New Year’s 2012 Book Reading Resolutions

Are there any chess books that you had really wanted to finish, but had never gotten around to it? Are you even looking forward to the New Year?

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”   - Bill Vaughan

I own several books that I feel are absolute must reads for me as a beginning chess player, but I’m only going to go out on a limb and commit to three at the moment,  resolving to finish them in the year 2012.

1. Art of Attack in Chess by Vladimir Vukovic – Edited by John Nunn, EVERYMAN CHESS

2. How To Beat Your Dad at Chess, Including the 50 Deadly Checkmates by Murray Chandler

3. Chess Tactics For Kids, Including 50 Tricky Tactics to outwit your opponent by Murray Chandler

I feel confident that after completing just three books along with doing 50 Tactics Trainer puzzles a day, that not only will I be a stronger chess player, but the game will be a whole lot more fun.  

So, what are your Book Reading Resolutions for 2012?

Try ten tactics trainer problems per day, twenty-five at most. But do them every day. 

I asked for FCO for christmas. Then I realized that if I don't get it I'll actually be pretty disappointed because I could have just bought it and been reading it already.

But my plan is to spend some good time with that book.

I haven't read the 3 books you mention, but I've read that Vukovic's book is very good and as for the other two they are both by a respected GM which doesn't automatically make them great or even good but the titles sound like they will be useful to read.

Many years ago I resolved to stop making New Years Resolutions, but if I decide to nullify this resolution I'd like to finish reading the first 2 books listed below and one or more of the following if time and my limited ambition permit:

Judgement and Planning in Chess by GM Euwe

Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Reti

New Ideas in Chess by GM Evans

Tigran Petrosian World Champion by Count A. O'Kelly de Galway (whew!) 

The Petrosian book is very good (by Belgium's only GM!).

I've been religously carrying around Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual for about 2 months now and only manage to work thru the first15 pages or so. Since I've pretty well proven carrying it around doesn't do much I guess I should commit to reading it. 

On a chess-related list is the book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" is about how our brains work and applies to chess as well as other occupations. It's excellent and I've actually been reading it.

Don't they have Luc Winants too ?

My book reading resolution is to read my 1st ever book about chess , i am up and down= ratings / I tried heaps of tourny games ' 268 games at one time , trying to find pattern recognition - i found it !  a pattern of losing' and playing became a chore . need to start with basic chess books and when proficient of basics ' progress to advanced chess books . cheers.

My plan is to read fewer books, but work on them much more thoroughly. Actually get out board and pieces, use my brain and convince myself about the truth of what the book claims.

I would like to read Euwe's Judgment and Planning in Chess.  I read through some of it when I was a kid, but didn't really focus on it or get much from it.

I'd also like to read John Emms' Survival Guide to Rook Endings.

Mark Dvorestsky's Chess Tactics book, which is very dense, but like all of Dvorestsky's books if you take the time to really play through all of the analysis there is a huge benefit there.

Zurich 53 - can there be a downside to reading through anything by Bronstein?  Especially a work of art like this?

Forcing Chess Moves by Charles Hertan.  A guy from my chess club who is getting ready to play for an IM norm said this is the best book on tactics he has ever read.

I'll give my books a break, and instead try to party hard in the new year.

Wow (now apparently they've got 2!). 

in the wiki it said that Belgium got 4 GM ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_around_the_world

Okay, now they've got 4! (jeez, I feel like an auctioneer).

there, got all four of them

I just got a copy of "Chess fundamental" by Capablanca. I am very exited about this book, and probably finish it before this year ends.

This is a 1949 edition and the notations are not algebraic.

I'll add to my post above since I just received a copy of Bronstein's "Sorcerer's Apprentice". What a wonderful, interesting and talented man! Definately worth the time.

I don't see that part of my chess study as work anymore. It's become fun! Two spread sheets of  25 problems each goes by quickly, and I copy/paste the spread sheets in Microsoft Word for repetition/pattern recognition.

I am giving myself the luxury of time this New Year, time to solve many tactics and checkmate puzzles. Without these stored chess patterns in my brain, it would be like going to a construction site to do framing without the necessary tools, like a hammer!  I want access to these tools every time I play competitive chess.

On that note, I can confidently add one more book to my New Year's 2012 Book Reading Resolution -  1001 Deadly Checkmates by John Nunn.

I own the Kindle edition, and find this puzzle book to be the hardest to put down. It’s that addicting. John Nunn edited this book specifically for the Kindle, so that I don’t have to turn to the end of a chapter to find the solution. It’s on the very next page, so it works just like flash cards.  This gave me a new idea.

Kindle Chess Flashcards

Ziryab – I remember that you mentioned creating chess flashcards. Well, I am going to make my own Kindle flash cards using Word and ChessPad!  I have already made a couple of test sets, and they look great. This means that where ever I am, I will always have millions of chess puzzles at my finger tips to solve.  Well, thousands of puzzles will be a good start. I’m not sure how many chess puzzles Grand Masters have solved to get that good.

Here is an example of what I can do with Word and ChessPad, using a problem from John Nunn’s book – 1001 Deadly Checkmates.  Nunn went through over 10,000 games, from youth to GM, looking for the best 1001 that were both current and clear-cut.

33) Black to play (2 points) For solution see next page.

33) Mostertman – H. van Vliet Dutch Under-17 Ch, Venlo 2008

1…Rxe3+! 2 fxe3 Qf1#