What if you only had to keep three of your chess books? Which would you keep?

[Randy]

I bet most of the people in this group have a lot of chess books. Assuming you are not a total beginner, what are your top three desert island books?

I think mine would be something like:

1. My Best Games of Chess: 1908-1937 - Alekhine
2. Zurich 1953 - Bronstein
3. Lasker's Manual of Chess - Lasker

It's hard to leave out My 60 Memorable Games, and The Test of Time...maybe it needs to be a top 5 list :-)

[Will]

Only 3?! I've got several hundred!

Er, um, how about this:

"Logical chess, move by move" by Irving Chernev. I'm keeping it purely for love. It was my first chess book and is beautifully written, even if the analysis is a little bit old fashioned.

"The life and games of Mikhail Tal" - Simply. Wonderful.

"The even more complete chess addict" - quite possibly the funniest book ever written about chess.

[Randy]

Will - I think there are a lot of us with several hundred! I'm am better at collecting books than winning games... I am curious which ones people would not part with or if they had to only have a couple to go over and over which would they be.

My question was inspired by the Stefan Zweig's "The Chess Story", where a prisoner only has one chess book...I wondered: which one I would want?

[Will]

A long one! Somebody's complete games, say Fischer, Tal or Nimzowitsch.

I sometimes feel that I buy chess books in the same way that a dungeons and dragons player upgrades his weapons. If only I bought a longsword +3 and a chain mail +4 I would win more battles. The idea is that you can buy your way to victory - he who has the most chess books wins.

It's not working ... ;-)

[Vincent]

the black strategy - dawn of a new age in chess

[Vincent]

It is a revolution in black strategy.
White victories will be diminishing.
I guarantee it.

[Bob]

So many to chose from, but I know I would take this one for sure-> Chess Traps: Pitfalls And Swindles

Oh, and probably this one too-> The Fireside Book of Chess