Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: notesfiles
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!hplabs!hp-pcd!orstcs!joseph
From: joseph@orstcs.UUCP (joseph)
Newsgroups: net.games.chess
Subject: Re: Help me please!!
Message-ID: <28900002@orstcs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Feb-86 07:50:00 EST
Article-I.D.: orstcs.28900002
Posted: Thu Feb 20 07:50:00 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Feb-86 04:00:02 EST
References: <-615000@uok.UUCP>
Organization: Oregon State University - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 28
Nf-ID: #R:uok:61500001:orstcs:28900002:000:1011
Nf-From: orstcs!joseph    Feb 20 04:50:00 1986


 For developing general purpose skills, I strongly recommend

 "Think Like a Grandmaster" by Kotov. 

 For developing end-game skills, I recommend 

 Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge by Averbakh.

 And after mastering the Averbakh book,

 "Rook and Endings" by Levenfish and Smyslov.

 Without a several hundred dollar investment in a chess library, 
 mastery of only these two books will make one a strong player.

 Of course, a careful and thorough study of opening theory is vital
 to playing the game a the highest level, and certainly important. It
 is also quite expensive to acquire materials. I recently (1 year ago)
 decided to give up competitive chess, and sold my chess library. At
 used book prices, I received a total of $400 for the books. I still
 had a dozen or so books to give away. I had accumulated these books over
 about 12 years of collection and study. To replace them with new books
 would cost in excess of $1000.

 Stick to the above two, and one can't go wrong.

 -Joseph Albert