Chess Book Recommendations for Beginners

Hello,

Can anyone recommend some books for relative beginners like me please? I'm hovering around 600 and keen to improve, but I'm at the level where I don't even know what I don't know. Can anyone recommend some books that helped you progress from roughly where I am.

Thanks!

Chris.

Hi! My name is Lauren Goodkind and I’m a and chess YouTuber based in California: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP5SPSG_sWSYPjqJYMNwL_Q

I recommend two books for you as a beginner chess player.  

The first one is: "Queen for a Day: The Girl’s Guide to Chess Mastery."   This book is for beginners and readers get to play an entire chess game with Sophia, who is also a beginner.  Readers learn winning and basic chess strategy.  This book is endorsed by the 2019 US Women’s Chess Champion.  

The second book is "50 Poison Pieces" where the reader has to figure out why capturing an unprotected piece is a mistake.  This book is also for beginners and the book is also endorsed by a chess master.  

Both books are available on Amazon.com.  

Thanks very much for the feedback and suggestions. Lauren - I'll definitely have a look at those books and your YT channel too. Thanks also to the person who very helpfully messaged me privately with a load of resources, including quotes from various books. All very useful.

Cheers,
Chris.

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

At 600, mostly what you want to do is play more chess.  However, memorizing some opening lines from Reuben Fine's Practical Chess Openings could be useful, and once you start getting to endgames, learning basic end games from his Basic Chess Endings will definitely be useful.

Most other books I could suggest are more useful above 1000 or so.  Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess might be useful below 1000, though.

have u played the computers.... u can set challenge, friendly or with coaching .... each one gives you certain help ... i really stink, very challenging for my ADD brain but it's fun.... i was losing all the time and just played the computers for a month and came back and have done much better..... fwiw ... and i will never make it to 600 if i get to mid 400's that would be great, 500 a miracle ... 600 no way ... i don't feel bad .. i am a great skier, dancer, tennis player ... this is working my brain and .... 

if any one can help with this 

zydeco skier here, i have been playing 30 minutes games and use custom setting with it set max +50 and min -50 , and I played 3 games tonight and all three were more than 50 rated although all in 400's and all three too good for me so it wasn't fun for me and probably not for them.... how do I make this helpful function work or can you check my settings and see why it isn't working ? thanks for your great site and thanks in advance for your help. Larry Zydecoskier Western MA USA

Try to get some opening books

A rating of 600 is a sign of frequent blunders. To cure that you do not need books, you need mental discipline. Always think thoroughly about your move. Then check your intended move is no blunder before you play it. That alone will get you to 1500, no books needed.
As for books I concur with "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" by Fischer

hmmm, true yep

when u go like 1000, that's the time where u have to get books and also do the daily puzzles chess.com gives u 

More like 1500+... Puzzles + long games can get someone to 1500