SC Week 7/7: Simple Chess

 "Don’t be deceived by the title - chess is not a simple game .…"

Michael Stean

So what now? It’s taken us nearly two months but we’ve come to the end of Simple Chess. Where do we go now?

Well here’s my list of books I’m going to work through in the future. 

Simple Chess (Michael Stean)

It feels a bit odd to mention it here, but as I’ve got older remembering stuff has certainly become more of a challenge. So reviewing and revising what I’ve learned in from Stean is going to be part of my 2021 programme.

Mastering Chess Strategy (Johan Hellsten)

Actually I’ve already been plugging away with this alongside my Simple Chess re-read. It’s a book that’s got an excellent reputation and from the first quarter or so that I’ve got through so far I have to say that’s well deserved.

The first section of the book is 298 pages of  game fragments demonstrating examples of a wide range positional concepts - improving the pieces; exchanges; pawn play; prophylaxis etc etc. The guts of the book, though, is second section. 382 puzzles for the reader to solve to turn knowledge into skill.

There’s a huge amount of content in this book to get through. Hard work, certainly, but the puzzles range in difficulty and so far I’ve found them to be mostly solvable rather than over my head.

Winning Chess Strategies (Yasser Seirawan)

Recommended by Neal Bruce and therefore impossible not to read. Like Simple Chess, it’s another in the introduction to chess strategy category. I’ve ready the first couple of chapters so far. From that I’d saw Seirawan’s book complements Simple Chess  rather than replaces it.

Winning Chess Strategy covers less advanced material that Mastering Chess Strategy, but I want to cement my learning and understanding of the fundamentals.

Excelling at Positional Chess (Jacob Aagaard)

After a relatively brief over view of some fundamental principles, Aagaard gets straight to the meat of the book - positional puzzles. Lots of them.

I haven’t spent much time with this book yet but based on the first small handful of problems I’d say that they’re significantly tough that Hellsten’s.

As for the author, I’m very much of the view that anything by Aagaard is worth reading.

Positional Chess Handbook (Israel Gelfer)

Another book with a good reputation although not one I’ve had a look at yet. As I understand it it’s a collection of positional exercises and pretty much the only thing I know about it is that it’s recommended by GM Jon Tisdall - and that alone is enough to make me want to read it.

Positional Decision Making in Chess (Boris Gelfand)

This I would love to read. I’ve had it for a year or so and have only dipped into it briefly. It looks hard! I suspect I’m a good couple of years away from being ready for it.