3 Books that Helped me to Gain the Most Rating Points

Choosing a chess book is very exciting, but not every book will help you to improve your strength. Best games books written by authors are the perfect example of non-improvement chess books. This type of book will help you to increase your chess-related knowledge, but it will not help you to gain ratings.
In my last 15 years of chess experience, 3 books helped me so much, which I wanted to share with you.

This post was originally published on Substack. Click here to read it on Substack.

1- Anthology of Chess Combination - III

• Rating Change - 1900 to 2200
• Contribution of this book in rating change - 45-60%

This is the 3rd volume of Anthology of Chess Combinations published by Chess Informant. This is a pure tactics chess book.
While I got this book in 2014, I started solving it seriously in 2015-16. There are a total of 2700 puzzles in the book, and the first 1800 puzzles are leveled at 1500-2200.
I remember I solved some 2400 puzzles on the board in that couple of years, which really helped me gain hundreds of points.

2- Endgame Strategy by Mihail Shereshvesky

• Rating Change - 2200-2350 and IM Norms
• Contribution of this book in rating change - 30-40%

I got a chance to attend a camp of GM Farukh Amanatov in November 2018. At that time, he suggested me to do an Endgame strategy book.
After returning home, I immediately purchased that book from Amazon India.
After that, I studied all the positions on the board in 2018 and 2019.
In lockdown, I did that book again.
This book is perfect for players ranging from 1500-2300 (Even upto 2500, I believe)
You will learn various principles from this book and also a technique of conversion of advantage. After studying this book, I managed to win some very interesting positions quite easily.
You can read a full, detailed review on our website by clicking here.

3- 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus De La Villa

• Rating Change - 2200-2350 and IM Norms
• Contribution of this book in rating change - 20-25%

This book is based on a core endgame. The author chooses 100+ positions, which are often played in the games, and the endgame positions you must know.
This book is suggested by my friend, who is an International Master. I then purchased from Chessable in April 2020.
BTW, this book is Chessable's bestseller book and also a bestseller video course.
Initially, in 2016-19, I tried to study Dvoretsky's Endgame Manuel and failed a lot of times as it was very hard and deep. After getting this book, I studied it 2-3 times until now.
Once you study the book, you only have to do the Final test again and again. The final study consists of 60-70 positions and covers the entire book.
You can watch this YouTube video where Magnus is solving the Final Study.
I strongly suggest you purchase this book from Chessable and not in a book. Chessable's move trainer will help you to solve it in a fun way. The book is priced at somewhere between $15-20 (The video course is very expensive and not recommended)
You can read a full, detailed review on our website by clicking here.
Thank You for reading!

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