Which chess books should you read?

Current rating?
Current rating? Any Below 800 800 - 1000 1000 - 1200 1200 - 1400 1400 - 1600 1600 - 1800 1800 - 2000 2000 - 2200 Above 2200
Playing style?
Playing style? any positional dynamic tactical theoretical
Biggest weakness?
Biggest weakness? any openings strategy tactics and calculation endgames
Target rating?
Target rating? Any 800 - 1000 1000 - 1200 1200 - 1400 1400 - 1600 1600 - 1800 1800 - 2000 2000 - 2200 Above 2200

Book of the week

silman's complete endgame course chessreads

Silman’s Complete Endgame Course

4.69
13 ratings·5 reviews
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Table of Contents

  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, World Chess Champion Strategy Training for Club Players, Thomas Willemze
  • World Chess Champion Strategy Training for Club Players
  • Thomas Willemze
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of Test Your Endgame Ability by August Livshits, Jon Speelman, chess book review
  • Test Your Endgame Ability
  • August Livshits, Jon Speelman
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
  • Promoted
600 of the world's most realistc chess bots
  • 600 Chess Bots
  • IM John Bartholomew
Play for free
  • For any rating
1 review
Book cover of A Parent's Guide to Chess by Dan Heisman, chess book review
  • A Parent’s Guide to Chess
  • Dan Heisman
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
1 review
Chess book review, Lessons with A Grandmaster 3, Strategic and Tactical Ideas in Modern Chess, Boris Gulko
  • Lessons with A Grandmaster 3, Strategic and Tactical Ideas in Modern Chess
  • Boris Gulko, Joel Sneed
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
Chessbook is the fastest way to build a bulletproof repertoire.
  • Chessbook
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of Starting Out: d-Pawn Attacks by Richard Palliser, chess book review
  • Starting Out: d-Pawn Attacks
  • Richard Palliser
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of Learn Chess the Right Way! Book 3: Mastering Defensive Techniques by Susan Polgar, chess book review
  • Learn Chess the Right Way! Book 3: Mastering Defensive Techniques
  • Susan Polgar
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Gyula Breyer, Jimmy Adams
  • Gyula Breyer
  • Jimmy Adams
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1600
0 reviews
Book cover of Multiple Choice Chess by Graeme Buckley, chess book review
  • Multiple Choice Chess
  • Graeme Buckley
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  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200
2 reviews
Chess book review, Squeezing the Gambits: The Benko, Budapest, Albin and Blumenfeld, Kiril Georgiev
  • Squeezing the Gambits: The Benko, Budapest, Albin and Blumenfeld
  • Kiril Georgiev
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of French Defence by Tim Sawyer, chess book review
  • French Defence
  • Tim Sawyer
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
1 review
Chess book review, Boris Spassky's Best Games 1, Tibor Karolyi, Chessreads
  • Boris Spassky’s Best Games 1
  • Tibor Karolyi
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  • ELO: 800
  • -
  • 1000
4 reviews
Chess book review, Simple Chess, Michael Stean
  • Simple Chess
  • Michael Stean
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  • Elo: 800
  • -
  • 2200
chessmind grid image 1
  • Mauricio Flores Rios
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of Rook Vs Two Minor Pieces by Esben Lund, chess book review
  • Rook Vs Two Minor Pieces
  • Esben Lund
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Latest reviews

  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2200
0 reviews
Book cover of The 3...Qd8 Scandinavian: Simple and Strong by Daniel Lowinger, chess book review
  • The 3…Qd8 Scandinavian: Simple and Strong
  • Daniel Lowinger
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2200+
1 review
Book cover of The Modern Scandinavian by Matthias Wahls, chess book review
  • The Modern Scandinavian
  • Matthias Wahls
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  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
2 reviews
Chess book review, The Zaitsev System, Alexey Kuzmin
  • The Zaitsev System
  • Alexey Kuzmin
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
1 review
Chess book review, Chess Fundamentals, Jose Capablanca
  • Chess Fundamentals
  • Jose Capablanca
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of The Original Arkhangelsk by Tibor Karolyi, chess book review
  • The Original Arkhangelsk
  • Tibor Karolyi
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of Archangel and New Archangel by Krzysztof Panczyk and John Emms, chess book review
  • Archangel and New Archangel
  • John Emms, Krzysztof Panczyk
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  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200
2 reviews
Book cover of Bobby Fischer's Endgame Technique by Alex Colovic, chess book review
  • Bobby Fischer’s Endgame Technique
  • Alex Colovic
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  • ELO: 1000
  • -
  • 1200
1 review
Book cover of Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez by John Shaw, chess book review
  • Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez
  • John Shaw
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Everything You Need to Know About Reading Chess Books
Christmas Gifts for Chess Players
Best Chess Books of 2025
Books for Ambitious Beginners

Chessreads is a collection of chess book reviews written by chess players of varying strength, from beginner to master. Our goal is to help every chess player find out which books they should read based on their rating, weaknesses and ambition.

Chessreads is accompanied by a YouTube channel where we post reviews in video format, interviewing authors, and recommending reading lists for players of different ratings.

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