Chess books come in many types and sizes. I'm going to outline how to effectively find and read chess books.
Mentally, be prepared to change your thoughts and push your limits. This is where people fail by being too stubborn or too lazy.
Puzzle/tactic books:
Perhaps the most important type of chess book is the puzzle/tactics book. This is probably what most players and in my opinion all players under 1600 should be focusing on.
To read a puzzle/tactics book, get a journal and write down your answers. Compare to the actual answer and try to "understand" the tactic and why you missed it.
- Focus on solving a few puzzles a day.
- Pick a book appropriate to your level (you should be able to get about 80% correct).
- Pro tip: carry this book around with you and do puzzles in downtime.
Endgame books:
All should be read with a chess board. This is secondary to tactics. Basic endgame books should be done with elementary tactic books. Club players should work on endgames as this seems like a common weak point. Experts and masters should be learning specific key positions.
- Look for rules and patterns over exact memorization
- Try to connect to your games and experiences
Opening books:
These books are really for club players and up. Read these with a chess board.
- Develop a narrow repertoire and focus on learning it well.
- Seek respected players and authors
- Focus on key themes and model games
Chess biographies:
These are mostly just interesting, some learning, nice to have in your chess media diet.
Chess entertainment:
Not super useful, sometimes entertaining. Read sparingly.
And with that, you can become a very strong player, just put in the work. It's kind of like diet and exercise. We all know about it, but how well do we stick with it.
