advanced beginner chess book - soviet chess primer and journey to the chess kingdom reactions

Hwyrion

I felt that Silman’s reassess your chess, and Ameteur’s Mind taught the basics well.

A friend of mine got to 1950 OTB by reading Pachman’s Modern Chess Strategy (And that hilarious Levinfish “beginner” book) and literally nothing else. He did solve just a few hundred tactics as well. But he REALLY studied those books, like many times over.

@Klartext and @Kusokosla

I really appreciate your responses and tips!

I have just found two books that look very promising as well, by looking at the table of contents:

- Ajedrez Integral (volumes I and II), by ISLA (the national cuban chess institute)
- Xadrez Básico, by Dr. Orfeu D'Agostini

They are both in Spanish and Portuguese respectively, but I speak both languages fortunately.

This kind of all-in-one chess book, from very basic to an intermediate level, doesn't seem very common in English...but they are far more common in other languages, where only a very small number of books is published each year.

Roberto Grau's 4 books - "Tratado General de Ajedrez" - are also famous around here...but I also found them similar to the Russian ones I mentioned before....move of the pieces and then mate in 5 with zugzwang :-)

@Kusokosla Yes, Pachman teached very well. His books are written in a way that one wants to work through them. Makes sense if your friend got to nearly 2000 by reading just one of them. I have to admit that i have a slight preference for chess books written by people living (or born) east of europe. There is seemingly more mathematical precision in these books. But this just a general observation and not always true.

Regarding Levenfish, he and Smyslov have written one of the best rook endgame books ever, 'Rook Endings'. But the book is not available on the internet, and it is seemingly out of print. One needs to pay 150 bucks to get it on Amazon. A lot of great old books are not available any more, e.g. the Euwe books or that book by Geller about the Kings Indian Opening. The internet needs a site where these old books are digitalised and published for free.