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: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Chess book review, Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, Fasttrack Edition, Mark Dvoretsky
  • Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, Fasttrack Edition
  • Alex Fishbein, Karsten Müller, Mark Dvoretsky
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  • ELO: 800
  • -
  • 1000
0 reviews
Chess book review, First Chess Openings, Eric Schiller
  • First Chess Openings
  • Eric Schiller
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2200
0 reviews
Book cover of Winning With the Modern London System by Nikola Sedlak, chess book review
  • Winning With the Modern London System
  • Nikola Sedlak
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  • -
0 reviews
Chess book review, Chess Coach, the profound and lasting influence of Mark Dvoretsky, Vladimir Barsky
  • Chess Coach, the profound and lasting influence of Mark Dvoretsky
  • Vladimir Barsky
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of Learn Chess the Right Way! Book 1: Must-know Checkmates by Susan Polgar, chess book review
  • Learn Chess the Right Way! Book 1: Must-know Checkmates
  • Susan Polgar
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Amateur to IM, Proven Ideas and Training Methods, Jonathan Hawkins
  • Amateur to IM, Proven Ideas and Training Methods
  • Jonathan Hawkins
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  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
0 reviews
Book cover of Grandmaster Repertoire 2: 1.d4 Volume Two by Boris Avrukh, chess book review
  • Grandmaster Repertoire 2: 1.d4 Volume Two
  • Boris Avrukh
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  • Elo: 800
  • -
  • 2200
chessmind grid image 1
  • Mauricio Flores Rios
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Endgame Virtuoso Magnus Carlsen - Volume II, Tibor Karolyi
  • Endgame Virtuoso Magnus Carlsen – Volume II
  • Tibor Karolyi
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of The Complete French by Lev Psakhis, chess book review
  • The Complete French
  • Lev Psakhis
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
  • Promoted
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  • ELO: -800
  • -
  • 1000
1 review
Book cover of Chess Puzzles for Kids by Murray Chandler, chess book review
  • Chess Puzzles for Kids
  • Murray Chandler
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Chess book review, Max Euwe, the Biography, Alexander Münninghoff
  • Max Euwe, the Biography
  • Alexander Münninghoff
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
Chessbook is the fastest way to build a bulletproof repertoire.
  • Chessbook
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1600
0 reviews
Chess book review, Chess Endgames for Club Players, Herman Grooten
  • Chess Endgames for Club Players
  • Herman Grooten
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Sveshnikov vs. the Anti-Sicilians, Evgeny Sveshnikov
  • Sveshnikov vs. the Anti-Sicilians
  • Evgeny Sveshnikov
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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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Openings
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Rating: 2000-2200
Rating: Above 2200
Articles
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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