03 Aug '07 18:15>1 edit
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Originally posted by MoneyMaker7Do you work in publishing or something?
That is the most noobish post I've ever seen.
Originally posted by DeepThoughtSome people never learn. Bob, an old man at the Dallas Chess Club, is very proud of having never read a chess book in his life. He's very disdainful of them and thinks there's nothing to be learned from them. Anyway, Bob plays every game in the same anti-positional style with the same predictable bad Knight sacrifice on g4 or g5 to open the Rook file. When I was a neophyte and before I had ever read any chess books, he used to give me fits. Someone told me there were books about chess out there and they opened up another world to me. After digesting the theories of Steinitz, gleaned from Euwe's "The Development of Chess Style," I was able to stave off Bob's clumsy attacks. Then, after I plowed through Nimzovich's "My System," and "Chess Praxis," I learned the power of the "outpost" and why it's important to saddle your opponent with "weak squares." I was getting tougher and winning my share of the games. After reading Tarrasch's "300 Games," I became familiar with the idea of "applying pressure and crushing him like a python." Then our games would usually end up with Bob having the bad Bishop behind a phalanx of his own pawns or his Knights driven to the side of the board with him wondering how he got into such a bad position. It was too easy, and now I don't play Bob anymore because there's no challenge. But whenever I visit the club, I see Bob playing the youngsters and he still gets that special gleam in his eye whenever he plops his Knight incorrectly on g4 or g5.
Do you work in publishing or something?
No one is saying that you can't improve by reading a chess book, but they are not the only way to learn and for that matter be quite good at the game. If you're aiming at Grandmasterdom then you might need extra help, but many players get quite good at the game just from playing it. It's possible to intuit ide ...[text shortened]... ely and more deeply, I really don't think that calculation can be learnt from a book.
Originally posted by duecerWhile it is definitely possible to become a strong chess player without reading a chess book, chess books can definitely teach, organize, explain, and reinforce ideas in chess quickly and efficiently.
Is there antone out there who has become a decent player without reading a book?
Originally posted by duecerI can't join the argument about the effectiveness of chess books because ive never read one! Simply playing chess got me up to 1696 on this site.
After reading numerous blogs and threads, I see some people are convinced that the only way to become a good p[layer is by reading books, and memorizing the opening moves of grand masters.
Is there antone out there who has become a decent player without reading a book? I've never read one, and I flirt with round with a 1300 rating (not decent).