The Soviet Chess Primer. Reviews on:
https://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Chess-Primer-Classics/dp/190798299X
Good book for beginners
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"... 'Chess Fundamentals' ... does not deal so minutely as this book will with the things that beginners need to know. ..." - from Capablanca's A Primer of Chess
"... For let’s make no mistake, what ground Capablanca covers, he covers well. I enjoyed reading Capablanca’s presentation of even well-worn and standard positions. ...
Still, when compared with other instructional books for beginners and intermediate players, Capablanca’s Chess Fundamentals would not be my first choice. Other books cover the same or similar ground with a less confusing structure and more thoroughness. The following works come to mind as equal or in some ways superior: Lasker’s Common Sense in Chess; Znosko-Borovsky’s series of books; and Edward Lasker’s Chess Strategy. Later works that equal or surpass Chess Fundamentals would include Reuben Fine’s Chess the Easy Way and any number of Horowitz tomes.
Capablanca’s work has historical interest and value, of course, and for that reason alone belongs in any chess lover’s library. But there are better instructional books on the market. Certainly the works of Seirawan, Silman, Pandolfini, Polgar, Alburt, etc. are more accessible, speak a more modern idiom, and utilize advances in chess teaching and general pedagogy, etc. ..." - David Kaufman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20131010102057/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review564.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/the-soviet-chess-primer/
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/Soviet_Chess_Primer-extract.pdf
"... The title might suggest it is for beginners, but that is not the case. [The Soviet Chess Primer] does start off with some basic positions, but quickly moves on to much more advanced material including chapters on positional play and techniques of calculation." - IM John Donaldson
Here, by the way, are a few of my candidates for one book:
Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess by Wolff
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708110052/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review587.pdf
The Mammoth Book of Chess
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093123/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review756.pdf
A COMPLETE CHESS COURSE by Antonio Gude
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/A_Complete_Chess_Course.pdf
Journey to the Chess Kingdom by GM Yuri Averbakh and Mikhail Beilin
https://www.chess.com/blog/Natalia_Pogonina/book-review-quotjourney-to-the-chess-kingdomquot
Complete Chess Course by Reinfeld
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/3706.pdf
Improve Your Chess in 7 Days
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708111148/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review607.pdf
Secrets of Practical Chess
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094733/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/secprac.txt
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708110907/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review580.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Secrets_of_Practical_Chess_-_New_Enlarged_Edition.pdf
"Remember, if you like books--like reading them and owning them--there's no such thing as 'one chess book.' ... as you acquire one or two and read them through--even if you don't--you'll find yourself drawn to the chess section every time you walk into Walden's or Barnes and Noble or Borders. If you leaf through the books and compare their contents to what you need, you'll soon find yourself dedicating a shelf or two of your bookcase to chess books. You'll want to have all of Sierawan's books (as soon as they're back in print). You'll yearn to complete your collection of Alburt's series. You'll start haunting used book shops for old copies of Fischer's 'My 60 Memorable Games.' Your hair will gradually grow unkempt, and a distracted wild look will creep into your eyes. If you're separated from your books for too long, your hands will begin to twitch and you'll start plotting knight moves across the checkered tablecloth at the Italian restaurant where you're supposed to be wooing your wife / girlfriend. You've entered a perilous zone ... 'Chessbibliomania' is not a condition to be easily dismissed, and research has shown it isn't curable. Maybe you'll be better off just buying a gin rummy program for your computer and avoiding this chess book madness altogether. 
Happy reading!!"
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.chess.misc/msg/d96eccf5ddec3c33
Lots of good chess books recommended here....
Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell
For someone seeking help with openings, I usually bring up Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014).
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
I believe that it is possible to see a fair portion of the beginning of Tamburro's book by going to the Mongoose Press site.
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Perhaps Davide1096 would also want to look at Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006).
"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings] will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
"There is no such thing as a 'best opening.' Each player should choose an opening that attracts him. Some players are looking for a gambit as White, others for Black gambits. Many players that are starting out (or have bad memories) want to avoid mainstream systems, others want dynamic openings, and others want calm positional pathways. It’s all about personal taste and personal need.
For example, if you feel you’re poor at tactics you can choose a quiet positional opening (trying to hide from your weakness and just play chess), or seek more dynamic openings that engender lots of tactics and sacrifices (this might lead to more losses but, over time, will improve your tactical skills and make you stronger)." - IM Jeremy Silman (January 28, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/opening-questions-and-a-dream-mate
https://www.chess.com/article/view/picking-the-correct-opening-repertoire
http://chess-teacher.com/best-chess-openings/
https://www.chess.com/blog/TigerLilov/build-your-opening-repertoire
https://www.chess.com/blog/CraiggoryC/how-to-build-an-opening-repertoire
https://www.chess.com/article/view/learning-an-opening-to-memorize-or-understand
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-perfect-opening-for-the-lazy-student
https://www.chess.com/article/view/3-ways-to-learn-new-openings
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-understand-openings
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9035.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627110453/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen169.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9029.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/has-the-king-s-indian-attack-been-forgotten
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7277.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9050.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627104938/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen159.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627022042/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen153.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... Once you identify an opening you really like and wish to learn in more depth, then should you pick up a book on a particular opening or variation. Start with ones that explain the opening variations and are not just meant for advanced players. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
"... To begin with, only study the main lines ... you can easily fill in the unusual lines later. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... For inexperienced players, I think the model that bases opening discussions on more or less complete games that are fully annotated, though with a main focus on the opening and early middlegame, is the ideal. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
Crazychessplaya wrote:
The Soviet Chess Primer. Reviews on:
https://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Chess-Primer-Classics/dp/190798299X
"Soviet Chess Primer", while a very good book, is much too advanced for a beginner. The title is misleading. It is more appropriate for the post-beginner, intermediate-to-expert level player.
Better for a beginner to start with something like "Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess". Follow this with Jeff Coakley's "Winning Chess Strategy for Kids", which provides lots of excellent chess instruction on all aspects of chess - a great book for all beginner-novice players (it's not just for kids!).
For openings check out...
Two opening repertoire books by Vincent Moret. The books are targeted to the beginner-intermediate player. The repertoires focus mainly on aggressive but sound lines for which understanding the typical plans and strategies are more important than memorization of myriad lines and variations. You will also learn a lot of chess in the process of reading his books as his explanations of the why's and wherefore's - principles, themes and plans - are as clear as you will ever find in an opening book (from the perspective of the amateur player).
My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White....
https://www.amazon.com/First-Chess-Opening-Repertoire-White/dp/9056916335/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515364956&sr=1-3&keywords=vincent+more
My First Chess Opening Repertoire for Black...
https://www.amazon.com/First-Chess-Opening-Repertoire-Ready/dp/9056917463/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515364956&sr=1-1&keywords=vincent+moret
Introduction to Moret's White repertoire...
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
More on Moret's White repertoire...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f41ZbPq9OpE
https://www.chessable.com/opening-book/my-first-chess-opening-repertoire/7543/
See my mini review of Moret's White opening repertoire book here (search Moret)....
Good Chess Openings Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-openings-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
Introduction to Moret's Black Repertoire...
https://www.chess.com/blog/IndreRe/book-review-vincent-moret-my-first-chess-opening-repertoire-for-black
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9050.pdf
Here are some opening repertoire suggestions by IM Andrew Martin and GM Nigel Davies....click on their respective names at the top of the web page...
http://www.chesspublishing.com/content/repert.htm
Finally, the following articles relating to choosing an opening repertoire offer food for thought...
http://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/aa02i07.htm
The following is a three-part series of articles by GrandPatzerChess - Parts 1 & 2 are concerned with his thoughts on building a White repertoire. Part 3 with a Black repertoire. I found the articles on the White repertoire to be somewhat confusing and even contradictory in places. Part 3 on the Black repertoire seems to be a little more coherent. Nevertheless I found the articles to be generally interesting and thought provoking...
http://grandpatzerchess.blogspot.com/2007/03/openings-for-improving-players-part-1.html
http://grandpatzerchess.blogspot.com/2007/03/openings-for-improving-players-part-2.html
http://grandpatzerchess.blogspot.com/2007/03/openings-for-improving-players-part-3.html
A book called “The Worlds Greatest Chess Games” but the version that has Kramnik and Kasparov on the cover. It is an excellent beginners book with great games and simplified yet educational annotations. Once you have read that one I would recommend “The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal,” which is a great book.
Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess by GM Wolf
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Chess-Third/dp/1592573169
This book by Wolf is excellent at teaching the basic concepts of endgames,tactics,openings and strategies that every new player should know. It also shows historical background on some of the greatest chess players of all time.
Chess Tactics for Kids by GM Murray
https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Kids-Murray-Chandler/dp/1901983994
This Murray book is an excellent tactics book as it breakdown carefully different tactical themes like pin,fork,double attack etc. It has good examples.
I suggest you get these two books and study them well. Your chess will improve.
Most of Jacob Aagaard's books are much too advanced for a beginner.
jambyvedar wrote:
... Chess Tactics for Kids by GM Murray ...
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233318/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review394.pdf
Recommend:
1. Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess
2. Weapons of Chess
3. Silman's complete endgame course
https://www.chess.com/blog/Bergidum/3-books-every-chess-player-should-read
May 19, 2019
0
#18
Hello chesslovers
Please check my Book for Beginners and give me the honest review!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RVKT4PW
Thanks, Alex.
Hi guys, I started about 3 months ago playing chess, but I have many lacks in tactic and strategy, so I'm looking for the best and the most complete book about chess for beginners. I read about "Chess fundamentals" by Capablanca, opinion? Do you know other good books? Which book did you study on or help you the most? And finally could you suggest me a good book for openings too?
Thanks in advance