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: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Bent Larsen's Best Games, Bent Larsen
  • Bent Larsen’s Best Games
  • Bent Larsen
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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: 800
  • -
  • 2200
chessmind grid image 1
  • Mauricio Flores Rios
Try for Free
  • For any rating
1 review
Book cover of A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario, chess book review
  • A First Book of Morphy
  • Frisco Del Rosario
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
  • Promoted
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  • Chess DNA Test
  • Chessiverse
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Invisible Chess Moves, Yochanan Afek
  • Invisible Chess Moves
  • Emmanuel Neiman, Yochanan Afek
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  • ELO: 1200
  • -
  • 1400
0 reviews
Book cover of Starting Out: 1d4! by John Cox, chess book review
  • Starting Out: 1d4!
  • John Cox
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  • ELO: 1000
  • -
  • 1200
0 reviews
Book cover of How to Play Chess like a Champion by Fred Reinfeld, chess book review
  • How to Play Chess like a Champion
  • Fred Reinfeld
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  • ELO: 1400
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of The Veresov: Move by Move by Jimmy Liew, chess book review
  • The Veresov: Move by Move
  • Jimmy Liew
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2200
0 reviews
Book cover of King's Indian Warfare by Ilya Smirin, chess book review
  • King’s Indian Warfare
  • Ilya Smirin
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  • ELO: 2000
  • -
  • 2200+
0 reviews
Book cover of Play the Sicilian Kan by Johan Hellsten, chess book review
  • Play the Sicilian Kan
  • Johan Hellsten
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Chess book review, The Diamond Dutch, Viktor Moskalenko
  • The Diamond Dutch
  • Viktor Moskalenko
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  • Elo: -800
  • -
  • 2200+
Chessbook is the fastest way to build a bulletproof repertoire.
  • Chessbook
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
0 reviews
Chess book review, Comprehensive Chess Endings Volume 2, Bishop Against Knight Endings, Rook Against Minor Piece Endings, Yuri Averbakh
  • Comprehensive Chess Endings Volume 2, Bishop Against Knight Endings, Rook Against Minor Piece Endings
  • Yuri Averbakh
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  • ELO: 1600
  • -
  • 1800
0 reviews
Book cover of PCO: Practical Chess Openings by Martyn Kravtsiv, chess book review
  • PCO: Practical Chess Openings
  • Martyn Kravtsiv
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  • ELO: 1800
  • -
  • 2000
1 review
Chess book review, The Exchange Sacrifice according to Tigran Petrosian, Vassilios Kotronias
  • The Exchange Sacrifice according to Tigran Petrosian
  • Vassilios Kotronias
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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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Rating: 2000-2200
Rating: Above 2200
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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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