We are very proud to announce that the Danish Federation, on the suggestion of the three national trainers (of which I am one and obviously biased and most pushy) have officially recommended Artur Yusupov’s nine-volume training series to their members. This is not just a “favour to Jacob” – as it took some time to get them to do it. They have made special offers in their web shop, published a long review in the membership magazine and so on.
In September Artur will visit Copenhagen and Middelfart for training sessions with the elite and Danish “ambitious amateurs”.
Again and again on this blog I recommend the Yusupov books to those asking “what should I do to improve”. There are many ways to improve and this is only one. But it is tried and tested, well-structured and easy to use. Have a look here and download a chapter from each of the books for free…
Oh yes, after some struggle, I managed to talk Artur into a guest appearance on the blog for a Q & A session at the end of August.
I largely credit the first three Yusupov books with my improvement from USCF 1800 (fairly stable over 10+ years) to 2000. Working on #4 now…
@dfan
Congrats
Great news! I am working through #6 now, and I can only subscribe to Jacob’s advice! Great that you convinced Yusupov to make a guest appearance!
Thanks for the support
I bought most of the series (2/3 of all). I like the layout and excercises. For me especially important are the explanations – both in the topic and at the answers (!). And with naked eyes – I can see that the material is superb structured and tested on many chess players. These books are really nice contribution to the “improvement series” in the chess literature. There are many comments (words, not just variations) at some tips. I recommend these book for any chess players rated <2000. There are together 12 volumes and each book consists of 270-280 pages. At least 2-3 years of hard working on these books, but after studying this really good series… you have to understand what is going on with your chess :).
Congratulations for QC for publishing this series and I am glad the author would be our special guests. Guys – prepare your questions for GM Artur Jusupow!
I’m C-class player and I’m working with first book.
But I’m also a sort of chess book addicted.
Is the Yusupov’s books the only chess books you need?
(I assume on a higher level opening books are useful).
@Tomasz Chessthinker
I would like to add (as others have pointed out before me on this blog) that this series is quite suitable for 2000+ players as well. I myself have a FIDE-rating of a little over 2200 and find especially the chapters on positional play and strategy quite challenging. I am now working through the 6th book, 3rd chapter (on preventing counterplay) and these excersises are not easy at all! Even the first book is not all trivial to 2200 players (at least to me it isn’t) and gives a nice opportunity to brush up / fill some gaps in your chess education.
@M.Siipola
Once you have finished the entire Yusupov series you can continue with the Attacking manual (1 and 2) and the GM Preparation series (all by Jacob).
PS: And I also highly recommend Chess Tactics from Scratch and the Quality Chess Puzzle book!
I purchased the German editions TAD 1800 and TAD 2100 (the complete blue and green series) and wholeheartedly agree that these books are immensely useful and you can’t help but get better after working through them. I actually tried to start with the first book of the green series and immediately found out that the German descriptions on the cover shouldn’t be taken quite as literally (I’m rated around 2000 ELO). I worked my way through the blue series and currently I’m busy with the second book of the green series. Some of the exercises are quite difficult, but I reckon that if you were able to constantly get the near maximum of points, you would probably be a titled player.
What I like most about the books is that while there are chess books that are more entertainingly written, the Yusupov series is by no means dense and I always get the feeling after going through a chapter that I learned something new and am improving even though it may not always show in playing strength right away. You need to put considerable effort into those books, they are work books after all, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will pay off in the long run.
Please provide a way for the entire set of books to be purchased conveniently in one package in the U.S.A. Between my chess-playing friends and myself we would like to purchase at least one complete set, possibly in hardcover. However, most online shops offer certain books but not others, and I’m not going to go on a scavenger hunt to collect these books one at a time. Plus it is nice to have the complete series — buying chess books that I will never read is equal to collecting baseball cards, you know. Thanks.
@croflash
Agreed! I just finished chapter 5 (I was mistaken above by saying it was chapter 3) of the 6th book and the exercises are really quite challenging to me – as a matter of fact it was the first chapter in 6 books in which I failed the test :-(. So really, don’t be mistaken by the elo range!
@katar
“Please provide a way for the entire set of books to be purchased conveniently in one package in the U.S.A.”
Clearly we have not publicized our Special Offers well enough.
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/sections/13/special_offers/
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/13/195/yusupov_complete_series_in_hardcover/
9 hardcovers for the price of 7, with free delivery in the European Union. I know you are not in the EU, so there would be some delivery charge, but not the full cost. To give US customers a similar deal to EU customers, we see what the delivery cost paid by Quality Chess for a European delivery would be (say, 20 Euros). We give that delivery free to Europeans, so we decrease the delivery charge to US customers by 20 Euros.
Hope that’s all clear.
I don’t know if this question belongs here but, its possible a thematic opening puzzle book ¿? i mean to make one, can it work ¿? its useful ¿?
@Mario
Which kind of theme are you thinking off?
We have a book coming in the autumn called “Mating the Castled King”, which will have a lot of exercises. If you want a classical “pin”, “discovered check” and so on, there are plenty on the market, but not from us. If you want according to thinking method, there is my series or Artur Yusupov’s.
yes, something like yusupov chapters on openings, but a book for one or two similar openings, or positions arising from the opening as a way to study ( the way presenting a game for a line and then 20 or 30 exercises )
@Jacob Aagaard
Aren’t you forgetting Chess Tactics from Scratch? That’s ordered by theme, isn’t it?
@Mario
I really like the idea, so the reader becomes “active” ; I think you mean what Yusupov did in his “Petroff Defence”, many thematic excercises/puzzles at the end of every chapter (or Sveshnikov in his French Advance – 70 exercises for all the book)
yes that’s right 🙂
Hi,
I am thinking for a long time to go for Artur Yusupov’s 9-volume series.
My online chess rating in lichess.org is 1900+ but my FIDE rating is around 1120 that’s because I have played only 1 rated tournament. I prefer to play short 1 or 2 days rapid tournaments for fun.
Also I haven’t read a single chess book in my life.
I am 34 years old. My chess goal is simple. All I want is to reach 2000 ELO strength in 2 or 3 years.
Would Mr. Artur’s book series will help me reach 2000 strength.
I read somewhere Mr. Jacob saying these are the books which he recommends for people wanting to become FM or IM [I am trying to hard to find that article, no success]
When I read that I was simply amazed, such nice thing, that 9 books could fulfill your life’s chess goal.
Need your answers based on your experiences for overall chess progress
==============================================
1) Did you read all 9 books and if yes did it help you cross 2000 rating
2) I am from India, can I order from this website or is there any alternatives.
3) Any shortcuts to reach 2000 goal, I mean reading lesser books may be 2 or 3 [I am getting old so shortcuts questions will always pop up in mind]
4) Is coaching the only way to improve in chess, if yes how often is enough to reach my goal.
Thank you
@AT
Hi AT,
Yes, this is the place to go. We do hope to have a presence in India within months, but this has been the hope for a bit, so I cannot guarantee it. But when we do, we will have more reasonable prices, in rupees there. Maybe it would make most sense to order 1-2 books now and then wait for this to happen. Start with the orange books.
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/docs/14/artur_yusupovs_awardwinning_training_course/
Wow, that’s good news.
I have checked in many big book stores in the past and all I was able to see was opening books.
If Quality press & other chess books comes to India, I will be really happy to buy more books. I do like lot of chess books and I will buy them with proud feelings.
Also would like to share my experience. This happened almost 10- 12 years ago. I had been to a Famous book store in Bangalore and my mind dragged me to chess books section , what I saw there was, books only on openings, and some basic beginners chess books. I took few in hand and just flipped the pages and wished there were some good middle game, game collections and how to improve kind of books . I mean almost 20+ books which were in that most of them were about openings.
I was no way keen on buying books on openings and just casually asked the shopkeeper whether there were other chess books, he said that is all they have got and the usual answer try it in the next week. With sadness left the store.
I don’t know for some reason I happened to visit the same store within 10 days of time, yet again out of curiosity went to the chess book section to see if something new was there and I was in there for shock. You know what all openings book had disappeared. I mean literally there was no opening books. All which was left was how to play chess and other simple books.
Why I am saying this is to convey that there is demand for chess books and chess players will be happy to buy…
Ohhh last part of my message got cut.
Let me post the rest.
Why I am saying this is to convey that there is demand for chess books and chess players will be happy to buy them.
Coming to Mr. Artur book series, I would like to buy the whole set and I am ok to wait a bit, but also request to you bring it as early as possible.
If bulk publishing or transporting to India in large quantities help, then little suggestion is to put up a link in this website for India players to pre-order the book of their choice at the special price [I mean as you said it will be available at reasonable price] and based on that it can be shipped. That way only goods which are ordered will be delivered. Of course I will be happy to go if pre-order link is setup.
Thank you.
@AT
We hope that something will happen in a few months; we are working in that direction.
@Jacob
Couldn’t resist asking. Please let me know if any positive updates.
Thank you
@AT
Things have moved forward since last time 🙂
wow. Feels good that soon I would get the books to cross 2000 rating 🙂 [My life time chess Goal]
I am excited.
Thank you.
I bought the whole series yesterday. I mean 8 books, one is missing as it is still not available in India.
Thanks to chessbase.in team which is currently in my city[Bangalore] covering an big chess event, because of them I was able to see the books and was able to make a purchase. Otherwise God knows how many more months I would have postponed.
Also I bought “Practical Chess Defense” from Mr Jacob, hopefully going forward I don’t get crushed on board as before.
Books from “Quality Chess” looks and feels good in hand.
My first step towards to 2000 rating starts in couple of days.
@AT
Good luck!
I recently purchased Sharp Endgames by Lund (along with Studies for Practical Players by Dvoretsky). I am only a little ways into both, but just wanted to say that these books look like little jewels so far. Thanks to Esben Lund and Quality Chess!