Chessplayers wishing to improve their performance typically seek to deepen their middlegame understanding or to increase their endgame knowledge. Often, however, the real key to improvement lies not in learning additional ideas and positions, but in developing a more effective thinking process at the board.

In The Improving Chess Thinker, acclaimed chess instructor Dan Heisman compares how chessplayers of different strengths – ranging from beginner to International Master – approach analytical positions. From this, he draws lessons that will help players at each level to avoid typical flaws in their thought process and to move up to the next level.

Basing his work on more than four decades of testing volunteers, Heisman offers solutions to difficult practical issues such as deciding how much time to spend on a move; what to do while the opponent’s clock is running; and when to stop analyzing a line. In this book, ambitious players will find insight into what’s been holding them back, while coaches will find powerful new teaching tools.
What's new in the second edition? Plenty. Here are just some of the changes and additions:

Added

protocols to all the class (rating under 2000) chapters but significantly boosted the “Expert and Above” chapter with numerous additional protocols by players in the 2000-2500 range, for a total of almost one hundred protocols;

the chapter “The Most Common Thought Process Mistakes,” which provides discussion and examples of these errors;

a short chapter providing additional humorous and interesting stories about giving lessons and using the de Groot exercise;

Made corrections and numerous additions to the material from the first edition;

Expanded

the Glossary to include more terms used within the book;

Chapter 13, and included a section about finding positions suitable for giving de Groot exercises, with an additional half-dozen sample positions;

About the Author

National Master Dan Heisman has been a full-time chess instructor since 1996. His “Novice Nook” Internet column at Chess Café has received numerous annual awards for Best Instruction from the Chess Journalists of America. His Web TV show, “Q&A with Coach Heisman,” airs bi-weekly on Chess.com, and his video series, “Improve Your Chess,” appears weekly on the Internet Chess Club.