Dan Heisman Book Recommendations
Dan Heisman is a United States Chess Federation National Master, author and instructor.
(Read more on Wikipedia)69 Books Recommended
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Understanding Chess Middlegames
by John Nunn
"Another good one from the doctor, with 100 different middlegame issues and two sample games/snippets of each." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Understanding Chess Move by Move
by John Nunn
"Sort of a modern MUCH more advanced version of Chernev's Logical Chess Move by Move." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Encyclopedia of Chess Openings
by Zdenko Krnic
"Five volumes to cover in more detail than NCO." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Reassess Your Chess Workbook
by Jeremy Silman
"How to use imblances to figure out what to do." - Dan Heisman (Source)
How to Reassess Your Chess
Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances
by Jeremy Silman
"How to use imblances to figure out what to do." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess for Zebras
by Jonathan Rowson
"I recommend anyone who is considering chess lessons to read the first chapter." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Seven Deadly Chess Sins
by Jonathan Rowson
"A book on thinking - psychological aspects - avoiding time trouble, etc." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games
by John Nunn
"The 100 best games of all-time, as analyzed by computer and authors down through the ages." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Strategy for Club Players
The Road to Positional Advantage
by Herman Grooten
"A 'more advanced' strategy book with lots of games examples." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Rules of Thumb
by Lev Alburt
"These ideas are so important they are part of my 'Big Five' things you should learn first." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess
With over 250 annotated positions
by Andrew Soltis
"288 principles with examples. Just terrific stuff and very practical." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Winning Chess Puzzles for Kids
by Jeff Coakley
"Don't be fooled by the titles! [This book is a gem]." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Secrets
The Giants of Power Play
by Neil McDonald
Dan Heisman recommended this book in his blog. (Source)
Chess Secrets
The Giants of Strategy
by Neil McDonald
Dan Heisman recommended this book in his blog. (Source)
Chess Success
Planning After the Opening
by Neil McDonald
"The third book in this 'Chess Secrets' series." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess
The Art of Logical Thinking
by Neil McDonald
"[The author's] good anthology." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy
Advances since Nimzowitsch
by John Watson
"The most advanced positional book - great." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Winning Way
The How What and Why of Opening Strategems
by Bruce Pandolfini
"Similar to another classic, Winning Chess Traps by Irving Chernev." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Transpo Tricks in Chess
by Andrew Soltis
"Some really great practical advice about how to get the most out of many openings." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Curiosities
by Tim Krabbé
"Another 'fun' book that's really a great trip." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Joys of Chess
Heroes, Battles and Brilliancies
by Christian Hesse
"It's 'just' a fun book." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and White
A Complete, Sound and User-friendly Chess Opening Repertoire
by Larry Kaufmann
"Probably the best opening repertoire book." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Method in Chess
by Iossif Dorfman
"Not a well-written book, but some important ideas about planning and imbalances." - Dan Heisman (Source)
How To Choose A Chess Move
by Andrew Soltis
"Another good general book, this time on thought process, by the GM." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Rethinking the Chess Pieces
by Andrew Soltis
"Advanced book about the changing value of the pieces, playing imbalances, when to trade, etc." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Art of Planning in Chess
Move by Move
by Neil McDonald
"Even better (and more advanced) than his good anthology The Art of Logical Chess Thinking." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Applying Logic in Chess
by Erik Kislik
"Covers the entire gamut: how and what to study, how to use engines, analyzing your own games, and much more." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Thought and Choice in Chess
by Adriaan de Groot
"The definitive book analyzing how strong chessplayers think. Warning! Reads like a PhD thesis, not a chess book." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Judgment and Planning in Chess
by Dr. Max Euwe
"Chess planning is a difficult subject. This is one of the few advanced books on the subject." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Sacrifice and Initiative in Chess
Seize the Moment to Get the Advantage
by Ivan Sokolov
"Another advanced follow-up [to Art of Attack in Chess] book." - Dan Heisman (Source)
100 Endgames You Must Know
Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player
by Jesus de la Villa
"Every time I read this book I like it more. It's advanced, but seems to have its pulse on just what it claims." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
by Bobby Fischer
"A programmed study of back rank and related mates." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Training Pocket Book
300 Most Important Positions
by Lev Alburt
"The 300 most instructive positions needed to get to a rating of 1800." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Practical Chess Exercises
600 Lessons from Tactics to Strategy
by Ray Cheng
"An interesting idea with 600 positions from games where all you are given is that there is a best move." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Winning Chess Exercises for Kids
by Jeff Coakley
"Possibly the best 'intermediate' book to test the tactics for players of all ages!" - Dan Heisman (Source)
Power Chess for Kids
Learn How to Think Ahead and Become One of the Best Players in Your School
by Charles Hertan
"A helpful book about how to find basic forcing moves." - Dan Heisman (Source)
A First Book of Morphy
by Frisco Del Rosario
"A basic game book showing many basic principles via Morphy games." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Chess Tactics Workbook
by Al Woolum
"Somewhat similar to Bain's book but with more problems overall and more mate problems, but less single motif problems." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Checkmate for Children
Mastering the Most Important Skill in Chess
by Kevin Stark
"A modern book covering checkmate patterns - one of the best I have ever seen at just this particular issue." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Pandolfini's Endgame Course
Basic Endgame Concepts Explained by America's Leading Chess Teacher
by Bruce Pandolfini
"Straightforward examples of basic ideas." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Exam And Training Guide
Rate Yourself And Learn How To Improve
by Igor Khmelnitsky
"A book of excellent test problems." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Starting Out
Chess Tactics and Checkmates
by Chris Ward
"There are some fairly difficult problems but most are basic and quite fundamental." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Winning Chess Strategy for Kids
by Jeff Coakley
"Highly recommended for basic tactics AND strategy." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Logical Chess
Move By Move
by Irving Chernev
"A classic which explains each move in excruciating detail!" - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Tactics for Students
by John A. Bain
"Learn motifs (pins, removal of guard, double attacks, back-rank mates, etc.)" - Dan Heisman (Source)
Comprehensive Chess Course
Volumes I & II in One
by Lev Alburt
"Based on the official Soviet training method!" - Dan Heisman (Source)
Square One
A Chess Drill Book for Beginners
by Bruce Pandolfini
"A book to teach young beginners how to play." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Workbook for Children
The Chess Detective's Introduction to the Royal Game
by Todd Bardwick
"Excellent workbook at a young beginner level." - Dan Heisman (Source)
50 Essential Chess Lessons
by Steve Giddins
"Positioned as a more modern, slightly more advanced than The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Learn Chess Tactics
by John Nunn
"Superb descriptions of how each tactic works." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Inside the Chess Mind
by Jacob Aagaard
"A collection of 'think out loud' protocols from titled players over 12 positions." - Dan Heisman (Source)
It's Your Move Improvers
by Chris Ward
"50 problems on finding the right plan." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Logical Approach to Chess
by Max Euwe
"Very logical (!) and somewhat basic, but also lots of good general knowledge/principles for beginner/intermediates." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Pawn Power in Chess
by Hans Kmoch
"How to use pawns in chess. This subject is a must for any serious player." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Amateur's Mind
Turning Chess Misconceptions Into Chess Mastery
by Jeremy Silman
"Examines faulty thinking processes." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Modern Chess
Move by Move
by Colin Crouch
"Bridges the gap between Logical Chess Move by Move and Understanding Chess Move by Move." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess
by Patrick Wolff
"Covers not only how to play, but many of the same tips I give my students." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played
62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy
by Irving Chernev
"A book of games, each with an individual idea." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Practical Chess Endings
by Irving Chernev
"An excellent collection of endgame problems covering most practical ideas." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Endings
Essential Knowledge
by Yuri Averbakh
"This small book contains all the basics for chess endgames." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Modern Chess Openings
by Nick De Firmian
"Every intermediate can use a one-volume tome covering all the openings." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Rapid Chess Improvement
by Michael De La De Maza
"An expanded version of his '400 Points in 400 Days' article on how to improve your game." - Dan Heisman (Source)
Chess Strategy Workbook
A Blueprint for Developing the Best Plan
by Todd Bardwick
"Has basic ideas but not all problems are easy." - Dan Heisman (Source)
The Art of Checkmate
by Georges Renaud
"Mostly a great book about checkmate pattern but lots of problems, too." - Dan Heisman (Source)
