The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by Jonathan Rowson

This is not a beginners book at all. Rowson takes the experienced player through the 7 commonest pscyhological problems which cause mistakes in chess, which he categorises (i) thinking; (ii) blinking; (iii) wanting; (iv) materialism; (v) egoism; (vi) perfectionism; and (vii) looseness. Each of these he defines and illustrates with his own games (It is refreshing to see a chess author put in so many games where he has lost.). His sources of wisdom are eclectic in the extreme: the second quote in the book is from St Teresa of Avila, the penultimate is Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. I read this book without following through the games but I did study the board positions.

This book tackles the myth that chess players play an entirely rational game and analyses where their subjective thinking patterns most frequently fall down. It could be read as a guide to life as well as chess.

It is a real page turner (How often do you hear that in relation to a chess book?). It is very funny in places, very human. It instructs the reader on how to train to spot these common errors.