Poker Chess Solitaire - Ultimate card game mashup teaser trailer (x-post from indiegames) by NicoSaraintaris in IndieGaming – PokerChessCreator 1 point 2 points 3 points 3 years ago (0 children). An essential similarity between the two games of poker and chess lies in their classification. Just like bridge and backgammon, both poker and chess are officially classified as 'sports' - 'mind sports' to be precise. In fact, poker was recognised as such by the IMSA at a congress held in Dubai in 2010. Chess easily takes the cake. When we focus on the sheer number of variations, an hour of playing chess is vastly more analytical than a hour of playing poker. Chess may require vastly more memory about past situations on the chess board, and how they apply to their current position. But poker requires memory in a different way.

Get your reading glasses out for this article!

The number of books written about chess is tremendous. While that can be great for the chess world, it poses practical issues for many fans. Most chess players have their own favorites, but how do you know which books belong on your shelf?

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Here are the top 10 classic chess books that every fan should know.

1. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess by Bobby Fischer, Stuart Margulies and Don Mosenfelder

Learning how to play chess from one of the greatest players of all time proved to be effective for a generation of chess players. Bobby Fischer’s book remains one of the best-selling chess books ever. Even if you already know how to play chess, you should still own this classic. Lend it to family and friends who have always wanted to learn the game. Put a copy in your bag so you can hand it to a stranger in a coffee shop or while you’re playing at your local chess club. After all, the mass market paperback version is only about the cost of a fast-food meal!

The book covers everything from how the pieces move to basic checkmates and how to attack the opponent. Readers will go from knowing nothing about chess to being ready to play a game, and getting a game is relatively easy these days.

2. How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman

The ideas of positional chess and developing plans in the middlegame often elude chess players. This work covers the thought process behind middlegame plans and how to notice imbalances in positions. IM Jeremy Silman (@Silman), a world-class author, writes with humor and a deep understanding of amateur chess players’ shortcomings.

You can take a look at Silman’s beloved writing style by reading some of his articles on Chess.com. This book is known for its accessibility and is designed for a large range of players (1200 to 2000 strength). It's also a valuable tool for anyone returning to the game after taking a break. This classic has something for everyone!

3. My System by Aron Nimzowitsch

Aron Nimzowitsch's work is the prime example of a classic chess book. It has consistently remained in the top five best-selling chess books of all time, and has been a recommendation of grandmasters and trainers since 1925! This was one of the first works to be considered a handbook for positional chess, and it does a great job of introducing very important positional ideas (e.g. prophylaxis, pawn chains, blockading passed pawns, utilizing the center, etc.).

My System is aimed at a stronger target audience (1500-2200 strength), and some feel that it reads like a textbook (some people prefer this method for learning). Despite not being considered as accessible as other classics, this book is a must-own for any serious player.

4. Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953 by David Bronstein

A strong candidate for the greatest chess tournament book of all time, David Bronstein’s classic examines the Candidates' Tournament leading up to the 1954 world championship match with Mikhail Botvinnik. It's not only a snapshot of top-level chess at the time but also a wonderfully written and well-annotated work. It's this combination that makes it a timeless classic.

Bronstein's writing and annotations are aimed at the average player, and the target audience of this book is 1200-2000+ strength. This fantastic and accessible piece of chess history checks off all of the boxes for a must-own book. If you're looking for more books that focus on super-tournaments of the past, check out Alexander Alekhine's two books New York 1924 and New York 1927.

5. My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer

This book is one of the most obvious entries to the list. A lot of people put Bobby Fischer in their list of the top three chess players of all time, along with Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. A book of Fischer’s greatest games with his annotations is enough for any fan to own it. If you’ve never read the book, it lives up to the hype. Fischer offers clear and deep comments on his spectacular games. This best-selling chess book is somewhat of a manual for other game collection books (see #8 and #9 in this list!).

6. Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov

As the title suggests, Think Like a Grandmaster takes a look at the overall thought process in chess. Kotov discusses many important and practical aspects of chess, including the overall approach to the game and how to make decisions. He gives us tools for both tactical growth (analysis trees, candidate moves, and calculation exercises.) as well as positional growth (creating and implementing plans, pawn islands, weaknesses, tension, etc.). It's definitely aimed at advanced players (1600-2200+ strength) but is a strong classic nonetheless.

If you're looking for books that cover similar topics that are more accessible, take a look at John Nunn's Understanding Chess Moves, or Irving Chernev's Logical Chess: Move by Move.

7. Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master by Jeremy Silman

IM Jeremy Silman makes his second appearance in this top 10 list with his work on the endgame. The idea behind Silman’s well-known endgame book is simple: Players should only study endgames that they need to know for their skill level. It's easy to get bogged down studying complex endgames that rarely appear in your own play. If you happen to be a 1300-strength player, looking at heavily theoretical rook-and-pawn endgames probably isn’t the best use of your time.

There’s nothing wrong with that if endgames interest you, but to become a better chess player, you’re better off learning some basic and practical endgames that you will encounter in your own games. Silman's work gives you the guidelines, examples, and principles to learn what you need to know!

This widely accessible endgame work is meant for anyone who isn't already a strong player. For advanced players, Mark Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual (more of a reference work) and Mikhail Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy are great next steps. For fans of former world champion Jose Raul Capablanca, there is Irving Chernev's Capablanca's Best Endings.

8. Life and Games of Mikhail Tal by Mikhail Tal

Need to add aggression and tactical prowess to your game? That’s only part of why someone should read this book. Mikhail Tal’s character comes through beautifully in this book, as you learn about his life and get a taste of Tal’s humor and passion. His engaging writing style alone has made this a fan favorite. Here's one of Tal's most famous and almost spine-chilling quotes: 'You must take your opponent to a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.'

Don’t overlook this book for insight into Tal’s personality, attacking genius and some of the most vicious games you will ever see! If you are looking for more books on attacking players, take a look at Fire on the Board by Alexei Shirov. If you are seeking to improve your attacking abilities, another classic to consider is Vladimir Vukovic's The Art of Attack in Chess.

9. Karpov's Strategic Wins (two volumes) by Tibor Karolyi

A top-10 classic chess book list cannot be complete without a game collection of a positional player. We have already discussed Fischer's and Tal's game collection books, but if you are seeking to learn the secret of positional play through game examples and clear analysis, then look no further! Karolyi's two-volume work on former world champion Anatoly Karpov is astoundingly deep, but also very accessible. The clear writing style pairs well with Karpov's seemingly simple, yet dangerous, boa constrictor style!

If you are looking for other game collections on positional players, check out Karpov's own work My Best Games or Harry Golombek's Capablanca's Hundred Best Games.

10. My Great Predecessors (series) by Garry Kasparov

The five-volume set from Garry Kasparov contains analyzed games and background on chess history, starting from the first world champion (Wilhelm Steinitz). Having a chess giant like Kasparov discuss every world champion (and their challengers) while simultaneously giving his perspective on classic games is worth the price of admission.

Kasparov’s book doesn’t fail on either end of the spectrum. He delves into details of chess history in ways that make you want to sit back and simply read. Then, when you get to his deep analysis of the great games, you have top-tier instructional material to dive into. The My Great Predecessors series is an easy choice for virtually any top-10 chess books list.
What are your favorite chess books? Please let us know in the comments.

This list is the product of a great discussion between many Chess.com staff members recently, and is not meant to be taken as fact! Our own Colin Stapczynski put together our view on this debate, but if you disagree with the order or think we missed something please let us know your opinion in the comments below.

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Chess and poker are two games which include a lot of calculations by the players in a game.

There is some degree of similarity between the styles and complexity in the games which have seen a lot of players switch between games, especially chess players who have switched over to play poker to earn a few bucks.

There has been a raging debate for quite some time regarding which game is more difficult or complex.

Poker players would side with their game and chess players would side with theirs but to answer this debate we would have to look at both sides of the equation.

Also read: Are you bored of online poker?

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One on one and one on many

A complex equation.

The first point of difference which brings in the complexity equation is the number of players you play with on a regular basis.

Chess is mostly played as a one on one game while poker can start with multiple players playing against you on a table.

This creates a certain level of complexity for the poker player since he would have to keep a watch on 4-5 other players rather than just the one who would have played against him in chess.

As we all know, every poker player is different and keeping a track of the styles throughout the game would not be easy for a poker player. With practice this can change, chess players though have to worry about just their one opponent and no one else, so poker wins this round in the sense of complexity.

The analytical aspect of the game

Chess and poker players both need to be analytical while playing their games; chess players spend hours training and learn about a multitude of defenses and strategies to counter those by the opponent.

Chess players have an added advantage of playing against just one opponent and can learn about each move of the opponent in detail, while poker players dealing with so many opponents can feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to that.

Of course, the analysis done in real time about just what each player can do is much greater in the poker game as there are so many factors (players) to look out for, the same might not apply to chess but the sheer number of strategies running around in the head to counter one move should not be taken lightly.

Humans play a big role as well

Some similarity to poker cards.

This is where certain things play out in poker, every poker player knows about the ‘tells’ each player has and the fact that a lot of poker players bluff while playing the game.

This aspect makes poker a little difficult and complex to deal with.

You might say one thing but do something else at the table in a poker game. There is also the fact that players spend hours learning how they can use the ‘tells’ of their opponents to their advantage, there are many books which deal with just the ‘tells’ and how to deal with them.

Chess does have an element of the human opponent having a tell but the bluffing does not apply because the only moves you can pull off is what you actually do on the chess board.

The bluff is something which can turn a game around and has to be kept in mind while playing poker, not true when playing a game of chess though.

Luck or skill?

This is one factor which has been debated for a long time regarding poker.

The game does have an element of luck; you do need some luck to win a lot of poker games.

Skill is something that is required to do well in almost every game but luck is a huge element while playing poker. Chess players have a lot of skill to deal with the plethora of strategies going on around in their head and on the board.

This is not to say that poker players are not skillful or don’t require skill to win games but the luck factor does make poker a game which can throw a few surprises and can do make a little bit more complex compared to chess.

Man and machine

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Machines are taking over.

Everyone knows about the computer that actually defeated Gary Kasparov, the chess world champion. In 1997 Deep Blue defeated Kasparov and the whole gaming community went crazy as to how a computer was able to take down a world champion (something that had never happened before).

This loss has provided fuel to the fire for this question and analysts have said that poker players cannot be defeated by computers because of the telling factor and also the fact that luck is involved hugely in poker games.

What many would not know is that a new computer program has been made which claims that it will not lose to any poker player.

Cepheus, developed by a Finnish software company has cracked the code to play Texas hold’em poker, although this is only for the two player game, this is a huge step in ensuring that the ‘machine’ factor is not brought into the complexity debate.

Two great games but no real winner

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To be honest both games are complex and tough to master in their own respective ways.

While you do not play with many opponents in chess, you know almost every defense and strategy that your opponent can use and vice versa. Knowing what someone else might do and then recalculate to counter that move is tough in itself.

Poker has the element of bluffs, tells and lucks, which can be a fickle mistress. Sure you can be on a crazy winning run and see it come to a halt all of a sudden and the opposite can happen in the game of poker as well.

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The one thing which makes this game complex is the players you play against and of course, that is also one of the most appealing facets of the game of poker.