Dan's 11 Chess Books
The 11th book looks like "The
World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book" - hopefully Christmas 2012
Last updated:
May 23, 2012
See
below for best way to obtain the books - Detailed
descriptions further down - Some
prices reduced 
Main Chess Page - Book Recommendation Page
Like my books? Try my award-winning Novice Nook
columns, Instructional Videos for
ICC/WCL members, or the website's Articles
page 
This page describes each book
and lists/links places where you can buy them. If purchasing a non-autographed book,
at your convenience, consider using the publisher if they are also
a bookseller!
ICC Message from carro:
I own nearly 1,000 chess books (literally).
Yet, the more I read your work, the more I become convinced that you
rival the best chess writers in history. You
have a rare gift for providing honest clarity.
Your earnest efforts to penetrate and inform are greatly appreciated.
email
from Josh: Your writings have
changed my life. Not only do I learn a lot about chess, but I learn a lot about
learning in general.
Obtaining
Personalized Autographed Copies
Price includes book/CD, autograph,
first class
postage
and handling to US if less than 1 lb, otherwise
media mail - A Guide to Chess Improvement is more than 1 lb. Foreign is extra depending upon type of postal
delivery; Canada add $2, airmail to Europe is ~$8 extra. Please add 5% for Paypal
NOTES: This page is kept
up-to-date. If you see a book advertised as available then I have it in stock at
my home
and you don't have to ask. But if you wish to e-mail
to let me know you are sending the check, I
understand. CD's are self-sufficient - they include ChessBase Lite, and don't
require additional software. Normally CD's are not autographed, but if you want
me to autograph case with magic marker, please let me know. Please do not make
copies of electronic books. See below for more info
on each book.
To order: Best payment
method: Send a check in US $$ to "Dan Heisman" 1359 Garden Rd.,
Wynnewood, PA 19096. 2nd best - if you cannot send a check in US$:
pay
by PayPal (please add 5% to cover PayPal charges) but also e-mail
me to let me know you paid by PayPal and how to autograph your book.
SPECIALS:
- Add $39 to an order and I will draw a
personalized,
autographed, Grey-scale art for you, similar to the
ones
I have framed for hanging on my home walls.
List your hobbies and key names/places in your life so I can incorporate. Who knows, someday these
may be rare, valuable collector items. Money back guaranteed satisfaction!
- Makes
a great gift: I gave one to my sister for her birthday...she was
delighted...
-
FREE: if you ask for
it with any order: my legendary "Baseball's Active
Newsletter" for baseball fans.
- Want to help? Take the following links to make a
tax-deductible donation to the Philadelphia Foundation funds we started
to
help women in need or
support
area scholastic chess
-
If you decide
instead to purchase at Amazon.com instead of me, click on their graphic link below to give
me referral credit, thanks!
Six of my books are now available on
Kindle! Click on this graphic to shop at Amazon for Kindle (or hardcopy)
and give Dan credit è
"I love Mr. Heisman's works (both books and online articles) and Elements
of Positional evaluation is another good one. He is able to communicate
things in a way that us beginners can understand and grasp." - Russell Reagan
1) Elements of Positional Evaluation subtitle:
How the Chess Pieces Get Their Power - 4th ed. NOW OUT! vastly updated (tripled in size!).
Publisher:
Chess Enterprises (Eds. 1-3); Russell Enterprises (Ed. 4)-
The fourth
edition is super-expanded with 100+ new diagrams, available from Chess
Cafe and everywhere.
Book Overview: My life "treatise" - originally written on a
typewriter in 1974-75. 1st three
editions sold out. Describes the basis for how each piece gets
its value and relates, in a very basic (but not for beginners) way how
that relates to evaluating positions. Describes the basic elements
that can be used for non-tactically evaluating a position. Not as
many diagrams or examples as I would like because I didn't have the tools
at that time to include them! Very unique for its time (and even
now!). IM John Watson's award-winning new book, Secrets
of Modern Chess Strategy, has many examples
the ideas my Elements book discusses. The first edition (yellow)
was the old text. The 2nd edition (pink) was made more conversational.
The 3rd edition (Blue) added more diagrams and recent references. The
fourth edition is nothing like the first three - it has tripled in size and
has 100+ new diagrams/examples.
Suggested Rating Range: 800-1800. Emails about
Elements:
-
"Dan,...Your book,
Elements of Positional Evaluation, was highly recommended
to me several years ago by Mark Uniacke, the author of Hiarcs, in a discussion
about some ideas I sent him. I have never seen a copy, so I look forward to
the new edition. Best regards, Scott"
-
"I found the book
Elements of Positional Evaluation very thought provoking and original in its
quest for the essence of chess evaluation. A book that challenged the
conceived chess wisdom and helped reveal a better understanding about how
to evaluate chess positions. The book is useful for chess
programmers as it helps explain what evaluation elements
are important and in turn this leads to improved chess
heuristics for positional evaluation. I am sure HIARCS benefited from
the book and I thoroughly recommend it (although not to my
competitors!)." - Mark Uniake, programmer of
HIARCS
chess engine."
-
"Dear Dan, Last Saturday, two friends of mine
and myself were introducing my wife to chess. She had never touched
a chess piece before. At a certain moment during the opening, I
wanted to explain her why a certain pawn-move wouldn’t be very
clever. Before I could say that such a move would hem in her bishop,
she said to me: “No, you shouldn’t make such a silly move, because
you reduce your bishop’s mobility!”. Now, I am accusing her of
reading “Elements”!
Kind regards, Tom"
-
"...be delighted to boost your masterpiece of
a book on Amazon" - Paul
Note: See a new addition to the theory of this
book at the end of this
linked Novice Nook!
2) The Improving Annotator -
From
Beginner to Master A FUN
BOOK
Original publisher: Chess
Enterprises. 2nd edition available
Book Overview: Introduction
discusses how to annotate a game and why it is so helpful.
The remainder of the book is my following that advice and self-annotating
my games as I improve from USCF rating 1400 to National Master. Annotator
is light reading and mostly games and analysis. ~200 pages.
Suggested Rating Range: 1100-2400
3) Everyone's 2nd Chess Book -
You Can't Play What You Don't See ...A precursor to Novice
Nook columns
Publisher:
Thinker's Press
Third printing cancelled.
Book Overview: After
you learn how to move the pieces and the basic rules for checkmate, castling,
etc, this book discusses what you have to learn next. Much of the
book discusses "board vision" and how you develop it. Many generic
tips for beginners, including most common misconceptions about starting
chess, misunderstood rules, chess etiquette, etc.
From the ChessCo Web Site (2000):
EVERYONE'S 2nd CHESS BOOK - By Dan Heisman is
being proofed and may be the best book ever written for
newcomers or children. [emphasis mine - DH] The examples,
anecdotes and explanations are right on. Find out why your child insists
on doing things which give Daddies the world over, heart attacks. The book
is basically about Chess/Board Vision. About 100 pages, easy-to-read type.
Available soon. [Wow!] This is the perfect book for young people, parents,
and new players as it takes a coach's look at why certain things go wrong
and what to do about them. (Posted Sept 28, 2000)
Here is a plug for
Everyone's
2nd Chess Book from Searching for Bobby Fischer real-life Coach
Bruce Pandolfini in his Q&A column on the web:
"Question: I am a grade
5 teacher and incorporate the game of chess throughout my class curriculum.
I am looking for 2 things really: a good internet chess site that you could
recommend, where my students can play against other opponents; and a school
teacher's guide for the incorporation of chess into the classroom (if you
know of any such books/texts). Mary Beth Osburn (USA)
[Pandolfini] Answer: There
are a number of Internet sites offering live chess, such as the Internet
Chess Club
, the
USCF, Its Your Turn, and Yahoo. Why don’t you sample a
few of these and see which one appeals to you the most. For guides you
can try either the U.S. Chess Federation or Chess-in-the-Schools, both
of which should be able to provide help and suggestions on literature.
You might also take a look at Dan Heisman’s excellent new work, Everyone’s
2nd Chess Book. It has all kinds of useful suggestions for learning and
teaching the game." !!
A final plug - read the Sep
12 entry in Rook Van Winkle's blog.
Suggested Rating Range: 800-1700
Errata on 2nd printing, 2nd
diagram page 39: There should be a black rook on d8
Dan's Picture
on the back cover of the book at
- Raymond
Smullyan's autobiography: click "back cover" on left!
4) The Traxler Counterattack (a.k.a.
The Computer Analyzes the Traxler - this required the most work of any of my
books!
Publisher:
Pickard and Son - They are also a bookseller;
e-mail: Pickard & Son;
web site: Chess Central; book
webpage
Book Overview: An
Electronic Opening Book. Available in CD-ROM or downloadable.
The book that took the most work! I used the computer to analyze
every known variation of this super-sharp opening (also known as the Wilkes-Barre
Variation of the Two Knights Defense: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4.
Ng5 Bc5?!). I saved all the analysis in ChessBase format so that
it can not only be a hardcopy book with the analysis, but also an electronic
book (e-book) for those who wish 1,500 additional games and to study using
ChessBase
Lite (free) or ChessBase. I was able to either verify, clarify,
extend, or yes,
even refute, almost every line of published theory
on this very sharp line!
Dan's blurb for the CD cover: "This e-book
has been nominated for the 2000 Cramer Award. NM Dan Heisman, a member
of the International Computer Chess Association, spent over 2 years anaylzing
the ultra-sharp Traxler (Wilkes-Barre Two Knights) variation with computer
software. The result is almost all new analysis which completely changes
the theory of this old opening. Includes 50 surveys covering all
existing and new lines - the equivalent of about a 1,000 page book!
Complete with training database and about 1,500 sample games, many annotated.
Uses ChessBase Lite (free; downloadable) or ChessBase."
Suggested Rating Range: 1400-2800
This week in Chess' IM John
Watson says about Dan's Traxler CD e-book: "This
may be the most thorough work ever on a particular subject!" -
Read his entire review near the end of his chess
book review article
5) The Computer Analyzes the Fried
Liver/Lolli-
CD from Chess
Central; I have autographed
copies
Don't
get FRIED!Publisher: Pickard
and Son - They are also a bookseller
e-mail: Pickard & Son;
web site: Chess Central; book
webpage
Book Overview: Available as a CD (with free ChessBase Lite) and downloadable. I used the computer to analyze every known
variation of this super-sharp opening: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4.
Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5. This long-discredited line may not lose for Black,
even if White plays the Lolli! This is an electronic book (e-book) for
those who wish hundreds of additional games, and can be used with ChessBase
Lite (free) or ChessBase. This is a very popular opening for
beginners because the sequence is logical and the name - Fried Liver -
unforgettable!
Read the Traxler and Fried Liver CD comments
by John Elburg (halfway down his web page under "Two Knight's Defense
by Pinski)
Suggested Rating Range: 1300-2200
6) A Parent's Guide to Chess
- The
only book for new chess parents! Click HERE
to see a picture of the book
The Only
Book for beginning American "Chess Parents"
Publisher: Russell Enterprises (Chess Cafe) -
available in both hardcopy and updated electronic version
Book Overview: Chess Cafe's press release: "We are pleased to announce that we are
now accepting orders for “A Parent’s Guide to Chess” by ChessCafe.com columnist
Dan Heisman. This book in fact is a ground-breaker. It is the first book
of its kind, a book to help parents understand and help their children
enjoy that the pleasures of chess.
"Chess offers many benefits to players of all ages. This book is
intended as a guide to help parents explore this expanding world
and to maximize its benefits for their children. Putting all this information
in one place will, we hope, make your journey a lot easier." - From the
Introduction.
It is a 153-page roadmap for parent’s to their child's fascinating
new hobby - chess. The good news from teachers and other parents: kids
who play chess not only have a lot of fun, but they do better in school,
learn self-reliance and develop lifelong analytical skills ."
Suggested Rating Range: Any
Read the book
review by Chris Kantack
parents and
chess - chess parent - chess mom - chess dad - world of chess - chess
information - chess guide - chess in the US
7) Looking for Trouble
- Published
by Chess Cafe
- probably my most underrated book
Read the review
at ChessBug - This is a book for all levels - the idea was suggested by Dr.
Stephen Rolfe to help intermediate players identify and deal with
threats. It is one of the very few books where each puzzle has two
problems: What are all the threats, and what is the best way to meet
them?
subtitle: A guide to finding and meeting chess threats. A book of 220+ problems where
each requires 2 solutions: you have to identify the threats made by your
opponent's last move and figure out the best way(s) to meet them.
Chess Cafe writes: "This
book is written to address an underemphasized area of chess training and study,
the identification of and reaction to – threats. For beginner and intermediate-level players, the study of tactics is paramount.
Almost all tactics books take the approach of providing a position where there
is a forced win, checkmate or draw. However, Looking for Trouble takes a different tack. This book helps you to
recognize threats by providing over 200 problems in which you focus on
identifying and meeting threats ranging from extremely easy to fiendishly
difficult. But even the identification of difficult threats – and sometimes
more importantly how to meet them – is discussed in a manner that should
greatly benefit players of all levels."
Ralph Buske wrote: "I
have bought (too?) many chess books, looking for those that will help. My
judging criteria is simple: The book must be worth reading multiple times and
what the book teaches must help me win. So, I bought "Looking for
Trouble" as a filler to get Amazon.com's free shipping. Soon after
starting reading, I knew it needed multiple readings. Then, last night, at
our club's tournament, I got behind in development because of a dumb move.
I asked myself "What does Dan recommend?". I started looking at
every opponent move's threats and looked for a good response, that would both
answer the threat and improve my position. 90 minutes later, my opponent
resigned. Thanks to your book!!!"
Suggested Rating Range: 1100-2300
8)
Back to Basics: Tactics - for players rated between
800 and 1900
- 2nd printing early 2011 fixes all errata.
Publisher: Chess Cafe - now available -
order from www.chesscafe.com
Read the thorough review
at Chess Cafe by Richard Roseborough - Several players have asked me to spread
the word that the tactics in Chapter 1 are not as easy as they thought!
See
also my Novice Nooks on
Tactics and Counting, such as A
Different Approach to Studying Tactics; The
Seeds of Tactical Destruction*;
Revisiting
the Seeds of Tactical Destruction*;
The
Most Common Opening Tactics;
The
Underrated Removal of the Guard;
A
Counting Primer*T;
A
Tactics Quiz;
The
Most Important Tactic*;
Is There a
Win*?; A
Defense Primer; When
is a King Safe?; Is
It Safe?; The
Two Types of Counting ProblemsT; The
Inadequately Guarded Piece; The
Safety Table' The
Five Ways to Make Piece Safe
Suggested
Rating Range: 800-1900
9) The Improving Chess Thinker
(how players think at different chess levels, time management, etc) - possibly
my best received book.
Publisher:
Mongoose Press
This
seems to be my most well-reviewed book
ICC message from Carro: "My rating
has come up about 300 points in two days because of your book. I
dipped under 1100 and now I'm just under 1400. I'm flabbergasted to
find that your book provided the crucial piece of understanding for which
I have long searched."
Table
of Contents
: Dedication and Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. The Exercise
- 2. Thought Process Basics
- 3. Class F
- 4. Class E
- 5. Class D
- 6. Class C
- 7. Class B
- 8. Class A
- 9. Expert and Above
10. The Thinking Cap
- 11. The Basics of Time Management
- 12. What the Researcher Learned
- Appendix A: Dr. Max Euwe Protocol of de Groot A
- Appendix B: Computer Analysis of Positions
- Glossary
- Bibliography
Link to publisher's
blog on this book (and others). Read NM Jonathan Hilton's interesting
Mar 31 entry. Also
Eric Murrah's
blog
Suggested Rating Range: Any
10)
A Guide to Chess Improvement:
The Best of Novice Nook
- Amazon rating = 5 stars!
Publisher:
Everyman Chess
A compendium of my best award-winning columns written for adults who wish to
improve. Included are new columns, extensively updated material and references,
corrected analysis! You can read the entire set of original columns via
my Novice Nook web page links. Thanks
to Mike Montgomery for his thorough Q&A!
Shiv Sankaranarayanan: "...this has got
to be the 'most helpful chess book that doesn't leverage on annotated Master
games for instructional purposes.'"
11)
The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book
- due late 2012 (now being edited)
Publisher:
Mongoose Press
30 Amateur
Games deeply annotated with emphasis on general improvement suggestions,
recognizing and minimizing mistakes, time management, backed up with computer
analysis. Over 100,000 words -a very thick book!
The five
chapters are Too Fast, Too Slow, Endgame Play, A Variety of Instructive Play,
and Disaster Strikes.
Book Recommendations
(other authors' books)
Article:
The Making of The Traxler
Counterattack and Everyone's 2nd Chess Book
Other Major Booksellers:
Hope you enjoy each and every one of my books! If you have comments or suggestions, email me
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