What is a good book to start learning chess if you have never studied Chess?

Hi Everybody

I played chess as a youngster up to the age of 10 and never studied the game seriously.

Now  I have come back to the game( and fallen in love Big time).

I seem to be winning more games than i lose ,but i know I can improve.

Any suggestions for a couple of book titles to get me started would be most helpful

Learn Chess in a Weekend is a good one.

My favorites when I just started again:

1.  Idiot's guide to Chess (seriously - really good) by GM Patrick Wolff (or alternatively Play Winning Chess - GM Yasser Seirawan).  Both are good "beginner" books to cover some basic opening, tactical, and endgame play.

2. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess - easy read and great stuff in there.

3. Simple Checkmates by A.J. Gillam: Nice collection of one and two move mates.

4. Winning Chess Tactics - GM Seirawan.  Excellent tactics primer, only mildly advanced over the basics.  These are a great start and not particularly expensive.

As an aside, I would stay a way from "Win with the French/Pirc/Sicilian" etc. Openings play little role in getting better at the beginning. At least that's the classic teaching and it's bourne out in my experience.  Good luck.

After I read 'Bobby Fischer teaches chess' my play became a lot better. That was over 40 years ago. Two other books I go to regularly are 'How to think ahead in chess ' by Horowitz and Reinfeld to learn a couple of good openings and 'Winning Chess' by Chernev to practice tactics

I've gone thru a lot of books and one thing is for sure, chess masters are terrible authors. Not many good books among the thousands that are out there. The exceptions are Eric Schiller and Bruce Pandolfini, they write so the reader can learn.

BC

How about Silman? I notice he isn't an exception? 

 Actually I just picked up his book, Reaccess  your chess . I'll go over it this weekend.

BC

Prepare to add one more good author to your list, then! 

"The Complete Chess Course" by Fred Reinfeld is an oldie but a goodie for starting out.

1. Use problems, puzzles, games, computer engines, etc to help your develop your ability to calculate and find sharp moves -- this is the "immediate consequences" side of chess.

2. Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman -- a great book for learning basic positional/strategic concepts, (and for making those concepts a fundamental part of your chess-thinking process) -- this is "over-the-horizon consequences" side of chess.

I learned on Reinfeld books... he pretty much dominated novice chess instruction for my generation (born in the late 50s early 60s) in the US I think. I wouldn't recommend him. Reinfeld is a pleasant and clear enough writer, but I think there are better books for a beginner's chess game. Of course, most of what he says is fine, but his overly conservative anti-dynamic ideas about pawn structure  (doubled pawns/isolated pawns = abandon hope) and his overly optimistic/simplistic treatment of the opening have steered beginners (well, me at least) wrong in my opinion. It has been quite a relief (and an improvement in my game) to free myself from Reinfeld's teachings after all these years.

Hi. Most of the books already mentioned I have used and they will add to your understanding. Don't bother with specific opening books unless they are strong on understanding; learning lines & variations without an understanding just leads to frustration and trouble. I have witnessed chess players complain that they lost their game because their opponent "didn't play the book move"!! What does that say about their own level of understanding?!

For openings I would recommend the John Watson books "Mastering the Chess Openings" published by Gambit Publications or Dmitry Komarov etal "Chess Openings Essentials" published by New in Chess. Currently there are 3 volumes in each series and are highly rated. These two series are very strong on understanding.

And, you can never get enough of "tactics, tactics and more tactics". Authors to look out for include Yasser Seirawan; Lev Alburt, Maxim Blokh (motifs) and Istvan Pongo.

And finally there are two books by Artur Yusupov that I like very much; "Building up your Chess, Volumes 1 & 2. Again, the emphasis is on understanding the position on the board.

Happy choosing

Wow, you guys have gave me a long reading list ,thanking you muchly

I have a number of beginner books, Of them I think that the "Idiot's guide to Chess  by GM Patrick Wolff" is the best book (dont be put off by the name).  I find myself still reading sections on occasions and I would consider myself an intermediate player.

The series by GM Yasser Seirawan (play wining chess, strategy, tactics etc) I also consider very good but you do need to follow on a board to get the most out of them.

Rubin Fine's chess opening and end game books are the foundation of a good understanding of the game, and Silman's reassess your chess is great, ive owned two copies.  and a little more advanced, Nimzowitsch's MY SYSTEM cant be beat

How to beat Mithras by Siebrands is a pretty good book; he's a great author with lots of experience!

J.R. Capablanca "Chess Fundamentals", also "Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur" by Max Euwe and Walter Meiden. Stay away from Reinfeld, Schiller.

I like Silman's two books:

How to Reassess Your Chess and The Complete Book of Chess Strategy.

Go buy Chessmaster, seriously.

lol Siebrands , you re not meant to know im trying to get better!

folks me and Siebrands play each other a lot ,currently its 8-5-1 in his favour,although its looking good for me in our current game :op

I recommend "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess". It is highly rated on Amazon.com and has 58 reviews to support it. Don't be put up by the name. Read some of the reviews. I'm studying it and it has a lot of information in it. Almost all the areas of chess are covered.