Chess Readers and Writers discussion

Why would you need two chess boards? I use just one and I move the pieces around... and then I move them back.

I suggest using whatever method stops you from passively moving pieces around. Personally, looking at a screen zones me out, a bit like watching TV.

If the variations are not extremely long, it's probably best to try to do them in your head. If the variations are just a bit too long for that, consider only making the first one or two moves and seeing if you can visualize the rest. If so, you'll easily be able to reset the position when you're doing mentally going through the line.

Still, my main answer is still that you should do whichever keeps you more alert. If neither are a problem, use software. It's more efficient.

For most books, I try to read them visualizing the variations in my head. If the book has very dense analysis, I might get out a pocket analysis board. Sometimes, the author might point out a move the tactical point of which is not clear to me at first, so I do occasionally break down, and consult an engine.

Many Everyman books come in PGN format, so you can read them with Everyman's PGN viewer app. New In Chess and Quality have similar apps I think.

I agree with Sergei though that it's important to challenge yourself, and try to stretch your visualization skills if you want to get better. The effort you put into trying to figure things out by yourself is probably more valuable than having the answer provided for you.

It's good to do some of both . this might be helpful to those who like to follow along without a board. Chessgames ,com has many of the games from various books pointed out here http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessc...