Chess Training Tips-The Correct Way to study a chess book

Chess Training Tips-The Correct Way to study a chess book
How to learn effectively from chess books.
Many people think studying a chess book can be done by reading and occasionally looking at the diagrams. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only correct way to study a chess book requires:
• at least one chess set
• a good little analysis set on the side
• and maybe a magnetic set to boot
Basically, to really get any real instruction from ANY chess book, you must set up the position and play through the example - more than once. Don't imagine you can follow a series of moves in your head - even if you think you can play blindfold chess. Set up your board and play through every example and every single variation.
When I study, I often set up a chess board on my table. I have a little peg set off to one side, that I keep the current position on. And I also usually utilize one magnetic set. I play over every single move, line and variation. Often I will question a line, and spend a lot of time analyzing lines the author may not have even looked at. If it is a very complicated game, I more often than not will have the position set up on at least one chess computer, analyzing the game and the variations.
When I was a teenager, and studying Reinfeld's, "The Complete Chess-Player" I would often go through one example in the book as many as 10-20 times especially if I felt I did not understand it. With a difficult ending or very complicated middle-game position, I would make sure I did NOT move on until I had mastered the position in front of me. I learned all the opening lines in the rear of the book and I went through the illustrative games many, many, many times until I felt I thoroughly understood the ideas involved in these examples. In the end, I probably had most of these games memorized.
In addition to this, with the onset of so many good chess-playing computer programs, you could set the position up on your computer and let the computer play defense. When you can consistently defeat the computer - with very best play - then you know you have truly mastered that particular position. I consider this last technique essential for just about any ending.
To give you an actual example of what I am talking about, let's say you are studying a Rook and Pawn endgame/instruction book, and you are trying to learn The Lucena Position. Set up at least 5-6 different positions on your computer, with R+P and King (with the King on the eighth rank in front of the Pawn, and the Pawn on the 7th rank - ready to promote); versus King and Rook. Make sure you can win these positions all of the time. If you cannot win all of the time, then you do not really understand the position and the technique, and you probably won't be able to win if you get this position in an actual game.