Vidit Gujrathi recommends must read chess books
Chess is a sport where innumerable books have been written about the different phases of the game and personalities who have played it over the years. One of the most sought after questions is to which books to read. India no.3 and World no.22 GM Vidit Gujrathi decided to do a small vlog on his youtube channel where he recommends few chess books and shares some important info about those books. If you have been wondering where to start then this article is the right place for you and if you want to hear it straight from the master himself, check out the video. Photo: Vidit Gujrathi's youtube channel
Vidit showcases his entire physical book collection which has brought him to world no.22. He mentions that he reads his non-chess books in his Kindle device. He mentions, "Some important lessons I have learned about chess is from books."
"Those who want book recommendation, they should get Yusupov and Dvoretsky's book" - Vidit mentions in hindi.
Secrets of Positional Play from School of Future Champions series is the first book Vidit recommends. He mentions that, "They have written some amazing stuff... They have made it very interesting to learn."
Vidit recommends Kasparov on Kasparov books to increase knowledged.
Jacob Aagaard's Strategic Play and Attack & Defence are Vidit's next recommendations, "He has a very nice collection of exercises."
Vidit says that if you want to read an interesting book then Under the Surface is what you should read. "It's not about just one topic, but what goes on behind the thinking."
Vidit calls Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4 Vol.2 by Boris Avrukh, an iconic book. Although he recommends it with caution that opening books have short shelf life so you should only get it if you are planning to play that opening.
His next recommendation is - Thinking Inside the Box which he calls an amazing book.
"It was a building block of calculation" - Vidit describes Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov. He also mentions that it's interesting but it got a bit outdated.
For Calculation, Vidit recommends the ACP Book of the Year award winning book Grandmaster Calculation by Jacob Aagaard.
"If you love chess, you are going to love reading this book. The condition of the book is bad because I have read it so many times. I remember when I was a kid, one day I got very upset because I had a bad tournament. I went into my room and locked it. I started to read this book and not come out until I finished it. It's such a brilliant book. Basically it takes you through the entire process of how a grandmaster prepares. His line, the Polugayevsky variation, he has explained in detail, how it evolved. It's so beautiful, I cannot recommend this enough." - Vidit on Grandmaster Preparation by Lev Polugayevsky.
The last book which Vidit recommends is Recognizing your Opponent's Resources by Mark Dvoretsky.
According to Vidit, these recommendations should at least last a half of a year for a chess player to study them.
Links
Follow Vidit Gujrathi on twitter, instagram, youtube and facebook
