Club Library

The Club possesses a sizeable library of books and magazines, which are currently kept at my house. Listed below are all the books held by the Club as at September 2006, grouped into sections with a few brief descriptions and recommendations. Borrowing is free, so why not contact me if you'd like to take out a book or two? Suggestions for new titles are of course welcome.

Michael Ayton
Club Librarian
Tel. 0191 384 9406
email: michael.ayton@voro.fsnet.co.uk

INTRODUCTIONS TO THE GAME

  • Saidy, A. and Lessing, N. (1974) The World of Chess (London: Collins/The Ridge Press). [An illustrated history of the game.]

BASIC PRIMERS

  • Alexander, C. H. O'D. and Beach, T. J. (1987 [1963]) Learn Chess: A new way for all. Volume 1: first principles (Oxford: Pergamon), 2nd edn. [This and the next item make up a 2-volume set representing perhaps the best basic chess primer available.]
  • Alexander, C. H. O'D. and Beach, T. J. (1987 [1963]) Learn Chess: A new way for all. Volume 2: winning methods (Oxford: Pergamon), 2nd edn.
  • Capablanca, J. R. (1921 (1973 repr.)) Chess Fundamentals (London: Bell). [A classic.]
  • Capablanca, J. R. ('18th printing', n.d. [1921]) Chess Fundamentals (London: Bell). [A pbk edn of the above.]
  • Norwood, D. (1990) The Usborne Guide to Advanced Chess (London: Usborne). [The title is a misnomer - this is a fairly elementary book aimed mainly at juniors.]
  • Znosko-Borovsky, E. (ed. and introd. F. Reinfeld) (1961 [1949]) How Not To Play Chess (New York: Dover).

THINKING AND IMPROVING

  • Kotov, A. (trans. B. Cafferty) (1971 (1975 repr.)) Think Like a Grandmaster (London: Batsford). [A classic text, if controversial in some of its recommendations.]
  • Robinson, R. and Edwards, R. (1973) The Art and Science of Chess: A step by step approach (London: Batsford).

TACTICS AND ATTACK (See also reader response books.)

  • Chernev, I. and Reinfeld, F. (1949 [1969 reissue, repr. 1972]) Winning Chess: How to perfect your attacking play (London: Faber & Faber).
  • Gillam, A. J. (1978 (1993 repr.)) Simple Chess Tactics (London: Batsford).
  • Pachman, L. (trans. P. H. Clarke) (1970 (1971 repr.)) Modern Chess Tactics (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul). [2 copies.]
  • Pachman, L. (trans. P. H. Clarke) (1973 (1974 pbk, repr. 1973)) Attack and Defence in Modern Chess Tactics (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul).
  • Shamkovich, L. (trans. A. Kalnajs) (1976) Chess Sacrifices (London: Batsford).
  • Walker, J. N. (1976) Attacking the King (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

STRATEGY

  • Crouch, C. (1990) Delayed Castling (London: Master Class Publications).
  • Nimzowitsch, A. (1929) My System (London: Bell). [This and the next item are, of course, classics.]
  • Nimzowitsch, A. (trans. J. du Mont, intr. T. H. Watts) (1936) Chess Praxis (London: Printing-craft Ltd).
  • Pachman, L. (trans. J. Littlewood) (1976) Complete Chess Strategy: 2: pawn-play and the centre (London: Batsford).
  • Pachman, L. (trans. J. Littlewood) (1978) Complete Chess Strategy: 3: play on the wings (London: Batsford).
  • Uhlmann, W. and Schmidt, G. (ed. K. P. Neat, trans. P. Adams) (2009) Open Files (Zürich: Olms). [A completely rev. version of the original 1981 German edn.]

THE ENDING

  • Fine, R. (1941) Basic Chess Endings (Philadelphia: David McKay), 2nd edn. [A famous text, as is the next item.]
  • Keres, P. (trans. J. Littlewood) (1974 (1977 repr.)) Practical Chess Endings (London: Batsford).
  • Znosko-Borovsky, E. (trans. J. du Mont) (1940) How To Play Chess Endings (London: Frank Hollings).

THE OPENING

Most of the Club's openings books are rather ancient - if you want bang-up-to-date opening literature I'm afraid it's a case of get yer own! But some older books (e.g. Bellin's book on the Dutch) are, of course, extremely valuable. Among the newer titles I'd mention Polugayevsky's The Sicilian Labyrinth as a superb resource.

General

  • Basman, M. (1989) Chess Openings (Marlborough: Crowood).
  • Fine, R. (1943) The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings (London: Bell).
  • Keene, R. (1985) The Evolution of Chess Opening Theory: From Philidor to Kasparov (Oxford: Pergamon). [Autographed copy.]

Choosing a repertoire

  • Evans, L. et al. (1974) How To Open a Chess Game (New York: RHM).

Open

  • Bangiev, A. (n.d.) Developments in the King's Gambit 1980-88 (London: Quadrant Marketing). [The title-page reads '1980-87', which seems accurate.]
  • Cafferty, B. and Hooper, D. (1986 [1967]) A Complete Defence to 1 e4 (Oxford: Pergamon), 3rd edn. [The 'Complete Defence' is the Petroff.] [2 copies.]
  • Carlier, B. (1992) Trends in the Open Games (n.p.: Trends Publications). [Covers Evans' Gambit, the Ponziani and the Vienna Game.]
  • Harding, T. D. and Botterill, G. S. (1977) The Italian Game (London: Batsford).
  • Konstantinopolsky, A and Lepeshkin, A. (trans. E. Schiller) (1986) Vienna Game (London: Batsford).
  • Zagorovsky, V. (1982) Romantic Chess Openings (London: Batsford). [Covers the Ponziani, the Scotch, the Two, Three and Four Knights', the Giuoco Piano, Evans' Gambit and the Hungarian Defence.]

Semi-open

  • Levy, D. N. L. (1980 [1974]) Sacrifices in the Sicilian (London: Batsford), 2nd edn.
  • Levy, D. N. L. and O'Connell, D. (1978) How To Play the Sicilian Defence (London: Batsford).
  • Marovic, D. and Susic, I. (1977) King's Fianchetto Defences (London: Batsford).
  • Polugayevsky, L. (trans. K. P. Neat) (1991) The Sicilian Labyrinth, Volume 1 (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Polugayevsky, L. (trans. K. P. Neat) (1991) The Sicilian Labyrinth, Volume 2 (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Ward, C. and Wade, R. G. (n.d.) Developments in the Sicilian: Dragon: 1984-88 (London: Quadrant Marketing).
  • Wells, P. and Osnos, V. (Osnos's Russian text trans. S. J. Young) (1998) The Complete Richter-Rauzer (London: Batsford). [Recommended, and almost twenty-first-century!]

Queen's Pawn

  • Hodgson, J. (1992 (1995 repr.)) Trends in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (n.p.: Trends Publications).

Semi-closed

  • Bellin, R. (1977) The Classical Dutch (London: Batsford).
  • Geller, E. (updated from the Russian edn by R. G. Wade; trans. K. P. Neat) (1982) Queen's Indian Defence (London: Batsford).
  • Hartston, W. R. (1973 [1971], repr. 1977) The Grunfeld Defence (London: Batsford), 2nd edn.
  • Keene, R. (1976) How To Play the King's Indian Saemisch Variation (Nottingham: The Chess Player).
  • Keene, R. and Taulbut, S. (1986 [1982]) How To Play the Nimzo-lndian Defence (London: Batsford), 2nd edn.
  • [After] Pachman, L. (n.d.) Chess: Indian Systems (Sutton Coldfield: Chess Publications). [A thoroughly revised update of a work by Pachman originally published in 1967.]
  • Soltis, A. et al. (1981) Understanding the Queen's Indian Defence (Great Neck, NY: RHM).

THE MIDDLEGAME

  • Euwe, M. and Kramer, H. (trans. W. H. Cozens) (1964 (1973 repr.)) The Middle Game: Book one: static features (London: Bell). [This and the next make up a classic two-volume set.]
  • Euwe, M. and Kramer, H. (trans. W. H. Cozens) (1964 (1973 repr.)) The Middle Game: Book two: dynamic and subjective features (London: Bell).
  • Horowitz, I. A. (1955 (1973 repr.)) How To Win in the Middle Game of Chess (New York: Cornerstone Library Publications).

READER RESPONSE BOOKS

    The Library is particularly well stocked with these books! Perhaps the finest is the two-volume Livshitz set translated by Ken, but the Bellin and Ponzetto and Hort and Jansa books are also inspiring works.

  • Barden, L. (1957) How Good Is Your Chess? (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul).
  • Bellin, R. and Ponzetto, P. (1985) Test Your Positional Play (London: Batsford).
  • Cordingley, E. G. R. (1944) The Next Move Is ...: Studies in chess combinations (n.p.: n.d.).
  • Hort, V. and Jansa, V. (1980) The Best Move: Grade yourself: 230 test positions (Great Neck, NY: RHM).
  • Livshitz, A. (trans. and ed. K. P. Neat) (1991) Test Your Chess IQ: Book 1 (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Livshitz, A. (trans. and ed. K. P. Neat) (1990) Test Your Chess IQ: Book 2 (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Mieses, J. (1938) Instructive Positions from Master Chess (London: Bell).
  • , G. and Hegyi, J. (trans. J. Bochkor (rev. I. Fekete)) (1970) Combination in Chess (Budapest: Corvina).

COLLECTIONS OF ONE PLAYER'S GAMES

  • The Club possesses a number of classics, among them the works by Alekhine, Bronstein, Fischer and Kasparov.
  • Alekhine, A. A. (trans. J. du Mont and M. E. Goldstein) (1927 (1928 repr.)) My Best Games of Chess 1908-1923 (London: Bell).
  • Alekhine, A. A. (1939) My Best Games of Chess 1924-1937 (London: Bell). [No translator is mentioned.]
  • Alexander, C. H. O'D. (1949 (1974 repr.)) Alekhine's Best Games of Chess 1938-45 (London: Bell).
  • Alekhine, A. and Alexander, C. H. O'D. (foreword by G. Kasparov) (1989) Alekhine's Greatest Games of Chess (London: Batsford). [A single-volume reprint of the three classic volumes cited above.]
  • Botvinnik, M. M. (trans. K. P. Neat) (1981) Selected Games 1967- {1970 (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Bronstein, D. (trans. P. J. Booth) (1974) 100 Open Games (London: Batsford).
  • Euwe, M. (trans. F. Reinfeld) (1938) From My Games 1920-1937 (London: Bell).
  • Fischer, R. J. (game introductions by L. Evans) (1972 [1988 reissue]) My 60 Memorable Games (London: Faber & Faber). [This Faber text is a new edn of the work first published in the UK in 1969.]
  • Golombek, H. (with a memoir by J. du Mont) (1947 (1959 repr.)) Capablanca's Hundred Best Games of Chess (London: Bell).
  • Golombek, H. (1954) Reti's Best Games of Chess (London: Bell).
  • Kasparov, G. (trans. K. P. Neat) (1986) The Test of Time (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • O'Kelly de Galway, Count A. (trans. J. Littlewood) (1965) Tigran Petrosian: World Champion (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Ravikumar, V. (n.d.) Timman's Selected Games (Madras: Shanti Anand).
  • Reinfeld, F. (1947) Tarrasch's Best Games of Chess (London: Chatto & Windus).
  • Reinfeld, F. (1960) Keres' Best Games of Chess 1931-1948 (New York: Dover).
  • Reshevsky, S. (1962 (pbk 1973)) How Chess Games Are Won (New York: Pitman).
  • Smyslov, V. V. (trans. and ed. P. H. Clarke) (1972) My Best Games of Chess, 1935-1957 (New York: Dover). [Republication of the original 1958 RKP edn.]
  • Soltis, A. (1973) The Best Chess Games of Boris Spassky (London: Pitman).
  • Tartakover S. G. (trans. and ed. H. Golombek) (1956) My Best Games of Chess 1931-1954 (London: Bell).

OTHER GAME COLLECTIONS (ETC.)

  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Alekhine-Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930. Turnover book. [All these items by Basman are short mimeographed pamphlets annotating a single game. They should be borrowed together as a single item.]
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Alekhine v. Tarrasch, Mannheim 1914. Turnover book.
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Bogolyubov-Alekhine, Hastings 1922. Turnover book.
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Fischer vs. Fine, New York 1960 (skittles game). Turnover book.
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Fischer v. Sherwin, New Jersey Open Championship 1957. Turnover book.
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Fischer v. Weinstein, US Championship 1960/1. Turnover book.
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Gudmundson v. Fischer, Reykjavik 1960. Turnover book.
  • [Basman, M.] (n.d.) Reti-Alekhine, Baden Baden 1925. Turnover book.
  • Chernev, I. (1972 [1970]) The Chess Companion (London: Faber & Faber), new edn. [Contains fiction, poetry and anecdotal writings on chess as well as games and endgame studies.]
  • Keene, R. (ed.) (1975) Learn from the Grandmasters (London: Batsford).
  • Matanovic, A. et al. (eds) (1988) Sahovski Informator [Chess Informant] 44 (Belgrade: Sahovski Informator).
  • Reinfeld, R. (1950) A Treasury of British Chess Masterpieces (London: Chatto & Windus).

BOOKS ON THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND OTHER MATCHES

  • Byrne, R. and Nei, I. (introd. M. Euwe) (1974) Both Sides of the Chessboard (London: Batsford). [An account of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match, including Fischer's Candidates' wins against Taimanov and Larsen.]
  • Gligoric, S. (1972) Fischer-Spassky: The match of the century (London: Pan Books).
  • Hartston, W. R. (1978) The Battle of Baguio City: Karpov-Korchnoi 1978 (London: Hutchinson).
  • Kasparov, G., Geller, E., Lein, A. and Chepizhny, V. (trans. K. P. Neat) (1991) Kasparov v Karpov 1990 (Oxford: Pergamon).
  • Keene, R. (1978) Karpov-Korchnoi 1978: The inside story of the match (London: Batsford). [2 copies.]
  • Keene, R. (1978) Korchnoi Vs. Spassky: Chess crisis (London: Allen & Unwin).
  • Keene, R. (1987) Speed Chess Challenge: Kasparov v. Short 1987 (London: Batsford/Thames Television and Channel Four).
  • Wood, B. H. (1953-4) The World Championship Candidates' Tournament (Sutton Coldfield: Chess). [Published as a supplement to Chess, 217-28, Oct. 1953-Sept. 1954.]

TOURNAMENT BOOKS

  • Alekhine, A. A. (ed. W. H. Watts; round by round commentary by A. J. Mackenzie) (1962) The Book of the Nottingham international Chess Tournament (New York: Dover). [Republication of the original 1936 Nottingham Tournament Book.]
  • Alekhine, A. A. (ed. H. Helms) (1961) The Book of the New York international Chess Tournament 1924 (New York: Dover). [Republication of the official Tournament Book published in 1925 by the American Chess Bulletin.]
  • Hartston, W. R., Iclicki, W. and Lancaster, R. (1987) The Brussels Encounter: OHRA (London: Chequers Chess Publications/BBC). [Annotates the games of the 1986 OHRA tournament.]
  • Tal, M., Chepizhny, V. and Roshal, A. (trans. K. P. Neat) (1980) Montreal 1979: Tournament of stars (Oxford: Pergamon).