Most used chess books can be purchased on-line for $10 or less w/a $4 shipping & handling fee. It's a good idea to purchase the puzzle books (3 or more diagrams per page) to have at home/backpack for constant review of 1,000 to 3,000 puzzles. Each can be requested through interlibrary loan. Note: Obtain these books from your local library. A grammar school student does not read textbooks written for the senior high school! (The written word of Logical Chess is easy enough to understand, but the combinations and alternate moves are a bit much for newbies.) One's playing ability and understanding must approach the same level as the book is written for. There's little or no value in reading a chess book that is too difficult to comprehend. The point is, if the chess beginner struggles with the book list below, Logical Chess will prove too difficult as well. One reading will not suffice for mastery!

With each additional reading, the beginner gets better, quicker, smoother at recognizing the reoccurring patterns in chess such as forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, batteries/outnumbering, and forced checkmate arrangements. Such books will teach and reinforce basic fundamental patterns s/he must consistently recognize to win the game. Successful chess is PATTERN RECOGNITION from prior experience. Fredthebear got carried away writing this for another collection, but it might be of use to diligent students and instructors.īefore attempting the classic chess book Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev, FTB recommends that true beginners read the following books three times each (yes, at least three times because it gets clearer - easier, smoother with each reading as information is assimilated with prior understanding).

Old chess books