End game technique is worthwhile. Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals is good for this. Learn about 'the opposition' in particular.
Chernev's "Chess Companion" is his best.
Another opinion/recommendations...topical areas are "how to play chess" in general, tactics, calculation, endgames, middle game and openings.
(Tactics and calculation are 2 different issues to me: the first means memorizing the little typical patterns (mating or combinative) occuring again and again. The latter means learning how (and when at all!) to calculate complex variations with varying aims.)
Tactics: easiest to answer, Polgars 5334 positions is excellent. If you solve some pages in a few minutes with 98% correct, you are assured the patterns are in your brain :)
"How to play chess": L.B. Hansens "How chess games are won and lost"; very insightful chapter about different personalities=ways to think=playing styles.
I liked Hendrik's "Move first, think later" also very much. He kills a lot of established books, and i believe rightly so. His opinion is our brains all work "pattern based", and telling someone to play chess purely by logical reasoning is bound to fail. But this is more or less exactly what many established writers like e.g. Silman advocate! "Chess is easy, just follow these 10 rules..." Admittedly, it's probably too advanced, but may nevertheless save you from "learning traps"...
Endgames: de la Villa(?) "100 Endgames you must know", or something similar. Many books go far too deep; for e.g. rook endings you need to know ~10 positions. These 10 you absolutely should know, but no need to study 100+ pages. Same for pawn endings etc...
Middle game: take a look at Sakaev/Landa "Complete manual of positional chess"; advanced, but nevertheless understandable. And it's really very complete.
Openings: any book containing "all" openings. Not for intense study, rather for getting an impression what's reasonable. In no case buy a book about a particular opening or something like a 500+ pages "complete d4 for white".
Absolutely ok is to save the money for the moment: just take a database with 50 grandmaster games and take a look at the first 10 moves....
Calculation: i cant recommend anything for beginners; Aagards "Calculation" is very good, but far too advanced. His "Excel at chess calculation" might be useful, but i dont know it, didn't read.
(Tactics and calculation are 2 different issues to me: the first means memorizing the little typical patterns (mating or combinative) occuring again and again. The latter means learning how (and when at all!) to calculate complex variations with varying aims.)
Tactics: easiest to answer, Polgars 5334 positions is excellent. If you solve some pages in a few minutes with 98% correct, you are assured the patterns are in your brain :)
"How to play chess": L.B. Hansens "How chess games are won and lost"; very insightful chapter about different personalities=ways to think=playing styles.
I liked Hendrik's "Move first, think later" also very much. He kills a lot of established books, and i believe rightly so. His opinion is our brains all work "pattern based", and telling someone to play chess purely by logical reasoning is bound to fail. But this is more or less exactly what many established writers like e.g. Silman advocate! "Chess is easy, just follow these 10 rules..." Admittedly, it's probably too advanced, but may nevertheless save you from "learning traps"...
Endgames: de la Villa(?) "100 Endgames you must know", or something similar. Many books go far too deep; for e.g. rook endings you need to know ~10 positions. These 10 you absolutely should know, but no need to study 100+ pages. Same for pawn endings etc...
Middle game: take a look at Sakaev/Landa "Complete manual of positional chess"; advanced, but nevertheless understandable. And it's really very complete.
Openings: any book containing "all" openings. Not for intense study, rather for getting an impression what's reasonable. In no case buy a book about a particular opening or something like a 500+ pages "complete d4 for white".
Absolutely ok is to save the money for the moment: just take a database with 50 grandmaster games and take a look at the first 10 moves....
Calculation: i cant recommend anything for beginners; Aagards "Calculation" is very good, but far too advanced. His "Excel at chess calculation" might be useful, but i dont know it, didn't read.
1200s have so many areas that they need to work on significantly. I don't think trying to memorize some lines from a book will be all to helpful. Here is my advice on how to improve your chess.
Practice, practice, practice.
Play many games, not bullet games though. Blitz or preferably classical.
Practice vs people.
Practice vs an engine.
Practice tactical puzzles.
When you complete a game, win, lose, or draw analyze it. Find out where you went wrong, and try to do better next time.
Watch 1 chess lecture per day. The "St Louis Chess Club" on youtube gives free grandmaster lectures. Very useful.
Book wise... say you can't watch too many videos, or practice so often because you are an outdoors person that is looking for a book to read on a bench mid way through a walk~ I'd go with "My 60 most memorable games" by Bobby Fischer.
Practice, practice, practice.
Play many games, not bullet games though. Blitz or preferably classical.
Practice vs people.
Practice vs an engine.
Practice tactical puzzles.
When you complete a game, win, lose, or draw analyze it. Find out where you went wrong, and try to do better next time.
Watch 1 chess lecture per day. The "St Louis Chess Club" on youtube gives free grandmaster lectures. Very useful.
Book wise... say you can't watch too many videos, or practice so often because you are an outdoors person that is looking for a book to read on a bench mid way through a walk~ I'd go with "My 60 most memorable games" by Bobby Fischer.
This is an unconventional one, but I suggest you read Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". Read it thoroughly and preferably consign its lines to memory:
http://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html or you can buy a paper copy for around $3 online.
It seems like it has nothing to do with chess, but that's based on a vacuous view of the book. Chess is a game of fighting and strategy. It is a game of war not because it involves capturing, but because the cunning commander triumphs. The Art of War is full of advice on how to do that.
A criticism levied against the book is that it's full of obvious advice. But often it's not the special things that need honing, but the obvious things. At the 1200 level, you shouldn't expect to gain much from focusing your study time on exchange sacrifices and all that. You need to go through the obvious: planning, studying your enemy, employing strategy, and defeating your enemy. Specialized chess books will not teach you these skills.
http://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html or you can buy a paper copy for around $3 online.
It seems like it has nothing to do with chess, but that's based on a vacuous view of the book. Chess is a game of fighting and strategy. It is a game of war not because it involves capturing, but because the cunning commander triumphs. The Art of War is full of advice on how to do that.
A criticism levied against the book is that it's full of obvious advice. But often it's not the special things that need honing, but the obvious things. At the 1200 level, you shouldn't expect to gain much from focusing your study time on exchange sacrifices and all that. You need to go through the obvious: planning, studying your enemy, employing strategy, and defeating your enemy. Specialized chess books will not teach you these skills.
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