Those who want to increase the level of enjoyment from playing chess as well as improve their skills have numerous tools available at their disposal. In fact, there are so many of them that it is easy to get overwhelmed. Here are the two pitfalls you must avoid, no matter if you are on very tight budget or have an unlimited chess spending account.

The first one is avoiding “weak” products – there are numerous books and software tools covering virtually the same topics. Choosing the best ones is tricky, and has to be done by examine several factors - authors expertise in the subject, quality of presented material, format of presentation and price. I am fortunate to have various partners among the major software manufactures, publishing houses and individual distributors, who provide me with their products for evaluation and solicit reviews and recommendations. I am also frequently purchasing lots of books/software at significantly discounted prices from the Amazon.com. I carefully examine each and every one of them as well as share with my students, to get their feedback. Thus, I am very confident that my product assessments and recommendations will suit you well. You can find my recommended products, comments and special offers here.

The second issue is even more significant – whether or not the particular book is appropriate for you to study. Otherwise, you might be wasting your money, your time or both! I can only attempt to help you here, but be aware that without talking to you and running some tests, it is impossible to determine what your real level is, what your current problems are, and how to prioritize your studying. Please take a look at these Sample Training Packages, but for more accurate recommendation consider taking my Comprehensive Evaluation test, and/or talking to me personally. I promise you will save money and get quality products lined up for 1 year of studying or even longer.

Chess Software – ChessAssistant, ChessBase etc…

There are numerous excellent Chess Software tools available for all levels from beginners to masters. The major manufacturers are ChessAssistant and ChessBase. ChessAssistant is  a leader in inexpensive, yet incredibly useful Training Software. ChessBase is a leader in Database management, Playing Software, Opening CDs etc…

I have a partnership agreement with ChessAssistant to sell you directly the products that I like. If you don’t see something that you like or want to order a larger quantity for your school or club, please contact me. Here is the list.

I also have a partnership with the leading ChessBase distributor in US - ChessBaseUSA  You can buy some of the products from me at 15-20% off here is the list. Or from ChessBaseUSA. mention my name and get 15% off.

Chess Books – sale offers and recommendations.

I try to examine and get feedback from my students on as many books as I can. Many of my favorite books I can offer directly to you, while others are available from Amazon.com or my partners.

Buy these books from me – note that I offer discounted prices and free insured shipping in US (international - please contact me before ordering) - on orders of 2 or more books. For single book purchases please pay full price and add $3.95 shipping charge.

Buy these books from Amazon.com

Chess Memorabilia and Collectables

I have quite a few interesting items that you might be interested in – please take a look. All prices already include shipping and handling in US (international, please contact me before ordering). If you don’t see something on the list, please let me know and I can try to get it for you.

Other Chess Products

I have some suggestions on chess related products, computers, supplies and movies with chess as a story line.

Other Books – Finance, Health & Fitness, Dr.Phil etc…

Chess is a greatest tool that trains your decision making process, but knowledge and experience is essential to make the right choices.

These list consists of my favorite books that I have read over the last couple years, as well as some other related books that I am in the process of reading.

If you want to suggest a product for review, please contact me.