You are correct.
Plenty of beginner books and plenty of advanced books.
I am 1700 and that is a hard spot to find books for improvement.
Right now I am studying
Find the right plan by Matsukevich
and David vs Goliath chess by Soltis
Both books are aimed at the 1600-2000 level.
If I had to pick one book it would be 500 master games of chess by Tartakower and Du Mont.
@OmarCayenne
A plan? I have heard of a plan, but I do not think I really know how to come up with one.
@omarcayenne saidJust read this book and I agree wholeheartedly. A great and concise book. My copy is descriptive notation which is kind of annoying, not sure if it is available in algebraic.
Also check out Znosko-etc's How Not To Play Chess. The illustrative game in there was the first thing I can remember that showed me what a plan actually is.
@KingMe
When I lived in Thailand I got Max Euwe two book combo, static features and dynamic features, middle game, and it was a hard study because of descriptive, I looked online at his books he must have 20 books written but I thought I learned a lot from those two books.
Another set of books that I think are very valuable and also very underrated are 100 Chess Master Trade Secrets by GM Andrew Soltis and 300 Most Important Chess Positions by IM Thomas Engqvist.
Both books cover very valuable and extremely practical and useful pieces of chess learning, which can be immediately applied in games.
They are especially nice in that the information is broken down into small sections, so someone can digest the info in small parts over weeks or months. They are perfect for a systematic plan of study based on short time periods daily. I would start with Soltis and then go to Engqvist, as the Soltis book is a little shorter and simpler.
They are also both relatively inexpensive on Amazon, and that never hurts!
@eladar saidHmm - I'm going to push back a little on that one. Bobby Fischer said the very first books he paid serious attention to as a boy were Russian chess books, these were supposed to be beyond him, but he said he learned a great deal from them. When I play over GM games from my old Informants, I usually learn 1-2 tactical ideas that were half forgotten, or new ideas I'd not considered before
You have to be ready for a book. Books that are beyond you don't help.
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@eladar saidThey can be interesting, though. I'm sure Mein System did nothing for my game, but I did enjoy reading it very much.
You have to be ready for a book. Books that are beyond you don't help.
If you're reading a book just for the results, you're right, that doesn't help unless you're at the right level. Then again, I doubt you'd get the maximum out of a book anyway unless you also read it for the enjoyment.
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@sonhouse said20... I have way more than 20 books by Euwe and I don't have nearly everything there is! I love his writing style, but that's probably personal taste.
@KingMe
When I lived in Thailand I got Max Euwe two book combo, static features and dynamic features, middle game, and it was a hard study because of descriptive, I looked online at his books he must have 20 books written but I thought I learned a lot from those two books.
I wish someone would write opening books the way he did, but updated for modern knowledge. He tried to convey why you play a move without (obviously, given their age) merely resorting to "computer says +.03".
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@mchill saidI don't know what the greatest chess book ever is, but I've recently started dipping back into what may well be the largest: Susan's father's Chess Training in 5333+1 Positions. If it doesn't help you beat your opponent over the board, you can use it to break his skull.
I've only gone deeply into 30-40 chess books in my lifetime, but IMHO - Susan Polgar's - Chess Tactics for Champions