{"id":463,"date":"2022-06-26T16:00:59","date_gmt":"2022-06-26T16:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/thegroceryshop\/?p=463"},"modified":"2022-07-10T06:04:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-10T06:04:47","slug":"best-chess-books-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/localhost\/thegroceryshop\/best-chess-books-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Chess Books 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
2020 has been a very strange year in many regards. The global pandemic has affected multiple aspects of our lives. When it comes to books and reading, my habits have been no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On one hand, I read a total of 24 chess books \u2013 6 more than the previous year.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, I have read only 21 non-chess books \u2013 a whooping 21 less (50% less) than in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several possible explanations I tried to use to rationalize this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though there is truth in all these claims, I am pretty convinced that the 3rd one was the major factor. I have read numerous articles of people claiming they had so many projects and plans they finally hoped to tackle when things started shutting down, only to experience a total lack of motivation when it comes to executing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t necessarily only refer to reading. Music producers, artists, designers, writers, and even some chess players experienced the same effect, without clearly understanding what is happening. I think it is easy to underestimate the extent of the trauma we are all currently going through and how much it affects the tiniest details in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, that is not to say my switch to working from home presented a challenge in itself. It is also a fact my habits and lifestyle haven\u2019t quite been on point irrespective of the pandemic and that there is a lot of room for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But okay, that long digression aside, I did actually manage to increase the number of chess books I read compared to the last year. Out of those 24, I have singled out 10 titles that made the deepest impression on me and used them to assemble a list of best chess books 2020 and continue the tradition of yearly book write-ups for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find the list below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hope you will enjoy it and find it useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the book about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Anand Files<\/a> is a fascinating dive into the behind-the-scenes events of three World Championship matches of Indian superstar Viswanathan Anand \u2013 against Vladirmir Kramnik in 2008, against Veselin Topalov in 2010 and against Boris Gelfand in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After spending 7 years (!) interviewing Anand\u2019s seconds, analyzing games and weaving the pieces of the puzzle together, Abeln offers us an unique perspective into the process of preparing, conducting and ultimately winning the World Championship match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why have I included it on this list?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, the book covers an important period of the modern chess history I haven\u2019t yet seen documented in a single volume previously. It is not only account of the actual events that unfolded over the board, but also an account important off-the-board scenes. I found out1<\/sup><\/a> that Magnus Carlsen played training games with Anand before the matches, that Anish Giri visited the camp, that Kramnik basically acted as Anand\u2019s second during Anand\u2019s match against Topalov, that Kasparov phoned and offered his help, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the book is much more than an ordinary \u201eHistorical account\u201c. The aspect where it really shines and where Abeln\u2019s years of research and writing have its tell is the characterization of the main protagonists of these matches. The book dissects how a World Championship Team functions before and during a World Championship match to almost ridiculous detail \u2013 how does the process of analyzing an opening work, how is the work organized, how many hours it entails, how many sleepless nights are there, what do the members eat, when do they eat, the dynamic between the team members, the atmosphere in the camp after losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n By taking the reader every single game of each of the three matches, Abeln exposes all the fears, doubts, tension and drama Anand\u2019s team had to undergo and demonstrates that the human factor plays a crucial role\u2013 even when it comes to chess preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you also add that fact that chess content is of the highest quality and that Abeln basically presents us with a great deal of Anand\u2019s preparation for the match and the fact that all profit made from the book sale goes to a charity, there really aren\u2019t many reasons not to buy this book :).<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is it about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The book Chess Improvement: It\u2019s All In The Mindset<\/a> tackles the difficult and somewhat controversial topic of chess improvement.2<\/sup><\/a> The core premise of the book is that the most important chess improvement tool is having what psychologists call the Growth Mindset.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout 7 chapters, the authors tackle 7 key concepts related to developing and maintaining the Growth Mindset, such as motivation, the role of challenge, deliberate practice, dealing with failure, the social aspect of chess improvement, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes this book stand apart from all the other literature on the similar topic 3<\/sup><\/a> is that it is heavily science-based. Every chapter is split in two segments \u2013 in the first part dr. Barry Hymer 4<\/sup><\/a> focuses on the theoretical foundation and in the second half, GM Peter Wells focuses on practical aspect and tries to convey how there theoretical concepts apply to various aspects of chess \u2013 mainly by sharing his own stories and real-life stories from other top Grandmasters from England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why have I included it on this list?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I first heard about this book when Chessable\u2019s CEO David Kramaley recommended it and offered to send it to every Chessable\u2019s team member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though the topic of chess improvement has always been something I have regarded with an (un)healthy dose of cynicism and sarcasm, I was fortunately self-aware enough to realize I have a tendency to behave as an ignorant stubborn asshole way too often and that I could definitely more knowledge and reading on the topic, so I applied to get my own copy of the book as well. 5<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am very glad I decided to do so. I don\u2019t recall when was the last time I stumbled upon a book that completely blew my mind and heavily influenced and changed my way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, there was a lot I didn\u2019t know\/wasn\u2019t aware of the purely theoretical aspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, I liked the way Wells and Hymer write and explain scientific concepts. Even though the book does involve a lot of scientific terminology and quotes a fair share of scientific studies, it is very approachable, readable, clear and concise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But lastly and, more importantly, the books\u2019 practical value can\u2019t be overestimated. It is full of useful information and practical tips for chess players, improvers, coaches and parents. I have started implementing some of its tips in my own training and coaching and was able to see the results almost instantly. 6<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t know what is the best way of providing your child feedback as a parent, nurturing his\/her love for the game, how is your attitude toward rating and losing typical of fixed mindset and what can you to develop growth mindset in you and people you tutor, you will find guidelines or straightforward answers inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I honestly think this is a revolutionary work. Even if certain things are \u201eself-understandable\u201c 7<\/sup><\/a> the simple fact that someone points them out so clearly and concisely is already a revelation in itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would definitely recommend everyone (especially overly-ambitious parents and coaches) to get themselves a copy of this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can only conclude this short review by inserting David\u2019s quote with which I agree 100%:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201eThe distillation of the key lessons that learning science has for us has the potential to have a greater impact on chess than AlphaZero.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A seminal work.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What is it about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The book is a compilation of blog posts by Czech nr. 1, Grandmaster David Navara, in which he gives an account of his (tournament) life and provides a selection of his best\/most interesting games starting from 2001 and ending in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why have I included it on this list?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n GM David Navara has established himself as one of the nicest and kindest grandmasters at the elite level. 8<\/sup><\/a> When his book came out earlier this year, it raised a lot of noise so I couldn\u2019t wait to get my hands on it and see whether the hype is justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you might have guessed by now, I was not disappointed at all. In the context of game collections, there are two things that are very important to me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Navara is a perfect example of a book that scores 10\/10 in both of these categories. David is a very passionate and enthusiastic writer who not only provides us with a very detailed and personal account of every tournament and every game but also goes out of his way to annotate his games and make them very approachable for an average club player 9<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n I thoroughly enjoyed David\u2019s glimpse into the life and regiment of a tournament player, his stories and his very open and direct way of expressing himself in a beautiful, almost poetic writing style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is it about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The book is the first in the series of books written by former World Championship Challenger and one of the strongest players of the last couple of decades, Israeli GM Boris Gelfand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the series, Gelfand \u2013 with the help of his \u201eghost-writer\u201c GM Jacob Aagard of Quality Chess tries to cover different aspects of the chess game (Dynamic Decision Making<\/a>, Technical Decision making<\/a>) and increase the reader\u2019s understanding by trying to explain how a strong player thinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The foundation of this book is Positional play and this book is basically a collection of annotated games, mostly played by Gelfand himself and his idol \u2013 Akiba Rubinstein. From the preface of the book:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201eI am past the youthful need to prove to others that I understand chess, and ready to explain how chess is understood instead. So we have focused on how I think about chess, in the hope that it will help aspiring young players to improve, as well as bring joy to chess fans who simply want to enjoy the game more. And the cornerstone of my thought process was laid down by my role model, Akiba Rubinstein.\u201c ~ Boris Gelfand<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why have I included it on this list?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I first became aware of the book during the Legends of Chess tournament. During their Q&A sessions, several strong players 10<\/sup><\/a> highly recommended Gelfand\u2019s books. I also saw them recommended in other sources so I decided to order a copy and give it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I haven\u2019t regretted this decision ever since. There is a reason why this book got so much praise \u2013 it is absolutely incredible. Some of the things I like about Positional Decision making in chess are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have purchased three subsequent books Gelfand (and GM Jacob Aagard) wrote and can\u2019t wait to dive deep into them in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can highly recommend you, the reader, to start doing the same :).<\/p>\n\n\n\n P.S. I have a confession to make. I have purchased and read a physical copy of this book, even though it is available on Chessable<\/a>. I hope it won\u2019t come up during my next performance reviews, but in case it does, I want you Chessable guys to know\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 that I am sorry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBest Chess Books 2020: My Favourite Books I Read in 2020<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Michiel Abeln \u2013 The Anand Files<\/a><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Barry Hymer and Peter Wells: Chess Improvement: It\u2019s All In The Mindset<\/a><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
David Navara: My Chess World<\/a><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Positional Decision Making by GM Boris Gelfand<\/a><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n