The Best Books On Chess Openings For Advanced Players

Chess Openings For Advanced Players

Advanced chess players know the critical importance of the opening phase of the game. 

Yes, endgame technique is vital. Having a great middlegame understanding is also essential. And of course, you must be ready to take advantage of tactical opportunities when they present themselves. 

But at the more advanced levels of chess, the opening takes on greater and greater importance. Advanced players have mastered the fundamentals - meaning they are much less likely to let a winning position slip. So, the opening is where both combatants must jostle for the early initiative and advantage.

It’s why the elite grandmasters spend countless hours on their opening preparation - using the most powerful computer software to scour their opening lines for novelties and surprises for their opponent. For advanced chess players, getting that initial advantage goes a long way to winning the game!

But what is an advanced chess player? For the purpose of this article, we have in mind a player whose elo has crossed 2000 - a level which represents serious chess expertise. 

At this level, the advanced chess player must have concrete knowledge of their openings. They must also know about the thematic ideas for both themselves and their opponent - common tactics, pawn breaks, and piece maneuvers.

Once a player has reached 2000+, they can justifiably consider investing in chess opening books which are dedicated to a single opening - an entire book dedicated to the King’s Indian Defense, or the Exchange French, for example. However, in this list, we have largely kept to books which can be valuable to any advanced chess player, regardless of their opening repertoire.

Without further ado, here are our top five recommendations for the best chess openings books for advanced players.

Modern Chess Openings - Nick de Firmian

Considered the “bible” for chess opening aficionados, and one of the best books on chess openings, it features an unmatched level of detail. Now in its 15th edition, this book was first published over 50 years ago - which goes to show that Modern Chess Openings has stood the test of time.

Be forewarned - this is a dense book. It will be far too overwhelming for most beginner and intermediate chess players. As one reviewer said: “You could spend at least half a lifetime investigating all the openings contained in this book.”

But if you have reached the 2000+ level, then this book is going to take you a long way. Because it covers every conceivable opening, you will only read the parts which pertain to your repertoire. Think of it more as a reference guide than a book you would read from cover to cover.

Click here to check out this book.

Chess Openings For Black, Explained

No best books on chess openings for advanced players would be complete without an ambitious opening repertoire for playing with the Black pieces. Befitting the needs of the advanced chess player, Chess Openings For Black, Explained is not always going for the easiest-to-learn lines. Rather, they are looking for the best, most-testing continuations at every turn.

The repertoire is centered around:

• The Sicilian Accelerated Dragon as the response to 1. e4 and;
• The Nimzo-Indian and Bogo-Indian against 1. d4

The book covers both the moves, and the middlegame ideas. It also contains many helpful diagrams, so that the text may be followed more easily.

Click here to check out this book.

Keep It Simple 1. e4 / 1. d4

There are two books here - one each for starting the game with 1. e4, and with 1. d4. Below master level, even most advanced chess players do not learn both the King’s Pawn Opening and the Queen’s Pawn Opening - so pick which book matches your own personal preference.

Advanced chess players do not have to play the sharpest, most complicated openings. Quite the contrary. Even many elite grandmasters prefer to play solidly in the opening, and show off their middlegame prowess once they have established a foundation. If that sounds like you, then the Keep It Simple series will be an excellent addition to your chess library.

However, don’t let the title fool you! These books go into great depth - “simple” does not mean “superficial!” With logical, straightforward explanations, the advanced chess player is sure to find many useful opening ideas in these books when playing with the White pieces.

Click here to check out the 1. e4 book, and click here to check out the 1. d4 book.

Modernized: The Open Sicilian - Zhanibek Amanov

This book is the only one on our list which focuses on a specific opening system. It covers the Open Sicilian from White’s perspective - which every advanced chess player who plays 1. e4 should at least try out, even if they ultimately decide not to adopt it in their main repertoire.

The Open Sicilian isn’t for everyone. The games it leads to are very sharp and highly theoretical. There are many variations within the Open Sicilian:

• Najdorf Variation
• Dragon Variation
• Sveshnikov Variation
• Taimanov Variation
• … and several others

All of these variations are very distinctive and require their own dedicated study. However, if you want to take on the challenge, then you can do no better than to study the highly-regarded Modernized: The Open Sicilian. Weighing in at over 500 pages, the book is hefty - but if you put in the work, you will be rewarded with an incredible repertoire to tackle the Sicilian Defense.

Click here to check out this book.

Beating Unusual Chess Openings - Richard Palliser

The advanced chess player needs to be ready for anything. While the most commonly-played openings should naturally command the majority of your attention, it would be folly to be unprepared to meet the more unusual systems. 

The rarer openings may not be as objectively strong as the so-called “best chess openings” - but if you have not studied them, then your opponents gain a different advantage: that of being more prepared than you! This counts for a lot. Every experienced chess player knows the discomfort of finding themselves out of their preparation very early in the game - needing to burn time on their clock trying to figure it out - and when they do finally make a move, their opponent replies instantly, based on their memorized preparation. It’s not a nice feeling.

Beating Unusual Chess Openings does an excellent job at helping the reader to fill in the gaps. Written from Black’s point of view, it covers everything reasonable that White can play except for 1. e4 (The King’s Pawn Opening) and 1. d4 (The Queen’s Pawn Opening). 

Including:

• English Opening (1. c4)
• Reti (1. Nf3)
• Nimzo-Larsen Attack (1. b3)
• Bird’s Opening (1. f4)
• Orangutan / Polish Opening (1. b4)
• Grob Opening (1. g4)

Click here to check out this book.

Final Thoughts - Advanced Chess Openings Preparation

Remember that even with the best books on chess openings for advanced chess player, reading chess opening books is only the starting point. 

Opening theory is constantly evolving. As players continue to explore the bottomless depths of this beautiful game, new discoveries are made. Lines which were fashionable a few years ago can go out of favor, while new ones rise to take their place. 

However well-researched a chess opening book was when it was published, the advances being made in chess opening theory every single day mean that opening books can go out of date. So too can your knowledge, if you do not continue to refresh it.

Try to follow the top tournaments, and pay especially close attention to the games featuring the openings you play. It is invaluable to see not only the opening moves that the masters play, but also how the rest of the game unfolded. The ideas you discover in the games of the world’s elite can then be deployed in your own games.