Chess ebooks and PGN

Hi
I recently started playing chess and am wanting to improve. I am totally blind, so all my chess needs to be done through an accessible interface which is highly limiting (chess.com, chessbase and similar are all incompatible with my talking software). This complication makes it much more difficult to attempt puzzles and practice tactics, since I can't read the diagrams in chess ebooks. I can read FEN or PGN, so I was wondering if you know of any ebooks that use these formats? If I could find a book on kindle.amazon.com which had it's puzzles somewhere in PGN, that would be grait.
I've read that everyman chess has PGN ebooks, but I'm not sure what that means. Isn't PGN pportable game notation? How can that be a book?
If any of you can help with this, or find some pgn puzzles (preferably with solutions or explanations) that would be very much appreciated.
Thanks.

The PGN ebooks that everyman publishes are completely normal PGN files, with the text as comments.

E.g. I have Dembo's PGN ebook "Fighting the Anti-King's Indians". It's a PGN file containing 95 games.

Game 1: just some "about this publication" blurb.

Game 2: The introduction, as comment text.

Game 3: "1. The Trompovsky", a few moves and text about it

Game 4: "The Trompovsky - A: 3.e3", a game full of moves and variations and text dealing with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.e3

Game 5: "The Trompovsky - B: 3.dxc5" and so on.

Et cetera. I am sure that if you mail to info@everymanchess.com they will send you a sample that you can test with, they're friendly people. Unfortunately, opening books are not puzzle books.

I wonder how hard it would be for Chesstempo to make a text-only interface for its tactics trainer, that just shows a FEN, lets you type moves and gives moves in return. Might ask there.

Sorry to read that you can not use chess.com
Hope some staff members can look into this.
Should not be to difficult to make at least the
online game option available.

Regarding reading FEN:

Have you tried to "look" at the Analysis board in
Tactics Trainer?

http://www.chess.com/tactics/problems

Choose a game (click on the number to the left)

click Analysis

The FEN string is to the right of the
board above the solution and there is often a link to to the game.

The daily puzzle also has the FEN string together with the solution.
(Under the board.)


There are at least three files in the download section
here on chess.com that might fit your wish regarding pgn.
(The material is punched by amateurs and not computer checked
so some errors must be expected!):

Try to download from Lessons & Training


300_Most_Important_Positions_in_chess.zip


http://www.chess.com/download/view/300mostimportantpositionsinchess


The 300 positions is NOT ordered according to difficulty!
In my opinion this makes it a collection for testing and / or
advanced training. It is not a learning tool in my opinion in this
ordering of the problems. If you are though or particularly like
to learn the hard way you can try to go through it many times
and understand more and more for each pass. But I would
suggest you use it after you have mastered the basics.
(Alternatively I can give you some advice on alternative
ordering of the problems based on a division into at least 4
categories. (Basics, easy, intermediate, difficult, advanced)
But you can just view it as study material.


Art_of_Attack_in_Chess.zip

http://www.chess.com/download/view/tactics-in-pgn-format

This is also advanced material if you are a beginner. Especially
because of the missing explanatory prose (some in German..),
but there are some parts that is basic standard stuff that hopefully
will benefit you. Come back to the rest of the study material later.


tactics.zip

http://www.chess.com/download/view/end-middlegame-training


tactics is a huge collection for all levels and all purposes.

The #endgame files gives only the winning/drawing move without
explanation. So her you will need software or preferably readable
literature to help with background info in some cases.

Brilliant mates does not even always tell who is to move and gives
no answers. Difficulty varies from basic/elementary to advanced so
this is (great) training/test material, but not for (initial) learning '
in my opinion. (Unless ordered according to difficulty as 300 above.)

combinations has answers and variations (and some comments in German),
but is not ordered in any way (other than alphabetical by white player).

endgame files resembles the #endgame files.

how to checkmate is excellent learning and calculation training material.
Some English comments. Mate in 2-5 and not check on first move.
Go over the material very thoroughly one file before starting on the next,
do not rush and try to understand everything. Do not cover to much
material each day and repeat frequently.
When finished, test yourself and see if you can solve the positions cold.

ideal mates is partly more aesthetics than practical material, but good stuff.
Only first move given, so probably difficult to understand without software.

The larsen files are 3 good collections of 100 positions,
but only first move in solution is given. This limits the value as explanation
is probably necessary in many cases.

Middle game is only positions, software almost mandatory.
(Advanced study material)

problems is two-movers with only key move given.

tactics database has probably useful material after "how to checkmate" and
some similar tactical stuff is mastered. Maybe beneficial to mix to get
variation in the work.

test your positional play is not beginner stuff.

traps are opening traps excellent for study of tactical motives.

win at chess good material, but only first move given.


Conclusion: At least how to checkmate, tactics database, traps, win at chess,
some positions from the larsen files and combinations and
300 positions can be used.



In the meantime I hope some of this can be of interest too:


http://www.braillechess.org.uk/

(see Accessible chess software in the left menu)


http://www.americanblindchess.org/

(see Accessible Computer Chess Programs.)


http://www.arkangles.com/kchess/blind.html


Good luck