Books for learning without chess board

The only opportunity I find for studying chess is while taking a train. So books with lots of diagrams are of great help as I can't use the board. For example I am currently going through Good Move Guide by Bent Larsen and it suits me fine.
What other books can be used this way?

Originally posted by iru
The only opportunity I find for studying chess is while taking a train. So books with lots of diagrams are of great help as I can't use the board. For example I am currently going through Good Move Guide by Bent Larsen and it suits me fine.
What other books can be used this way?

In my opinion it is impossible to read a chess book which is intended to improve your play without at least one chess board in front of you.

Get yourself a travelling chess set. I use one of these: http://tinyurl.com/yfyecd
It was quite expensive (I paid about £12) but very durable and folds up nice and flat.

try Lev Alburt:Chess Training Pocket Book some nice tactics' book preatty usefull...I liked it

Originally posted by Fat Lady
In my opinion it is impossible to read a chess book which is intended to improve your play without at least one chess board in front of you.

Get yourself a travelling chess set. I use one of these: http://tinyurl.com/yfyecd
It was quite expensive (I paid about £12) but very durable and folds up nice and flat.

Thanks for your answer, Fat Lady. I tend to agree with what you say but I find at least 2 additional benefits in reading book without board:
1) no time spent to set a position
2) training of your calculation ability

Originally posted by iru
The only opportunity I find for studying chess is while taking a train. So books with lots of diagrams are of great help as I can't use the board. For example I am currently going through Good Move Guide by Bent Larsen and it suits me fine.
What other books can be used this way?

Chess by Lazlo Polgar. A huge number of problems. Ideal for keeping you amused on a long journey.

Understanding Chess tactics by Martin Weteschnik. Lots of diagrams and the author comments that it is intended to be readable without a board.

Originally posted by iru
Thanks for your answer, Fat Lady. I tend to agree with what you say but I find at least 2 additional benefits in reading book without board:
1) no time spent to set a position
2) training of your calculation ability

There are a couple of books called 303 tricky chess puzzles and another called 303 tricky checkmates which are very good and have diagrams. It is helping my visualization quite a bit.

Any book of puzzles works well without a board

but they work even better "with" a board.

Ken Smith wrote a couple of endgame books in which every move is diagramed.

Larry Evans and Ken Smith co-authored a book on the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match in which every move has a comment and a diagram.

Analysing without a chessboard in front of you means that you can't play through the sidelines or try your own ideas out.

To get the best out of a chess book you should spend ages on each game, trying to understand why each side chose the plans they did and why the plans you may think of are inferior. If the author has chosen the games well then each one will merit hours of study.

It seems a pity to waste good study time on stuff which isn't going to improve your chess much.

However, it would be very good for visualisation training if you can manage to follow these books without a chessboard.

EDIT: I am going through "How To Reassess Your Chess". While at home I will go through a particular chapter with a chessboard. While on the train I will read through that same chapter and try and visualise what I went through before.

Chess endgame quiz by Larry Evans.Mutliple choice format.With each position you get 3 options and you must try to work out which is the correct move.No need for a board,in an OTB game you can't shuffle the pieces around either.

Originally posted by iru
The only opportunity I find for studying chess is while taking a train. So books with lots of diagrams are of great help as I can't use the board. For example I am currently going through Good Move Guide by Bent Larsen and it suits me fine.
What other books can be used this way?

Try the Weltgeschichte des Schach books on Anderssen, Chigorin, Lasker, Capablanca, Botvinnik, Keres, Euwe, Petrosian, Tal or Spassky. The books cover most of the careers of the giants of chess and there is a diagram every fifth move, so you can play through each of the games sans board. The only drawback is that they are out of print and some are becoming quite expensive.

weapons of chess bruce pandolfini, very good book!

Many thanks to everybody - I will look for the books that you suggest.