Book Suggestions?

I'm personally looking for books on openings. If you have any other suggestions, please list them as they may help others in need. Thanks! 🙂

Soltis - Pawn Structure Chess.

Pretty much the only book on openings one needs.

Originally posted by RedSoxFan 15 33
"If you have any other suggestions"

The most useful book I found on openings is a really old one - How To Play The Opening In Chess by Raymond Keene and David Levy. My copy is in a wonderful day-glow pink!
Raymond Keene has produced a huge amount of books and the quality varies a lot. Fortunately this is one of his better efforts.

This book does not give an in-depth coverage of any particular opening, but rather goes through some of the main variations of a variety of openings and it tries to say -why- the moves are being played.

This was the only opening book I used and when I used to play in a club people there remarked how much opening knowledge I had. In one game I was told I'd followed theory for 18 moves and the guy just looked disbelieving when I said I'd been making it up since move 6.

The only drawbacks to this book are its age - quite a bit of the theory listed is out of date (although still playable) and some of the statements can be a bit questionable, such as when it dismisses the Slav Defence in 2 sentences and where it suggests the 4 pawns attack against Alekhine's Defence (extremely commital and when I tried in a tourament I got ripped to pieces).
However, if you use some commonsense when you're working through the text you should be able to spot these bits.

And the main lesson in the book is to understand what you're doing rather than blinding memorising long sequences of moves and then ending up in a position where you have no idea what is going on.

Originally posted by RedSoxFan 15 33
I'm personally looking for books on openings. If you have any other suggestions, please list them as they may help others in need. Thanks! 🙂

Had a look at some of your games on here.
You have the principles off OK as usual it's the middle game where
you (or your opponents) fail.

If time is a problem then perhaps try a systems book.
It's gives you an opening rep for White or Black usually with complete games
so you can see the middle game idea.
Of course it will not cover all the various tactics you may face - no opening book can.

This is your first game on here. Nothing silly in the opening, but as soon as
we approach the middle game you drift.
Your middle game pawn moves were bad. (14.c3??) They gave Black a won game,
he fluffed it. so you played some more bad pawn moves. (a4,c4 and hxg4)
just to give him his win again.
We were also treated to some awful defending. An opening book will not help there.
Block his lines of attack. Swap pieces. Don't invite him in. (26.Kf1)

RedSoxFan - D13 RHP 2008

Thanks to VV, caband and Swissgambit for the suggestions.

Thanks to Wilf for the, um, helpful pet suggestion? 🙂

Also thanks to Greenpawn for the analysis of my game. I have a tendency to move too quickly, and I know that has been my downfall in many games. Seeing that game only reminds me of that 😞 maybe now I'll slow down and work on the middle game. The reason I'm looking for an openings book is to learn more openings. I know very few and I need to revisit the ones I know.

It looked like it didn't submit my post three times. I tried again on the fourth and it posted four times? Hence the empty posts below. 😕

Horowitz, Chess Openings: Theory and Practice. It is out of print and out of date, but remains a good primer.

Nunn's Chess Openings is more up-to-date, and may be in print.

Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, five volumes, is the standard reference.

Fine, The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings is unlike all these others because it focuses on general principles.

Originally posted by VectorVictor
Soltis - Pawn Structure Chess.

Pretty much the only book on openings one needs.

Chess openings for beginners - Robbie Carrobie

this is the definitive and instructive work on the mater if a little misunderstood and
controversial. A must read for the progressive player. Worthy of any player's
bookshelf.

'A classic masterpiece of chess literature', - chessbase

'Probably the best lesson Ive ever had', - Kewpie.

With today's databases, I find opening books are outdated, especially books in the style of the old Batsford Chess Openings, with a lot of variations without any explanation.

I have more than 50 chess books, only 2 of these are on the opening and I practically never use them. I prefer databases.

But although I don't have them, John Watson's 4 volume series "Mastering the Chess Openings" seemed to me like good books.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Chess openings for beginners - Robbie Carrobie

this is the definitive and instructive work on the mater if a little misunderstood and controversial. A must read for the progressive player. Worthy of any player's bookshelf.

'A classic masterpiece of chess literature', - chessbase

'Probably the best lesson Ive ever had', - Kewpie.