How to read chess book and not be overwhelmed • page 1/3 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

Hi guys,
I enjoy reading chess books, but the countless variations are overwhelming. Because of my perfectionism, I try to go through all the variations the author presents, but it's really hard for me to keep track of the main flow of the game. How should I approach such books?

Hi guys, I enjoy reading chess books, but the countless variations are overwhelming. Because of my perfectionism, I try to go through all the variations the author presents, but it's really hard for me to keep track of the main flow of the game. How should I approach such books?

lizani

#2

What chess books are you reading? Modern authors have the benefit of engine analysis and will often include page after page of complex variations that a human would not see.
If that's your concern, read classic books where the explanations are based more on intuition and involve written text. Try world champions like Alekhine, Botvinnik, Smyslov and Petrosian or strong grandmasters like Nimzowitsch, Bronstein, Keres or Geller.

What chess books are you reading? Modern authors have the benefit of engine analysis and will often include page after page of complex variations that a human would not see. If that's your concern, read classic books where the explanations are based more on intuition and involve written text. Try world champions like Alekhine, Botvinnik, Smyslov and Petrosian or strong grandmasters like Nimzowitsch, Bronstein, Keres or Geller.

thewworldisyours

#3

@lizani said in #2:

What chess books are you reading? Modern authors have the benefit of engine analysis and will often include page after page of complex variations that a human would not see.
If that's your concern, read classic books where the explanations are based more on intuition and involve written text. Try world champions like Alekhine, Botvinnik, Smyslov and Petrosian or strong grandmasters like Nimzowitsch, Bronstein, Keres or Geller.

Now I read "My Grear Predecessors" by G. Kasparov

@lizani said in #2: > What chess books are you reading? Modern authors have the benefit of engine analysis and will often include page after page of complex variations that a human would not see. > If that's your concern, read classic books where the explanations are based more on intuition and involve written text. Try world champions like Alekhine, Botvinnik, Smyslov and Petrosian or strong grandmasters like Nimzowitsch, Bronstein, Keres or Geller. Now I read "My Grear Predecessors" by G. Kasparov

lizani

#4

@thewworldisyours said in #3:

Now I read "My Grear Predecessors" by G. Kasparov

Go back and read what I said. How much of the analysis in Kasparov's series do you think is human vs engine? They are great books but best appreciated by 2300+ players.

@thewworldisyours said in #3: > Now I read "My Grear Predecessors" by G. Kasparov Go back and read what I said. How much of the analysis in Kasparov's series do you think is human vs engine? They are great books but best appreciated by 2300+ players.

thewworldisyours

#5

@lizani said in #4:

Go back and read what I said. How much of the analysis in Kasparov's series do you think is human vs engine? They are great books but best appreciated by 2300+ players.

I think you're right. Thanks for advice!

@lizani said in #4: > Go back and read what I said. How much of the analysis in Kasparov's series do you think is human vs engine? They are great books but best appreciated by 2300+ players. I think you're right. Thanks for advice!

kindaspongey edited

#6

I think that this quote gives the basic idea for reading about a specific opening:
"... The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line. ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
In a nutshell, pick up what you can from quickly playing over some games (skipping a lot of the details). Then use your own games as a guide for where to learn more. I once wasted a lot of time, reading about the position after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 O-O O-O 9 Qe2, only to realize (eventually) that the position never arose in any of my games.
I was struck by this comment in one of Hugh Patterson's 2015 articles:
"... Because there are so many variations presented in these books [on various openings], many players try to skim through them. Don't do it. Play through every single example no matter how long it takes. ..."
In 2014, GM David Smerdon described himself as reading Playing the Trompowsky, cover to cover, during the four-hour train ride "from Amsterdam to the quaint little Belgium town of Bruges."
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/PlayingtheTrompowsky-excerpt.pdf
I know that he's a GM and everything, but I find it hard to believe that he was playing through every variation at the pace of over a page per minute for 4 hours.
(The movie, In Bruges, had been released about six years earlier.)
For reading Chernev's Logical Chess, I think that it is reasonable to read everything. For the My Great Predecessors books, I don't know ...
Kasparov commenting on the move 18 fxe6 after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 c5 5 Bg5 cxd4 6 Qxd4 Nc6 7 Qh4 Be7 8 O-O-O Qa5 9 e3 Bd7 10 Kb1 h6 11 cxd5 exd5 12 Nd4 O-O 13 Bxf6 Bxf6 14 Qh5 Nxd4 15 exd4 Be6 16 f4 Rac8 17 f5 Rxc3:
"Pillsbury avoids 18 bxc3, not wishing to go into a depressing endgame with problematic drawing chances after 18...Qxc3 19 Qf3! (19 fxe6? Qb4+ and ...Rc8) 19...Qxf3! (less clear is 19...Qb4+ 20 Qb3 Bxf5+ 21 Bd3 Qxb3+ 22 axb3 Bg4 23 Rd2 Bxd4 24 Bc2 Bf6 25 Rxd5 Rc8 26 Bf5) 20 gxf3 Bxf5+ 21 Bd3 Bh3. Or perhaps he had noticed the unexpected quiet move 18...Bd7!!, when after 19 Qf3 Rc8 Black has a decisive attack: 20 Rc1 Bxd4 21 cxd4 Bxf5+ and ...Qb4+; 20 Kb2 Bxf5 21 Be2 Be4 22 Qh3 Rc6; 20 Rd3 Bb5 21 Re3 Bxd4 22 Bxb5 (22 cxd4 Qb4+ 23 Rb3 Qe1+) 22...Qxb5+ 23 Ka1 Bxe3 (23...Bf6!? 24 Rb1 Qc5 25 Rxb7 d4) 24 Qxe3 Qc4 25 Kb2 Rc6."
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708110300/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review385.pdf
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1109097

I think that this quote gives the basic idea for reading about a specific opening: "... The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line. ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2005) In a nutshell, pick up what you can from quickly playing over some games (skipping a lot of the details). Then use your own games as a guide for where to learn more. I once wasted a lot of time, reading about the position after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 O-O O-O 9 Qe2, only to realize (eventually) that the position never arose in any of my games. I was struck by this comment in one of Hugh Patterson's 2015 articles: "... Because there are so many variations presented in these books [on various openings], many players try to skim through them. Don't do it. Play through every single example no matter how long it takes. ..." In 2014, GM David Smerdon described himself as reading Playing the Trompowsky, cover to cover, during the four-hour train ride "from Amsterdam to the quaint little Belgium town of Bruges." https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/PlayingtheTrompowsky-excerpt.pdf I know that he's a GM and everything, but I find it hard to believe that he was playing through every variation at the pace of over a page per minute for 4 hours. (The movie, In Bruges, had been released about six years earlier.) For reading Chernev's Logical Chess, I think that it is reasonable to read everything. For the My Great Predecessors books, I don't know ... Kasparov commenting on the move 18 fxe6 after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 c5 5 Bg5 cxd4 6 Qxd4 Nc6 7 Qh4 Be7 8 O-O-O Qa5 9 e3 Bd7 10 Kb1 h6 11 cxd5 exd5 12 Nd4 O-O 13 Bxf6 Bxf6 14 Qh5 Nxd4 15 exd4 Be6 16 f4 Rac8 17 f5 Rxc3: "Pillsbury avoids 18 bxc3, not wishing to go into a depressing endgame with problematic drawing chances after 18...Qxc3 19 Qf3! (19 fxe6? Qb4+ and ...Rc8) 19...Qxf3! (less clear is 19...Qb4+ 20 Qb3 Bxf5+ 21 Bd3 Qxb3+ 22 axb3 Bg4 23 Rd2 Bxd4 24 Bc2 Bf6 25 Rxd5 Rc8 26 Bf5) 20 gxf3 Bxf5+ 21 Bd3 Bh3. Or perhaps he had noticed the unexpected quiet move 18...Bd7!!, when after 19 Qf3 Rc8 Black has a decisive attack: 20 Rc1 Bxd4 21 cxd4 Bxf5+ and ...Qb4+; 20 Kb2 Bxf5 21 Be2 Be4 22 Qh3 Rc6; 20 Rd3 Bb5 21 Re3 Bxd4 22 Bxb5 (22 cxd4 Qb4+ 23 Rb3 Qe1+) 22...Qxb5+ 23 Ka1 Bxe3 (23...Bf6!? 24 Rb1 Qc5 25 Rxb7 d4) 24 Qxe3 Qc4 25 Kb2 Rc6." https://web.archive.org/web/20140708110300/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review385.pdf https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1109097

NM ThunderClap

#7

You shoulf try some 'move by move' books like Neil Mcdonald The art of Logical thinking in chess move by move OR Logical Chess Move by Move by I Chernev then Understanding chess move by move by John Nunn . Also Cy Lakdawala has a few move ny move books as well . Other Wordy books were written by A Suetin many years ago' . A Good book also is Capablanca's Best Chess Endings in 60 Complete Games . You can continu to read Kasparov's great P ... book as well but u also need to Play Chess Watch Chess Vids Videos Good luck but the move by move stuff does help as well as playing & studying chess be happy Defence also wins games sometimes as well as counterattacks

pwg

#8

Use two chess boards. One exclusively used for the actual game and another following the actual game on which you can try variations that are interesting to you. As you follow the actual game, make the moves on both boards. After you have followed a variation you can simply restore the position using the board which is exclusively used to follow the actual game.

fwh2025c edited

#9

I too get bogged down in variations, so I usually don't bother with them. I didn't like Nunn's Logical Chess Move by Move for that reason. Studying all the variations it takes to much concentration just to keep track of things, which wears me out. And I don't think it is very helpful to my game. That's not to say it isn't interesting though, just not all that useful.

fwh2025c

#10

@pwg said in #8:

Use two chess boards. One exclusively used for the actual game and another following the actual game on which you can try variations that are interesting to you. As you follow the actual game, make the moves on both boards. After you have followed a variation you can simply restore the position using the board which is exclusively used to follow the actual game.

nah. Just use your computer.

@pwg said in #8: > Use two chess boards. One exclusively used for the actual game and another following the actual game on which you can try variations that are interesting to you. As you follow the actual game, make the moves on both boards. After you have followed a variation you can simply restore the position using the board which is exclusively used to follow the actual game. nah. Just use your computer.