5 Best Middlegame Books (for any rating)

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Find out which middlegame books you should read and filter them by positional play, tactics, strategy and puzzle books.

5 Best Chess Middlegame Books are not in order of quality, but priority of reading.

1. Chess Structures
   Winning or losing most often comes down to understanding what should be done in a position. That always depends on the pawn structure. The pawn structure determines strategy, creates tactical opportunities, and is essential in creating long-term plans.
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2. Supreme Chess Understanding
   Supreme Chess Understanding explains the difference between static and dynamic advantages, highlighting the importance of being able to do so while playing, and how knowing where your advantage (or disadvantage) lies enables you to evaluate, plan, and play precisely, according to what the position requires.

3. Lessons on Uncompromising Play
   Lessons on Uncompromising Play is a book meant for strong players who are willing to do hard work to progress further. It’s not a book on tactics, strategy, or the endgame, it’s a book on how to play good, uncompromising chess and how to win games.

4. GM Preparation: Positional Play
   Positional Play came about because Jacob had a collection of training positions he had used while working with Boris Gelfand during his world championship cycle in 2008/2009. In Aagaard’s opinion, it’s the most original of the 5 workbooks in the series.

5. Beyond Material
   Going beyond material and being able to appreciate the importance of space and the initiative is what differentiates strong players from weak ones. Beyond Material is a book that teaches you how to take the step to deeper understanding of the correlation between material, time, and space.