WELCOME TO OUR MICROBLOG + BOOKSHELF!!

In this section you'll find short posts about our perspective on chess training and chess book reviews of several chess books specialy picked for you. We hope you enjoy it.

EVERYONE'S SECOND CHESS BOOK

This is a very special book. If you already know the chess basics, rules, etc. and want to start playing chess you should consider reading this book.

It's full of sound advice by Dan Heisman.

RAPID CHESS IMPROVEMENT

This is one of the books that inspired our project XAKEMATE.

In this book Michael outlines the process he followed to gain 400 ELO points in a few months.

He called his method the 7 circles. This site was created to implement this kind of training easily for any chess amateur willing to improve.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHESS

If you're curious about psychology and chess, this is the book for you.

In this book Fernand Gobet cognitive psychologist shares in an easy to read way all the knowledge psychology accumulated around various aspects of chess.

Not only a psychologist but also chess IM, Gobet is a leading figure in the study of expertise. He devoted most of his career to figure out what makes the difference between chess experts and chess amateurs.

In the book several subjects ranging from perception, deliberate practice, gender and chess performance are explained.

WARNING: this is not about about chess improvement advice!!!

BACK TO BASICS

In this book Dan Heisman addresses the tactical skill. He does cover every tactical motifs and does add some of his own, like Counting. Years of experience as a chess coach lead him to have a sharp view on chess training and very practical approach.

A GUIDE TO CHESS IMPROVEMENT

Dan Heisman

Dan Heisman who is a widely known US chess coach wrote a chess improvemente column is Chess Café Magazine.

In this book he collected and categorized his best articles in a must have book.

It's full of sound advice by Dan.

SILMAN'S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

This is an essential book for the improving chess player. The books is based on the idea that chess content must be adapted to chess learners playing strength and understanding.

As you can see in the table of contents bellow, Silman methodically splits in separate levels and strongly encourages the reader to stick to it's own level.

Part One / Endgames for Beginners (Unrated-999)

Part Two / Endgames for Class "E" (1000-1199)

Part Three / Endgames for Class "D" (1200-1399)

Part Four / Endgames for Class "C" (1400-1599)

Part Five / Endgames for Class "B" (1600-1799)

Part Six / Endgames for Class "A" (1800-1999)

Part Seven / Endgames for Experts (2000-2199)

Part Eight / Endgames for Masters (2200-2399)

We do believe this to be a very productive approach to endgame study, but also to chess knowledge as a whole.

PUMP UP YOUR RATING

This is a book from chess coach and GM Axel Smith. He addresess what he believes are key areas of serious training.

By the way this is the very first book in which the The Woodpecker Method is addressed.

THE WOODPECKER METHOD

This book by a couple of Scandinavian GMs is outlines a training method named after one of them, Hans Tikkanen.

This method is a tactics intensive training, during which the trainee must go through a chess exercise set over and over agiain reducing the time devoted to each exercise in every round.

As they authors put it:

The general idea of the Method is to develop intuitive/automatic pattern recognition through repetitive solving of the same exercises in a cyclical fashion.

...using this method gave me a tremendous increase in stability in time trouble, improved my tactical vision quite a bit, and significantly reduced my blunder rate.

Step 1 Cycle 1: Solve as many exercises as you can manage in four weeks. These exercises are your set; and solving them brings you to the end of your first cycle. (The exact time period can be adjusted according to your lifestyle and circumstances, but try not to spend much more than four weeks. If you find yourself taking much longer than four weeks, you have probably either not been putting in sufficient time, or have included too many exercises in your set.)

Step 2 Take a break from chess for at least a clear day, and up to a week if you need it.

Step 3 Cycle 2: Solve the same set of exercises but faster: within two weeks is the target.

Step 4 Repeat steps 2 and 3, and repeat again. Aim to complete each cycle in half the number of days as the previous cycle (rounded up, when dealing with an odd number of days).

Step 5 The Woodpecker Method has been completed when the full set of exercises has been solved entirely in one day – or after the 7th cycle, if you are unable to solve the full set in a day. In the final two cycles, you should focus more on spotting ideas, patterns and motifs at speed, and less on the finer details of calculation.

Here you can seee an interview of one of the authors:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbIm1R_FBps" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

{{=IFRAME(_src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbIm1R_FBps")}}

<video>https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbIm1R_FBps</video>;

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbIm1R_FBps

HOW TO BEAT YOUR DAD AT CHESS

This is a great book. It may not have the best title ever, as the content has nothing to do with beating your father at chess, or not specifically about beating your father at chess.

In the book you may find a comprehensive collection of the different types of checkmates. Reading the book you'll find out how to mate your opponent in typical positions. It is perfect for those players that suddenly find out they do not know what to do when attacking the opposite king.

Each pattern is explained through examples.

CHESS OPENINGS FOR KIDS

This book covers most popular chess openings in an easy and practical way. Initially devoted to kids, it can be insteresting for adults not familiar with the chess openings universe. Someone trying to get a short tour on the different openings available and their most important traits.

CHESS ENDGAMES FOR KIDS

In this book Karsten cover the basic and intermadiate endgames every player must know.

Everything is covered in a sucint way, no fuzz, straight to the important stuff.

LOGICAL CHESS: MOVE BY MOVE

In this book Irving covers 33 master games. Every game is commented in depth trying to uncover the reasons why each move was made and why it is good or bad. Bad moves are usually punished during the game and the author gives us an extensive explanation on how this is done.

Any amateur will benefit from reading this book, deepening his understanding.

THE MOST INSTRUCTIVE GAMES OF CHESS EVER PLAYED

In this book Irving extends his previous work LOGICAL CHESS: MOVE BY MOVE. This time he goes through 62 master games.

Comments are detailed and amateurs will benefit from learning about the plans layed out by the most brilliant chess minds ever.

CAPABLANCA'S BEST CHESS ENDINGS

Capablanca, one of the greatest chess players ever, was well known by his strategical and positional skills. Making the most of the slightest advantage, we usually traded pieces into a favorable endgame.

Irving goes on disecting this skill, move by move, for the reader.

TUNE YOUR CHESS TACTICS ANTENNA

KNOW WHEN (AND WHERE!) TO LOOK FOR WINNING COMBINATIONS

Emmanuel Neiman

This book is devoted to tactics, but it is not a puzzle book.

It focuses in how to spot tactics, what to look for in the position. The signals that should trigger the search process for a tactical shot.

You already know how it is, you solve hundreds of puzzles proficiently, but then you overlook tactical shots during your games. This book works on this enabling step.

The book is split into three main parts:

• The seven signals
• Find the relevant them
• Looking for the right move

HOW TO CALCULATE CHESS TACTICS

This is another book devoted to tactics but to puzzles.

The focus is on tactics and calculation of variations. On HOW to calculate.

Variation Calculation Technique and what to do before and after are discussed. It also tells us about when to stop calculating.

MODERN METHODS FOR TRAINING A CHESS PLAYER

This is an article dissecting the training plan used by a top chess coach.

YOU CANNOT IMPROVE JUST BY PLAYING ONLINE

Xakemate Team

Do you think you can improve your chess just by playing online?

We do believe you can't, here's why:

Online platform player matchmaking is done with one and only one target: they want you to have fun.

In order for you to have fun you need have some chances to win. So they pair you with players your same strength. This way you're stuck with people who is struggling with similar problems to yours.

You may think "This is not that bad. Eventually you'll learn from each other. Isn't that what happens in chess clubs?". The problem is that 99% of the time interaction is reduced to the game itself (and, let's be honest, may be some bad words over the chat 😅).

CHESS TACTICS TRAINING IS BENEFICIAL FOR CHESS PLAYERS OF ANY LEVEL

Xakemate Team

Chess improvement can be overwhelming, there's so many things to learn. Depending on your level you'll need to study different subjects.

Still there's one that it's a must for players all levels: Tactical training. You need to keep your tactics, sharp as a knife. Need some evidence?

World Champion Tigran Petrosian said it "In chess everything depends on tactics".

GMs Axel Smith and Hans Tikannen also agree on training tactics, check their books: PUMP UP YOUR RATING and THE WOODPECKER METHOD.

Worldwide known chess coaches like Dan Heisman also stresses "Tactics is undoubtely the single most productive area that beginners and intermediates can study to improve their game -the more practice, the better".

And amateurs themselves, also agree. E.g. Michael de La Maza in his book RAPID CHESS IMPROVEMENT explains how his rating increased using tactical training.

EXERCISE VS. TRAINING

Xakemate Team

Exercising is not the same as training. Training is a plan of exercises with a target in mind. Just think about people in the gym...

There you can usually find people who exercise and people who train. There's always someone jumping from one exercise to the other with no plan at all, it's usually the skinny guy. And there's also people who follow a strict routine, with a target in mind; usually the strong dude.

It's obvious that exercising is better than not exercising, as you may get some benefits from it. The skinny guy in the gym may be fitter that the one that never ever goes to the gym. But if you're trying to get better you need a training: this is a plan of exercises devised to reach a target.

So when it comes down to chess tactics, solving random chess puzzles is better than not solving any. But if you want to improve you need a plan ;-)