Reddit mentions of Complete Book of Chess Strategy

When people first learn chess, they only learn the basic rules of the game. There is little positional or tactical understanding... (As it should be) There are many ways to get better at chess but all of them require work.

Some great players like Capablanca, insisted on learning the fundamental endings first. The problem is that, even if you know how to win with an extra pawn, you might not have the positional/tactical understanding to get to that pawn-up ending. So, I have found that you have to do a little bit of everything. I learned some endings, I learned some tactics and combinations, I learned some openings and so on.


I suggest that you study whatever is giving you the MOST problems first. Once you have taken steps to minimize and/or eliminate that problem, other problems will come up. Do the same and invest some time trying to get better in that area. Repeat until you get better. it is a simple concept but hard to do in practice.

Chess has a rich history. It is wonderful that we have access to the games of the past and all of its analysis. I recommend that you do not re-invent the wheel and that you read some books. The following should be helpful:

• Everyone's Second Chess Book Revised and Expanded Edition
  
  
• Logical Chess: Move By Move: Every Move Explained New Algebraic Edition
  
  
• Complete Book of Chess Strategy: Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z
  
  
  Also visit quality websites (Some recommendations below but not the only ones by any means...)
  
  
• From Beginner to Chess Expert in 12 Steps
  "If you know nothing at all about the game of chess other than the rules, there still things that you can do right away to help you win more games. You won't be beating tournament players, but you can rise above your current level by studying the right things. The same principle applies to all levels of players. There are things that you can do immediately to win more games. The key to chess improvement is pattern recognition. Whether you realize it or not, to improve at chess you must reprogram your brain to see things that you did not see before." - From the Introduction on "From Beginner to Chess Expert in 12 Steps"
  
  
  
• Predator at the Chessboard
  
  Always do your best and enjoy the game! Good luck!

I've only read a couple chess books, but I found both of them very helpful as a beginning player. I find Jeremy Silman very good at explaining strategy, tactics, and openings in a way that's easy to comprehend. I got Modern Chess Strategy, by Ludek Pachman, from my grandfather's library. This book is much more dense, but it breaks down chess strategy very well and is organized better than Silman's in my opinion (Opening, Midgame (Tactics + Strategy), Piece by piece strengths + weaknesses, Endgame, Mental game, etc.).

I thought The Complete Book of Chess Strategy was an amazing first read. It's a quick read that can help a lot in my opinion. Teaches fundamentals, lingo, etc. It's written for someone who kind of knows chess and is willing to learn more. It was the first one I picked up. 10/10 would recommend for a beginner.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Chess-Strategy-Grandmaster/dp/1890085014

The Complete Book of Chess Strategy. It's excellent for beginner-intermediate and is very well-written. I used to teach chess in classrooms K-12 and this was my bible.