The Best Chess Books For Improving Your Game

Chess is the most written-about game in history. People have been writing and studying chess books for 1200 years Even in the internet age, chess books are still a great way to improve your game, but with so many out there, what should you be reading?

• The Best Books For Beginners
• The Best Books For Intermediate Players
• The Best Books For Chess History And Improvement
• The Best Books For Endgames
• The Best Books To Shake Up Your Thinking
• Book Recommendations From Chess Improvers

The Best Books For Beginners

If you're new to chess, welcome to an amazing game! For most of the last 60 years, the best way to get started in chess has been Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.

It was written by a team of World Champion GM Bobby Fischer, Stuart Margulies and Donn Mosenfelder, although there's some controversy about the extent of Fischer's involvement. Regardless of its origin, the book introduces the basic rules of the game, along with key tactical patterns. It's composed of a long series of puzzles that build on each other and teach you everything you need for a successful start in chess.

If you're looking for a more modern take on the game, IM Levy Rozman (Gothamchess on Youtube) has a best-selling introduction called How To Win At Chess. Rozman's guide has more explanations, befitting of "the internet's chess teacher." It doesn't have the long track-record of Fischer's book, but it's incredibly popular at the moment and gets the job done.

The Best Books For Intermediate Players

It's not perfect, but a book that has inspired generations of players to learn from master games is Irving Chernev's Logical Chess: Move By Move. It's the book that made me first realize that chess was a game you could study and attempt to master, and not just another Snakes And Ladders. Logical Chess delivers on the title's promise of explaining every move of the great masters. Check out this master class in attacking:

The only downside to Logical Chess is that there are some analysis errors that you wouldn't see in a more modern book. If that's a concern, then you may prefer GM Michael Stein's Simple Chess, which also covers strategy in an engaging way. 

The Best Books For History And Improvement

If you want to learn about chess history and strategy at the same time, there's nothing better than former world champion GM Garry Kasparov's five-volume set, My Great Predecessors. Kasparov traces chess history through the stories of the first 12 world champions, and includes intricate analysis of their most important games.

The Best Books On Endgames

For most chess players, you can find everything you need to know about endgames in the easy to read guide, Concise Chess Endings by GM Neil McDonald. It's a pocket-sized book that tells you the essentials so you can start using the ideas immediately. If you're working on getting a FIDE title and you're already most of the way there, Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual can help you get over the hump—but most of us aren't quite so advanced and would be overwhelmed by it.

The Best Books To Shake Up Your Thinking

If you're already a serious player and feel stuck in a rut, there are a few unique books that examine chess thought processes rather than specific tactics. Arguably the best book on chess psychology is The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by GM Jonathan Rowson. Rowson describes each of the major "sins" that drive chess players' thinking off track. Another excellent book on chess thinking (and the lack thereof) is Move First, Think Later by IM Willy Hendricks. It's a fun read and explains why many of the most popular training techniques might not work for most players.

Here's an amazing puzzle from Move First, Think Later. It looks like White is in serious trouble, but one move saves the game. Can you find it?

Book Recommendations From Chess Improvers

More than 33,000 chess players have joined the Improvers Group on Chess.com this year and many of them recommended their favorite books. Besides those mentioned above, here are some of their many recommendations.

• Just about anything by IM Jeremy Silman, in particular How To Reassess Your Chess, Silman's Complete Endgame Course, and The Amateur's Mind
• Winning Chess Middlegames by GM Ivan Sokolov
• Understanding Chess Move By Move by GM John Nunn
• Small Steps To Giant Improvement by GM Sam Shankland
• 100 Endgames You Must Know  by GM Jesus Maria De La Villa Garcia
• How To Beat Your Dad At Chess by GM Murray Chandler

If that's not enough for you, you can check out the full forum on chess book recommendations.

What's your favorite chess book? Let us know in the comments!