When you have trouble with your wife about buying chess books, keep them stashed in some secret place, like the garage and only pull a few out at a time. When she says, "What's this, another chess book?" Tell her, "I've had this for years, just never got around to reading it." Since wives can't tell one book from another, you can use this excuse for decades, while accumulating your stash in the attic or basement or under the bed.

Originally posted by Mad Rook

"I have read just a couple. "idiots Guide", and..."

Did you like Idiot's Guide? I thought it was a very good introductory book.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Chess books is some kind of pornography for chessplayers who doesn't do it in real. They only wish...

My System is a great book, but I have a retention problem. One other that is old but unique in its method of illustration is THE MODERN CHESS INSTRUCTOR by wilhelm Steinitz. I have never seen a book written in this style and though it is an old book the method of diagraming the different lines and way of annotating are great. If you must buy, get these two. I hope my recommendation is worth your time and money.. Good luck😛

regarding peer to peer and electronic books versus real ones, I use to do this:
take the electronic book, print it(on A4, of course, free, in the office), and bind it(for 2$ in any paper, copies, binding, printing shop)...and I have a real book (of course, it is not exactly the ORIGINAL, but it is cheap and easy to get) for 2$ and some small stress...as I also can not read them in electronic format.
In this way you can inspect them in electronic format and print it ONLY if it is interesting and worth reading. You will print more only after you read the current one.
I have many famous titles in electronic format(30-40) but printed only about 5, out of which I've read 3. Of course, my problem is that I easy gather more and more in electronic format and my wish to read list is increasing much faster than the already read list...but this is life(also my Chess Video DVD collection is increasing faster than the viewed ones).
It's a good tip for those who only start the books(as the same happened to me before with normal books)...because you just tell yourself:"not printing the next one until I finish this one"...of course, books like arid Dvoresky's endgame are so dry that makes you wish to give up chess I placed it last in the queue.


tip for those just read easy tactics books again and again, forget about the rest...you will to reach 1500+
in this way, and after that, you can read the rest

Here's a book you MUST have, it's the most entertaining chess book I've ever owned. The Oxford Companion To Chess. You'll spend countless hours leafing through it and refer back to it constantly. You'll sound like an authority on chess after awhile. Like me.

I don't mean to brag, but I finished reading a book once. 🙂

Originally posted by Talisman
[b]Im need some serious help. I've become completely addicted to buying chess books.....

Originally posted by Asthereal
Try the therapy of Alcohol combined with lots and lots of Blitz-games on Uchess.com. This kills off any sense in playing... and then, when you're fed up with playing chess, you visit the pub and try to find a cute girl 😉 😀 Good luck

I, too, have something of a book addiction -- I buy far more than I read. I think there is another question hiding in our fascinations with "buying the next great chess book": How does one improve?

When I play stronger players, I can see that they clearly Understand the game better than I do. So I think if I can understand the game better, I will play better. So off to get another chess book in the hope that it will enlighten me to the mysteries of chess, and help me to better understand the game.

So . . . is it playing games or studying chess books that is the Great Teacher that will help us to better understand the immortal game? (I am suspecting the answer is, like the quesion about tactics and strategy, we need Both.)

Originally posted by gaychessplayer
Or a cute guy, as the case may be. 🙂

Originally posted by Sam The Sham
Quit pushing it, nobody is interested in your sexual orientation. This is a chess site, not a meating place.

Originally posted by gaychessplayer
What exactly is a "meating place?" Where people eat meat?

I'm sure that lady chessplayers would like to meet a cute guy in the pub.

Originally posted by Sam The Sham
You have played two games on this site, you last moved 188 days ago. Go somewhere else to find boyfriends.

Agreed - about the Oxford companion. I went through every page in that book - its excellent.
The Oxford companion to the mind is absorbing too. Same format just 4 x bigger !