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

Table of Contents

  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of Play the Ruy Lopez by Andrew Greet, chess book review
  • Play the Ruy Lopez
  • Andrew Greet
Read Review
  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2200
Book cover of Beat the Kid: Three Lines Against the King's Indian by Jan Markos, chess book review
  • Beat the Kid: Three Lines Against the King’s Indian
  • Jan Markos
Read Review
  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of Chess Opening Repertoire: Benoni Mayhem by Andrew Martin, chess book review
  • Chess Opening Repertoire: Benoni Mayhem
  • Andrew Martin
Read Review
  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of Chess endings for the practical player by Ludek Pachman, chess book review
  • Chess endings for the practical player
  • Ludek Pachman
Read Review
  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
Chess book review, My Great Predecessors Part 1, Garry Kasparov
  • My Great Predecessors Part 1
  • Garry Kasparov
Read Review
  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
Chess book review, The Practical Endgame Bible, Guidelines for the Fundamentals of the Endgame, Boroljub Zlatanovic
  • The Practical Endgame Bible, Guidelines for the Fundamentals of the Endgame
  • Boroljub Zlatanovic
Read Review
  • Elo: 800
  • -
  • 2200
chessmind grid image 1
  • Mauricio Flores Rios
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of The Ruy Lopez: Move by Move by Neil McDonald, chess book review
  • The Ruy Lopez: Move by Move
  • Neil McDonald
Read Review
  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
Chess book review, Practical Chess Defence, Jacob Aagaard
  • Practical Chess Defence
  • Jacob Aagaard
Read Review
  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
Chess book review, How Ulf Beats Black, Cyrus Lakdawala
  • How Ulf Beats Black
  • Cyrus Lakdawala
Read Review
  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
Chessbook is the fastest way to build a bulletproof repertoire.
  • Chessbook
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
Chess book review, In Black and White, Paul van der Sterren
  • In Black and White
  • Paul van der Sterren
Read Review
  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of Opening Repertoire: The Grünfeld Defence by Nigel Davies, chess book review
  • Opening Repertoire: The Grünfeld Defence
  • Nigel Davies
Read Review
  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2200
Chess book review, Rock Solid Chess - Volume 2, Sergei Tiviakov
  • Rock Solid Chess – Volume 2
  • Sergei Tiviakov, Yulia Gökbulut
Read Review
  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of The Modernized Italian Game for White by Alexander Kalinin, Nicolai Kalinichenko, chess book review
  • The Modernized Italian Game for White
  • Alexander Kalinin, Nicolai Kalinichenko
Read Review

Latest reviews

  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
Chess book review, The Zaitsev System, Alexey Kuzmin
  • The Zaitsev System
  • Alexey Kuzmin
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
Chess book review, Chess Fundamentals, Jose Capablanca
  • Chess Fundamentals
  • Jose Capablanca
Read Review
  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of The Original Arkhangelsk by Tibor Karolyi, chess book review
  • The Original Arkhangelsk
  • Tibor Karolyi
Read Review
  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of Archangel and New Archangel by Krzysztof Panczyk and John Emms, chess book review
  • Archangel and New Archangel
  • Krzysztof Panczyk, John Emms
Read Review
  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200
Book cover of Bobby Fischer's Endgame Technique by Alex Colovic, chess book review
  • Bobby Fischer’s Endgame Technique
  • Alex Colovic
Read Review
  • ELO: 1000
  • -
  • 1200
Book cover of Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez by John Shaw, chess book review
  • Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez
  • John Shaw
Read Review
  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
Book cover of Ruy Lopez Exchange by Krzysztof Panczyk, chess book review
  • Ruy Lopez Exchange
  • Krzysztof Panczyk
Read Review
  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
Book cover of A Spanish Repertoire for Black by Mihail Marin, chess book review
  • A Spanish Repertoire for Black
  • Mihail Marin
Read Review

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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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