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: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of Judgment and Planning in Chess by Max Euwe, chess book review
  • Judgment and Planning in Chess
  • Max Euwe
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of Starting Out: The French by Byron Jacobs, chess book review
  • Starting Out: The French
  • Byron Jacobs
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  • For any rating
0 reviews
Chess book review, Sunrise in the Bronx, David MacEnulty
  • Sunrise in the Bronx
  • David MacEnulty
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of King's Gambit by Nikolay Kalinichenko, chess book review
  • King’s Gambit
  • Nikolay Kalinichenko
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
1 review
Chess book review, Zlotnik's Treasure Trove, Boris Zlotnik
  • Zlotnik’s Treasure Trove
  • Boris Zlotnik
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of The Alekhine Defence: Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala, chess book review
  • The Alekhine Defence: Move by Move
  • Cyrus Lakdawala
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of Korchnoi's 400 Best Games by Viktor Korchnoi, Robert Graham Wade, L. S. Blackstock, chess book review
  • Korchnoi’s 400 Best Games
  • L. S. Blackstock, Robert Graham Wade, Viktor Korchnoi
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1600
0 reviews
Book cover of Better Chess for Average Players by Tim Harding, chess book review
  • Better Chess for Average Players
  • Tim Harding
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  • Elo: 800
  • -
  • 2200
chessmind grid image 1
  • Mauricio Flores Rios
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
  • Promoted
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of First Steps: The Scandinavian by Cyrus Lakdawala, chess book review
  • First Steps: The Scandinavian
  • Cyrus Lakdawala
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
3 reviews
Chess book review, The Woodpecker Method 2: Positional Play, Axel Smith
  • The Woodpecker Method 2: Positional Play
  • Axel Smith
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Book cover of The Nimzo-Indian Defence by Svetozar Gligoric, chess book review
  • The Nimzo-Indian Defence
  • Svetozar Gligoric
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of Complete Chess Strategy, Principles Of Pawn Play And The Center by Ludek Pachman, chess book review
  • Complete Chess Strategy, Principles Of Pawn Play And The Center
  • Ludek Pachman
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of Lasker: Move by Move by Zenon Franco, chess book review
  • Lasker: Move by Move
  • Zenon Franco
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
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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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Rating: Below 800
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Rating: 2000-2200
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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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