We chess players are always on the lookout for the best chess books. But it’s a jungle out there. The vast number of chess books and different opinions makes it hard to cut through the noise and find the best ones. I do not claim to have the definitive answer to the question of which books are best, but I can at least give you my opinion after five years of reading and reviewing chess books.
In order to identify a good chess book, one needs to answer at least two fundamental questions:
What is the topic (e.g. opening, strategy, tactics, endgame)?
What is the book’s target audience?
The reason is simple: A book is only “good” if it can help you adress the things you want to get from a book. And this will be very different depending on your playing strength and previous knowledge of the game.
When writing my reviews I try to answer these questions as best I can. The reviews on my blog are labeled accordingly, which makes it possible for you to search for books by category and level. In this post, I will give a short summary of the books that I have given the label Highly Recommended, which indicates that the books are really good - in my humble opinion.
So far, I have written 75 book reviews, and 28 of them are on books that I have deemed highly recommended. Below, I will present them briefly by level and category. All the titles contain hyperlinks that take you to my complete review of the book.
Books for any level
Books that are useful for players at any level are not very common, and especially not among the books that I gravitate towards. But there are a few exceptions. Here are four.
Silman's complete Endgame Course: This book contains theoretical endgames for players at different levels; from complete beginner to master.
Chess Improvement: It's all in the Mindset: This book takes a rather academic approach to the topic of improvement, and relates it to the concept of Mindset (cf. Carol Dweck). In this book, you will find many useful tips on how to improve your improvement.
Chess Queens: Women in chess do not get the attention they deserve. In this book, Jen Shahade puts focus on the greatest female players of all time, and discusses some of the challenges related to women and girls in chess. Especially recommended for tournament organizers, trainers and people in the chess federations around the world.
The Chess Memory Palace: In this unique book, John Holden teaches you how to use advanced memory techniques in order to remember your chess openings. Even if you don’t want to apply these techniques, the book may serve as inspiration for different ways to approach your chess training.
It's your Move: This is actually three books in one, with different levels of difficulty; beginners, intermediate and advanced players. It is a unique puzzle book that covers all phases of the game.
Books for beginners
Being an intermediate player myself, I don’t read a lot of beginner books. But every now and then, a book comes along that still tickles my reading nerve.
Chess fundamentals: A classic book from the third World Champion, Capablanca. In this book, you will find some instructive games and useful tips for how to improve your game. The book can also be useful for intermediate players.
Instructive Chess Miniatures: As the title suggests, this book presents a collection of chess miniatures that contain instructive positions and examples. While the book is mainly aimed at beginners, it should be entertaining for players at any level.
A guide to Chess Improvement: Renowned coach Dan Heisman has collected the best articles from his column Novice Nook and turned them into a book. The book contains useful tips on most aspects of the game, from opening, tactics and endgames as well as recommended books and training strategy.
Chess Master vs Chess Amateur: The fifth World Champion, Max Euwe, has written this masterpiece (no pun intended) where he presents a number of games that he uses to explain the difference in decision making between amateurs and masters.
Judgment and Planning in Chess: Another book from Euwe, in which he explains how to pick a position apart and find a plan.
Simple Chess: A classic and highly regarded fundamental chess strategy book. In this small book, Michael Stean shows some very instructive examples of how to find a proper plan.
The Amateur's Mind: In my opinion, a must-read for beginners and post-beginners. Similarly to Euwe’s Chess Master vs Chess Amateur, legendary author Jeremy Silman explains the difference in strategic thinking between players at various levels. This book should give you a solid strategic foundation.
The Power of Pawns: If you want to learn chess strategy, you need to learn about pawn structures. In this book, Jörg Hickl gives you a non-nonsense foundation for how to understand how the pawns sets the foundation for your strategic plans in chess.
Winning Chess Strategies: Legendary grandmaster Yasser Seirawan presents everything you need to know about chess strategy at the fundamental and intermediate level.
Winning Chess Strategy for Kids: In my opinion one of the best fundamental strategy books, alongside The Amateur’s Mind. It is one of the best basic chess books I have read.
Learn Chess Tactics: This is a typical tactics book, and a really good one at that. In my opinion the best one for beginners. Back in the day, this book was instrumental for my tactical development. If you are looking for the same, look no further.
Books for intermediate and advanced players
The majority of chess players are at the intermediate level, but most books seem to be written for an advanced audience. Thus, I find this category to be the most interesting. And, as stated above, being one of the intermediate/mediocre players of the world, this is where I focus the most.
The Chess Training Pocket Book: A unique puzzle book that doesn’t let you know what kind of problem you are facing. Are you aiming to win material or force checkmate? It’s up to you to find out. Horrible cover art, but great content. Don’t judge this book by it’s cover!
Think like a Super-GM: One of my all-time favorites! A collection of calculation puzzles at the core, surrounded by interesting discussions of thought processes in chess. A must read!
What it takes to become a Chess Master: One of my favorite books from Andrew Soltis. This book will not make you a chess master, but it gives you a summary of the main factors that characterize players at the master level.
Under the Surface: Another favorite. A rather philosophical book on how to think about chess. Thought provoking and inspiring. Read it! If you already have, read it again!
How to reassess your Chess: One of the greatest classics of modern chess strategy. It needs no further introduction.
Mastering Chess Strategy and Mastering Opening Strategy: Two great books from Swedish GM Johan Hellsten. These books will give you the same content as Silman’s books, with more focus on practical examples.
Questions of modern Chess Theory: A Soviet classic that will teach you many useful concepts about chess strategy. It contains some points that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Well worth a read.
Chess Tactics from Scratch: I claim that this is the best tactics book ever written. Read it!
Is your Move safe?: Another book from Dan Heisman. It’s a tactics book that makes you look at your intended move from your opponent’s perspective. Am I allowing a tactic here?
Looking for Trouble: Yet another one from Dan Heisman. This book gives you a position and the opponent's last move. And you are asked to identify the threat is how to handle it.
Dynamic Chess Strategy: The only one of my top recommendations that I categorize as a purely advanced book. An excellent and thought provoking book on chess strategy. This might take your game to the next level.
Conclusion
Please note that this is by no means the ultimate list of good chess books. I have several acclaimed books on my shelf waiting to be read. And there are many others that I still don’t have in my collection. But I hope this post has been helpful for you to identify which book(s) you should read next. And if you keep an eye on my blog for upcoming reviews, you will (hopefully) find even more useful tips.
If you find any broken links or other issues, please let me know. If you want to check out my other reviews, you will find a complete list here: patzersreview.blogspot.com/p/review-index.html