches.  Each move in every game is analyzed and explained in detail, in a manner which is accessible to the average chess amateur.  This is an outstanding book of its type.  

On the other hand, the authors of the following two books do not attempt to discuss every individual move in isolation.  For example in the opening sequence 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 it is assumed that the reader is experienced enough to understand the point behind each of the moves.  However plans and strategies at issue in the games are the focus of the analysis, and where appropriate the individual moves or sequences of moves impacting these plans and strategies are analyzed in detail.

"Chess Strategy: Move by Move" by Adam Hunt

https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Strategy-Move-Adam-Hunt/dp/1857449975/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473297051&sr=1-1&keywords=adam+hunt

"Chess Secrets: Giants of Chess Strategy...." by Neil McDonald

https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Secrets-Petrosian-Capablanca-Nimzowitsch/dp/1857445414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473297380&sr=8-1&keywords=giants+of+chess+strategy  

All three books are highly instructive in the sense that they do a better than average job of discussing and explaining what is going on in the games to the average chess amateur audience.

CrimsonKnight7

Hey guys there is a chess set contest, you should check it out, check under equipment, good luck.

GE0JEM_1963
mooni wrote:

What is the best latest chess book that explains game move by move?

I know of two good books that do this :

1. Logical Chess: Move By Move: Irving Chernev - 2003

2. Understanding Chess Move by Move: John Nunn - 2001

I am looking for something latest, explaining games that have been played more recently so that they cover new ideas.

You are getting a lot of help in this thread, but there have not been "new ideas" in chess in decades, so the Nunn book should be just fine

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