What are some good books on positional chess?

[jdart]

Pandolfini book is here:

http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Chess-Omn ... 0671659723

This should be easier than some of the other recommendations. "My System" for example I would classify as an advanced book, same for Stean's "Simple Chess" (which despite the title is not really a simple book).

As Swami noted, there is also material online. Exeter Chess club has a good instructional site (http://www.exeterchessclub.org.uk/).

[Uri Blass]

I think that tactics is even more important for beginners.

You do not need books for
basic positional knowledge like not developing the queen or the king in the opening and if you do not do stupid positional errors then you are going to win if you take advantage of the opponent tactical errors.

I believe that
tactical training may also help you to make better positional moves

I train in tactics lately both in the Chess Tempo site and in the chess tactics server and I improve slowly my tactical rating.

http://chess.emrald.net/

It is an open question if it is going to help me in OTB games.
I started to train in 25.9 and I solve some hundreds of problems per day.

Uri

[Marc Lacrosse]

"My System" for example I would classify as an advanced book, same for Stean's "Simple Chess" (which despite the title is not really a simple book).

Stean's "Simple chess" is a real gem.
Probably one of the five best chess books among the five or six hundreds I owne.
I do not really agree with you John.
Indeed in some sense this book is not "simple" as there is very deep strategical thinking in it.
But at the opposite this is a book that is perfectly readable by any 1800+ player.
That's why it is unique : any player between 1800 and 2200 will feel he does understand strategical chess a little better after having read this very thin masterpiece.

Marc

[jdart]

Indeed in some sense this book is not "simple" as there is very deep strategical thinking in it.
But at the opposite this is a book that is perfectly readable by any 1800+ player.

I don't disagree at all, but the original query (parent of the thread) was from a player who isn't 1800+.

[Sean Evans]

Yasser Seirawan has a good set of books published. Start with "Play Winning Chess" and then "Tactics" and "Strategy". There are others in the set too!

Good luck.

Sean

[glorfindel]

I think tactics are the most important thing as well.
I suggest only one book: "Sharpen Your Tactics!" by Anatoly Lein and Boris Archangelsky. It has 1125 positions, the first are mates in one and the last ... nobody can solve them.
And of course you should play in tournaments as much as possible.

[james uselton]

Position or tactics? I would like to ask a newbie question on computer chess which may be a bit off topic but still in the ball park. If computer chess had evolved with the positional side paramount, if Rybka was now a positional monster instead of a tactical monster---would it be as dominant as it is now? Would it be as popular?

[Ovyron]

I think Rybka IS a positional and tactical monster.

[rjgibert]

Please do not recommend anything written by Pandolfini. Even if the particular book you recommend is a nice book, he has written so much other crap that he doesn't deserve to get a single penny for anything he writes. A truly terrible chess author.

[menniepals]

Fred Reinfeld 1001 Chess Sacrifices and Combination and Positional Chess Handbook by Israel Gelfer are both very entertaining. Capablanca Chess Fundamentals and Primer On Chess were well written and fun. Reinfeld books are always entertaining. Actually all of them. Forget about getting strong. Instead, focus on having fun.