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

4.73
11 ratings·5 reviews
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Table of Contents

  • Elo: 800
  • -
  • 2200
chessmind grid image 1
  • Mauricio Flores Rios
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Chess book review, Games and Goals, Atle Grønn
  • Games and Goals
  • Atle Grønn
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of Chess Secrets: Giants of Innovation by Craig Pritchett, chess book review
  • Chess Secrets: Giants of Innovation
  • Craig Pritchett
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, The Even More Flexible French, Viktor Moskalenko
  • The Even More Flexible French
  • Viktor Moskalenko
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1600
0 reviews
Book cover of Understanding Chess Endgames by John Nunn, chess book review
  • Understanding Chess Endgames
  • John Nunn
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
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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: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
0 reviews
Book cover of Greatest 440 Puzzles, The Best Online Tactics from 2020 by Balogh Csaba, chess book review
  • Greatest 440 Puzzles, The Best Online Tactics from 2020
  • Balogh Csaba
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of Practical Bishop Endings by Edmar Mednis, chess book review
  • Practical Bishop Endings
  • Edmar Mednis
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of The Art of Planning in Chess by Neil McDonald, chess book review
  • The Art of Planning in Chess
  • Neil McDonald
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
4 reviews
Chess book review, 100 Endgames You Must Know, Jesus de la Villa
  • 100 Endgames You Must Know
  • Jesus de la Villa
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
Chessbook is the fastest way to build a bulletproof repertoire.
  • Chessbook
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Chess book review, Winning Quickly with Black, Iakov Neishtadt
  • Winning Quickly with Black
  • Iakov Neishtadt
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  • ELO: 800
  • -
  • 1000
1 review
Chess book review, Basic Chess Openings for Kids, Charles Hertan
  • Basic Chess Openings for Kids
  • Charles Hertan
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of First Steps: The French by Cyrus Lakdawala, chess book review
  • First Steps: The French
  • Cyrus Lakdawala
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of The King’s Gambit for the Creative Aggressor by Thomas Johansson, chess book review
  • The King’s Gambit for the Creative Aggressor
  • Thomas Johansson
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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+
0 reviews
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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