Suggested Chess books for All Round Middle Game Studies and Endgame fundamentals/intermediate • page 1/1 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

So some things to consider before you voice out your opinion:

Targeted community:

Chess players with around 1800-2100 elo (rapid and blitz) on lichess.org
Some level of understanding of tactical and positional motifs, but no systemic studying done
Puzzle rating around 2000-2200
Good opening fundamentals and are able to play out their preferred opening lines fluently (maybe not the exact theoretical moves in set-up based openings but they are able to understand the basic plans and ideas behind their opening)

From the information above, what chess books would you recommend for the players with above information to improve their general middlegame ability and their endgame ability?

PS. by middle game knowledge I mean positional understanding + tactical awareness + long-term plan/strategy. by endgame I mean theoretical endgame + general endgame principles/strategy

So some things to consider before you voice out your opinion: Targeted community: - Chess players with around 1800-2100 elo (rapid and blitz) on lichess.org - Some level of understanding of tactical and positional motifs, but no systemic studying done - Puzzle rating around 2000-2200 - Good opening fundamentals and are able to play out their preferred opening lines fluently (maybe not the exact theoretical moves in set-up based openings but they are able to understand the basic plans and ideas behind their opening) From the information above, what chess books would you recommend for the players with above information to improve their general middlegame ability and their endgame ability? PS. by middle game knowledge I mean positional understanding + tactical awareness + long-term plan/strategy. by endgame I mean theoretical endgame + general endgame principles/strategy

njswift

edited

If you want a traditional middlegame manual I would suggest Herman Grooten's Chess Strategy for Club Players. If you want something shorter, I really liked Chess Training for Post-Beginners by Yaroslav Srokovski. If you have limited time it's probably better to pick one that you'll finish. In both of those the chapters are organized around specific themes with the traditional approach of game fragments with analysis. How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman has a much different organization and layout and some people really like that, so you can take a look and see what you prefer. I don't love the layout or his writing style, but I do like that he uses a lot of amateur and online games to illustrate concepts.

If you want a single endgame theory book I would suggest 100 Endgames You Must know by Jesus de la Villa. If you like the layout of Silman's books then many people love his Complete Endgame Course, which is arranged by rating level rather than themes or pieces.

For practical endgame strategy Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Shereshevsky is the classic and there was a new edition published last year. I really want to read How to Play Chess Endgames by Karsten Müller and Wolfgang Pajeken, which was published last year.

EDIT: Also Secrets of Pawn Endings by Lamprecht and Muller is one of my favorite books. It not only helped me understand some of the complexity of pawn endings, but helped me so much to think about middlegame structures, and even pawn moves in the opening.

A really good holistic approach would be to study a game collection where you get analysis of both of those phases and see how they're connected. Ideally you want one written by the player, so you can see how they think about plans in the moment, and someone who plays your openings. My Best Games of Chess by Alexander Alekhine is a favorite of mine. It contains 220 games and is probably better than other classics for an introduction, because you get to see a strong player execute plans more often than modern games. Another great choice would be Capablanca's Best Chess Endings by Irving Chernev. It's not written by Capablanca himself, but there are 60 complete games chosen for the endgame play of one of the greatest endgame players, and the endgames are clearly marked in the text so you can study the whole game and pay attention to the transition, or just skip right to the ending if you want. If you want a traditional middlegame manual I would suggest Herman Grooten's Chess Strategy for Club Players. If you want something shorter, I really liked Chess Training for Post-Beginners by Yaroslav Srokovski. If you have limited time it's probably better to pick one that you'll finish. In both of those the chapters are organized around specific themes with the traditional approach of game fragments with analysis. How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman has a much different organization and layout and some people really like that, so you can take a look and see what you prefer. I don't love the layout or his writing style, but I do like that he uses a lot of amateur and online games to illustrate concepts. If you want a single endgame theory book I would suggest 100 Endgames You Must know by Jesus de la Villa. If you like the layout of Silman's books then many people love his Complete Endgame Course, which is arranged by rating level rather than themes or pieces. For practical endgame strategy Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Shereshevsky is the classic and there was a new edition published last year. I really want to read How to Play Chess Endgames by Karsten Müller and Wolfgang Pajeken, which was published last year. EDIT: Also Secrets of Pawn Endings by Lamprecht and Muller is one of my favorite books. It not only helped me understand some of the complexity of pawn endings, but helped me so much to think about middlegame structures, and even pawn moves in the opening.