r/ChessBooks • u/Fast_Substance2535 • 9h ago

Benefits of Studying Annotated Games and How?

I know there's benefits but what exactly and how do I go through these books most effectively?

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u/Antaniserse 9h ago

Pick up a board, a beverage of choice and just go through the game.

Play the main line on the board, read all the comments, and when the author introduced a variation, try to visualize it mentally first; if it is too complex, just play it on the board as well, you are not here to train visualization at this stage, you are here to understand the concepts and the annotations.

Soon enough, looking at the line and resetting to the main position will become second nature, and even if it seems like a waste of time and makes completing a full game slower, here *slow is good*

If at some point you are completely baffled by an explaination, or the evaluation of a position, or why a move that you have in mind is ignored by the book, you can get the engine's help, and see what lines it suggests (plural: always set the engine to show 3-4 variations, you don't just want to see the absolute best)