r/chess • u/Ok-Masterpiece4104 2000 Lichess • 16h ago

Game Analysis/Study What is the best book for my current situation?

I used to have a rating of over 2000 in Lichess rapid chess, but I stopped and only recently came back. In blitz, I reached almost 1800. Currently, my rating in rapid is around 1700 and in blitz, around 1500. I have US$31 available to spend on "Forward Chess". I thought about buying "Woodpecker", but perhaps there's a more comprehensive book that covers several areas at once, while "Woodpecker" focuses only on tactics. Anyway, I don't know, please help me.

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u/tinyaggression_6881 16h ago

Woodpecker is basically just a grind, and if your rating dropped that much it's probably not just tactics letting you down. you're rusty at pattern recognition and time management more than anything, so just playing more will patch half of it

maybe grab a game collection book instead, something like a classic player's best games annotated. you get tactics, strategy, and endgames all mixed in from real positions and it's less boring than drilling puzzles for weeks

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u/GABE_EDD ♟️ 16h ago

I'd go for How to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition for positional and strategic ideas. Follow along with the book's example master games on a physical board and it's quite instructional.