Just my .02...
I have that book and even as a USCF A player it can get pretty deep. Do i think its above your skill level? Yes. I think it will cause you more frustration that its worth at the moment? Yes. But that is obviously up to you.
If i were you i would go with 2 excellent books by Yasser Seiawan:
Winning chess strategies
Winning chess tactics
But whatever you decide good luck!
@IMBacon yeah it didn't take long for me to realize that I was out of my depth. And I really appreciate the recommendations! I had actually considered buying Yasser's books from that series, but I didn't know if they were too easy for my level.
Right now, I'm trying to get better at tactics (as we all are) and improve my endgame knowledge of which there is pitifully little. I have a feeling that focusing on those 2 aspects could really help my playing since half the time I lose based on a blunder.
@IMBacon yeah it didn't take long for me to realize that I was out of my depth. And I really appreciate the recommendations! I had actually considered buying Yasser's books from that series, but I didn't know if they were too easy for my level.
Right now, I'm trying to get better at tactics (as we all are) and improve my endgame knowledge of which there is pitifully little. I have a feeling that focusing on those 2 aspects could really help my playing since half the time I lose based on a blunder.
The only thing youre guilty of is the same thing we all are. We love to overestimate our ability. I remember when i bought Dvoretsky's endgame book . I thought i was going to have a brain hemorrhage. The best piece of advice i can give you is to set the go aside, and if you can, find someone stronger to work with you and give you an estimate of what books would work best for you. I took a look at some of your games, and notice that you play mostly speed chess. It is going to be very difficult, and next to impossible to use books to improve while playing speed chess. The reason? You are not going to give yourself enough time to think, and to implement into your games what you are trying to learn.
Based on some of your games i looked at. You seem like a decent enough player that would really benefit from the Seirawan books.
One of my most humbling experiences was when i hired an IM to work with me. he asked me to send him my last 10 OTB tournament games. Wins...losses...draws. He went over them, and sent me a list of books to use. To say that i felt like a beginner is putting it mildly. I thought here I am a USCF A player, and he is recommending these books??? But it was the humbling experience i needed to be honest with myself and my ability. That alone was worth the money.
I definitely have been playing more blitz than I should. I'm busier than usual with school right now so my chess diet has consisted of shorter games, rather than my usual (and preferred) 10-minute games. I think I'd both enjoy and benefit more from playing longer games then analyzing/having a stronger player take a look at them on the forums.
Right now, I'm working through Logical Chess by Chernev and doing a "Endgames for beginners" course on chess.com.
Sounds like you get it. Its a great thing to teach, because it teaches multiple things at once.
Oppostion
Key Squares
How to use the king in the endgame
I wish i did, and my laptop died on me. So i ant even access what i had on it :-(
I may have his emails still, so let me check. Ill get back to you.
Found it! Here is what he said...
*After considering your games, level, and style of play, I made an extensive research into my innumerable chess training materials and came up with the following recommendations for you to follow for the most beneficial studying and training on your own.*
FM Martin Wetwschnik “Chess Tactics from Scratch”
"Winning Chess Strategies" by GM Yasser Seirawan.
GM John Nunn - "Understanding Chess Move by Move"
“ Fundamental Chess Endings” by GM Karsten Mueller.
Looking at this now, this shows how out of touch i was with my chess ability. I look at this list of books now, and dont see a thing wrong with any of them.
Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
Found it! Here is what he said...
*After considering your games, level, and style of play, I made an extensive research into my innumerable chess training materials and came up with the following recommendations for you to follow for the most beneficial studying and training on your own.*
FM Martin Wetwschnik “Chess Tactics from Scratch”
"Winning Chess Strategies" by GM Yasser Seirawan.
GM John Nunn - "Understanding Chess Move by Move"
“ Fundamental Chess Endings” by GM Karsten Mueller.
Looking at this now, this shows how out of touch i was with my chess ability. I look at this list of books now, and dont see a thing wrong with any of them.
Thanks for taking the time to dig that out. I think it's important to have a good grasp of the basics.
I recently bought chessables course on the art of attack. It might benefit u more than just the book. It has Simon Williams teaching what's in the book with his own thoughts. It's about 35 hours of video, 2 tests, and regular position solving exercises. It was $100.
Hmm. I just looked to double check the price because I thought 100 seemed too low and it says 200 but they only charged me 100. Maybe they were having a sale and I didn't notice.
Found it! Here is what he said...
*After considering your games, level, and style of play, I made an extensive research into my innumerable chess training materials and came up with the following recommendations for you to follow for the most beneficial studying and training on your own.*
FM Martin Wetwschnik “Chess Tactics from Scratch”
"Winning Chess Strategies" by GM Yasser Seirawan.
GM John Nunn - "Understanding Chess Move by Move"
“ Fundamental Chess Endings” by GM Karsten Mueller.
Looking at this now, this shows how out of touch i was with my chess ability. I look at this list of books now, and dont see a thing wrong with any of them.
Thanks for taking the time to dig that out. I think it's important to have a good grasp of the basics.
Actually im glad i did. Its always good to have one of those moments that humble you, and to relive one of those moments. I walked away from serious chess study and OTB tournament play 2 years ago. Donated/Gave away all of my chess stuff. The Reno chess club announced that the October tournament is on, so i decided to play. Not to try to win, not to get any money, not for my rating. But just as another way to exercise my brain, and keep my mind young. So....last week i hit up amazon for a chess set, and some books. My study habits will be what it is now. Nothing more than a way to exercise my brain. The big plus will being able to see old friends again.
I think you can still enjoy books that are above your level. I like Timman's The Art of Chess Analysis but my level is comparable to yours. I appreciate his choice of games and the richness within them that his analysis shows. However I confess to not knowing what is going on when first playing through some of them. Depends really why and how you use the book.
I think you can still enjoy books that are above your level. I like Timman's The Art of Chess Analysis but my level is comparable to yours. I appreciate his choice of games and the richness within them that his analysis shows. However I confess to not knowing what is going on when first playing through some of them. Depends really why and how you use the book.
Absolutely you can and should try books that are somewhat above your skill level. Again...I said "Somewhat". Its just like entering an OTB tournament and playing up a section (200 rating points). Their have been numerous posts here where someone rated 1000 bought Devoretsky's Endgame book. That is NOT somewhat above your skill level. That is what I was talking about.
I find that if I try to study a book that is too difficult then there will be moves that I do not understand, or there will be moves that I think refute the author's analysis that don't get a mention. Since we have engines available (which wasn't the case when I was young and really into chess) I can usually get to the bottom of what's going on, but I find I spend most of my time getting side-tracked in this way. Then I usually stop and think - maybe I should be looking at something easier.
I just purchased The Art of Attack in Chess by Vukovic. I'm rated around 1450 so I would consider myself an early intermediate player. It definitely seems like this book is slightly above my level of comprehension. Would it be better to slog through the entire thing or are there specific chapters that I could benefit from reading?
I'm leaning towards the latter approach personally. I think I underestimated the difficulty level of this book. Thanks!