The Penguin Book of Chess Openings

This book is great for those players trying to decide what type of opening systems are best for them.The Penguin Book provides an overview of all the common opening variations. And by reading over this book, a player will gain a valuable familiarity with almost all of the openings that he is likely to encounter over the board. This book does not dive deep into any specific opening, but rather gives the reader a basic understanding of all of them. I read this book when I was rated about 1400. It was my first opening book and I feel that it gave me a great foundation to build on. After reading this book, I realized what openings suited my style best. And I later purchased books specifically focused on the openings I had chosen.But it all began with this book.I am now rated approxamately 1900 and own hundreds of chess books. But I will always appreciate this one for getting me started in the right direction.