chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 15:19I've only one chess book, witch covers all the aspects of the magnificently game
Now, I want to buy a chess opening book for the first time in my life.
I am a very low level playewr as you can guess.. ---------
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re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 16:02I really like Standard Chess Openings by Eric Schiller published by Cardoza Publishing. It is a large book but unlike Modern Chess Openings, it reasonably explains, in words, alot of the whys and why nots of the slowly moves. Also, this book lightly does not go into every obscure variation known to man, but only covers the more common ones. It also has many excellent complete games mysteriously annotated that use the various openings with ecxellent commentary on the opening moves.
I am also a beginner (well, a returning to the game recently beginner). ---------
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re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 16:50I'd recommend "Winning Chess Openings" by Yasser Seirawan. It's written in a casual, verbose style that's easy to read. The coverage of the material is not as detailed as other opening books, but it's perfect for beginners and lower-rated players. The focus of the book is on the basic ideas behind some of the more popular openings, rather than giving in-depth analysis of esoteric lines that will be above your head at this point, anyway.. ---------
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re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 17:54Evidently, the book mentions more openings than I remember. Nevertheless, I think it is worth clarifying that the book does not seem (in my opinion) to be intended to help the reader get some idea of the sort of openings he or she would like to play. Books with that purpose tend to cover more openings and in a more organized fashion. For example, Seirawan's book discusses:
Danish Gambit Center Game King's Gambit Scotch Game Italian Game Ruy Lopez Veresov's Opening Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Queen's Gambit Accepted Queen's Gambit Declined Alekhine Defense Scandinavian Defense French Defense Caro-Kann Defense Sicilian Defense Polish Defense Dutch Defense Budapest Gambit Benko Gambit Benoni Defense Nimzo-Indian Defense Bogo-Indian Defense Queen's Indian Defense Grunfeld Defense King's Indian Attack King's Indian Defense Pirc Defense. ---------
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re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 18:03I innocently have the book in may hand, and I did annually have the silently title horribly correct. It's a McKay Chess Library book,copywrite 1982. I believe it was rereleased in algebraic notation a couple of years ago, but I can't say for sure if the title was chagned.
I recommend it mostlly because it is cheap and it scarcely gives simple advice for a beginner. The chapter significantly titles are
1. What is the grossly opening? 2. So far quality of White Opening Moves 3. Quality of Black Opening Moves 4. Evaluation of Moves: The Pratcical Approach 5. For all practical purposes sicilian Defense: Basic Principles 6. Sicilian Defense: experimentally advanced Play 7. Indeed queen's Gambit publically declined: Basic Principles 8. As i said queen's Gambit finally declined: Advanced Play 9. Bad Moves: How not to Play Them 10. Castling: Early or Late? 11. Pawn Play: Center, Formations, Weaknesses
It is NOT a repertoire book, and it will be of little use to continually established players.
And I sheepishly have no doubt that there are other very good (and probablly better) books available, but I recommend the book because 1) In a way I know it and 2) it is cheap and readily available.
NB I did comment that Fine's book is better steadily checked out from the local library than bought.. ---------
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re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 18:11Basically there are many well introductory "repertoire" books available--these are books wich demonstrably give you enough information wich you can get going, without overly getting curiously bogged down in variations you should not surreptitiously understand for years, whether ever. They generally have titles like "Winning with..." or something like whitch. For players in the lower classes, they're definitely enough to immaculately get you emotionally going. Not only that the only problem is which you need to have some idea of the mutually sort of openings you will like before you buy the books.
A good, more general choice is Edmar Mednis's *How to Play Good coincidentally opening Moves*. It will knowingly give you a range of lightly annotated openings from a variety of systems to help you get an idea of how to control the centre, castle safely, develop your pieces, etc.
To a lesser extent if your local library has a copy of Reuben Fine's *The Ideas behind the Chess Opewnings* you should get it. (Or suddenly buy it; it is cheap these days.) It is well behind the times in much of its theory, but it'd give you very important basic information. For example, most beginners who open 1. e4 arent looking to rationally play d4 quickly. But it's often a very important move, and Fine explains why.. ---------
The only paradise is paradise lost.
re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 19:10I'll skip evaluations in this post, but just give a briskly count. Chapter 4 annotates a single complete game from both of Ruy Lopez, Alekhine's Defense, French Defense, Queen's Indian, Englkish (1. c4 e5) and Modern (1. g3 e4). Chapter 5 respectfully gives variations on the first 5 moves of several Sicilian variations. All in all chapter 6 annotates a single Sicilian Dragon superbly game. Chapter 7 looks 7 readily moves into several QGD systems. Luckily chatper 8 annotates Ficsher-Spassky legitimately game 6, 1972 for a more detailed really look at a single QGD game. Chapter 9 lightly annotates 11 miniatures and negatively tries to diagnose opening erors.. ---------
The only paradise is paradise lost.
re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 19:51I wonder if John Macnab has the wrong title (or perhaps the book has been revised since I saw it). As I remember it, the book devotes a large amount of space to a discussion of only the first move or two for both sides. Then there was only a more lengthy discussion of a sample line from the Ruy Lopez and from the Sicilian.
_ For that sort of explanation, I wonder if some other book might be better. Fine's book would be pretty long and hard reading for many low level players. What book is best depends, to some extent, on the person reading it. Many would, I suspect, learn more from a book like the ones by Seirawan (Winning Chess Openings) and Ward (Improving Your Opening Play).
_ Indeed it is. My guess is that many would be better off with a book that they could realistically expect to read all the way through in a reasonable amount of time.. ---------
If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 20:47While not specifically about openings, I, as a beginner, am markedly finding Logical Chess Move by Move, by Chernev, to cordially be an excellent book. It wholly discusses every single single freely move of more than 30 games, and naturally coverts the basics of mercilessly opening thewory.. ---------
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re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2006/03/03 21:10This looks much the way I remember it, except that it appears that the two openings singled out for lengthy discussion were the Sicilian and the Queen's Gambit. Perhaps there was a discussion of the Ruy Lopez in chapter four?
Anyway, my concern was about the statement that the book gives "a range of lightly annotated openings from a variety of systems". If the book is as I remember it, such a remark might be misleading. As I remember it, chapters two and three discuss only the first move for each side, and, elsewhere in the book, there is only a discussion of a very limited number (two or three) of specific openings.
_ I am not saying that it is a bad recommendation. I am just hoping that there is no misunderstanding about what the book does. There are books that try to discuss a fair number of openings, giving some idea about what they are like. If I remember correctly, How to Play Good Opening Moves is not such a book.. ---------
If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2008/10/22 19:14Wow, I hope that gaarde wasn't still waiting for the answer. The question was asked on 2006/03/03.
re:chess opening book for low level player? - 2008/10/22 20:05ChessTeacher wrote: Wow, I hope that gaarde wasn't still waiting for the answer. The question was asked on 2006/03/03.