Which books are suited for 1500 elo?

Question

I currently have 1500 Elo on chess.com and recently I feel like I reached a bottleneck, it seems that no matter what, it is difficult to go higher.

Considering that I want to reach 1800 which books are recommended?

Probably I am facing strategic problems, for example I can develop the rooks, by connecting them, then double them on a column, but then I don't know anymore what to do. Sometimes I can reach the 7th rank, but other times it seems simply pointless to double them.

Similarly, I develop other pieces, I can reach good positions, but still I don't know how to fully utilize them at full extent

Last, I am still having problems when the enemy launch it pawns at me on my castled side and I have to use my paws to defend.

Answer 1

I would recommend the Yusupov-Series, in your case the first three books (orange), called Fundamentals.

There are a lot of books out there that you would profit from reading, but the Yusupov books are more of a trainings course and I believe that you generally get out of a book in (terms of Elo) what you put into it (in terms of effort).

Doing these exercises will give you actual practical abilities instead of just illusions of understanding.

Answer 2

Getting to 1500 ELO means that you've grasped much about the tactical nature of the game - when you have a strong position you can win. Now you're ready to push on into more abstract territory; how can I make my position stronger despite not seeing how to win right now?

For this there is nothing better than Jeremy Silman's "How to Reassess Your Chess." He guides you through a series of different "imbalances" that a chess position can have. With this comes the ability to plan, judge whether exchanges are beneficial and find subtle ways just to improve when there is no clear way to win.

1500 ELO and improving is an incredibly exciting place to be. I have no doubt that you'll be recommending this book to similarly ranked friends for many years to come!

Answer 3

Anything by Chernev is good at 1500 - Logical Chess Move by Move is his most famous book. Has an explanation after each move.

Teach yourself better chess by Hartston is also good (and cheap). Bridges the gap between beginner and master.