About chess books

At the risk of being unpopular on this thead, I have to agree with CMSargon.

A book by itself does nothing but collect dust. If used to memorize or understand something, you've accomplished only a very little amount. Applying what you have learned takes you a little further, but still not to mastery.

****It takes much more to accomplish the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (google this) in regard to chess.****

"A book by itself does nothing but collect dust."

If this is true why is there a market for selling and buying books at all? :)

May I quote myself? de.lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/cant-apply-knowledge-from-book#3

"Well, chess is more practical skill than accumulating dry knowledge. You have to transfer declarative knowledge into procedural skills. All book authors might be shocked but that's the truth. We all went through mastergames, all sounded reasonable and went smooth but in our games we mess up everything.

In other words: books often give you a misleading image of the "unbearable lightness of playing chess". So, you have to practice more and read less. Always taking responsibility for your own moves e.g. playing and moving yourself and analysing it. Just play time levels from blitz on upwards, but not bullet.

Have fun! Hope u understand what I mean."

A drawback of reading books that I have experienced myself is that I sometimes tried to play like the games in the books, although that's not generally good in any game/position. In that sense the books actually harmed my playing, like some kind of tunnel vision. But that doesn't mean books are worthless by all means.

Also books can be written in the authours own perspective, considering his own playing style, but not apply to every kind of players.

Simon Webb writes that against weaker players one should play safe and take no risk. When I tried this it went very bad because I'm an attack player. I would like to warn for tunnel vision when reading chess books.

Without books chess could not come up to this level

#15 I think the opposite. Without people knowing how to play high level chess, no good chess books would be written...

:)

I agree with you but

Thanks to books everyone can play good chess :D