Chess is a game that tests your analytical, reasoning, and calculative skills along with strategizing the moves. Whether you play for entertainment purposes or are a professional, every day is new learning. There are several tricks and strategies to learn for acing this game. In addition, you can find millions of videos, podcasts, and books to master chess.
In this article, we are going to entail the 10 best chess books available. These books will help you to learn and understand this game better.
Before we begin here are some interesting facts associated with chess that will boggle your mind.
Interesting Facts About Chess:
- The possibility of a Knight’s tour is approximately 122 million.
- The word checkmate originated from the Persian phrase, Shah Mat. It means the King is dead.
- theoretically, the longest game possible is 5949 moves.
- As per America’s foundation for chess, there are 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000 ways for the first 10 moves in chess.
- The longest game ever ended in a draw with 269 moves. It was played between Nikolic and Arsovic, in Belgrade, in 1989.
10 Best Chess Books
1. Logical Chess
Written by: Irving Chernev
This is a popular classic written by Irving Chernev. There are a total of 33 games explained in-depth. Every game contains explanations and insights into every move.
Chess books are mostly complicated for beginners but this one is a perfectly balanced book. Moreover, you will find various little tutorials along with reading the book that you can follow and make moves in the game. It is also suited for intermediates. The language used by the author is easy and accessible.
Interestingly, there is advice from the grandmasters and an insight into their mindset. This leads to preventing mistakes committed by the players. Overall, it is a stunning compilation of instructions that lead to improving your game.
You can buy this book from here.
2. Silman’s Complete Endgame Course
Written by: Jeremy Silman
This book is extremely popular and has been ruling the market for 100 years.
It helps the players to understand where they are currently and what knowledge they need more to excel at their game. The author has beautifully written the content to help each player in developing their skills.
It is one of the most fun and interesting books on endgames. The language is simple and easy to understand. If you are looking for a comprehensive book that covers all endgames then this one is the right one for you.
You can buy this book from here.
3. My 60 Memorable Games
Written by: Bobby Fischer
This book is written in the context of a chess genius, Bobby Fischer. It is known as one of the most essential chess books written. Bobby takes you through his 60 most memorable chess games and explains his thought processes and the intricacies associated with them.
All these games were played by him as a grandmaster and his explanation of each makes it understandable for the readers.
In addition, this book is recommended for every chess enthusiast, be it a professional or a beginner. You are going to learn a lot from this book.
You can buy this book from here.
4. My System
Written by: Aaron Nimzowitsch
This is a classic chess book written by Aron. It is unique and beautifully compiled. Interestingly, he takes the help of algebraic notations and then describes the concepts in chess. There are a total of 419 diagrams that explain every move and the logic behind it.
It was written a long time ago and has been in the market for 75 years. However, it still connects with the readers and provides them with some valuable information to ace their game.
You can buy this book from here.
5. The Art of Attack in Chess
Written by: Ladimir Vukovic
It is one of the finest chess books written. There are various principles and strategies mentioned by the author.
This book is recommended for both beginners and experts. In addition, it also consists of some instructive games that are fun to play and learn eventually. Different themes and strategies for the attacks are mentioned very well. This book has the power to add brilliance to any chess player’s game.
You can buy this book from here.
6. Life & Games of Mikhail Tal
Written by: Mikhail Tal
Mikhail is known as the greatest attacking world champion to ever exist. He is also known as the magician from Riga.
There are some incredible tactics explained in the book. Moreover, after reading this book you will get to know Tal a bit better! The author has explained his personal and professional life in a humorous way that makes it more entertaining to read. There are a lot of interesting takeaways from this book that will improve your gaming skills.
The write-up is extremely simple. However, there are great details in the book that will guide you in the right direction.
You can buy this book from here.
7. Play Winning Chess
Written by: Jeremy Silman and Yasser Seirawan
This book is an introduction to various moods and strategies including the philosophy of chess. Every chapter is explained well and every move is described intricately. There are various instructive examples, games, question-and-answer sections, etc. All these help to polish the mind and learn the details of this game.
Moreover, you will also find some psychological things in between the chapters that will give you an edge over others.
This is an excellent book and contains the importance of pawn structure, force, space, and time. You can also find the history of chess along with the basic principles to learn it.
You can buy this book from here.
8. Chess Fundamentals
Written by: Jose Raul Casablanca
The writer of this book is one of the greatest world chess champions. He used to play in a straightforward manner with utmost speed and strength. In addition, his game was top-notch. In his book, he has mentioned the strategies and the thinking patterns that he used in his time.
These steps can help every budding chess player to incorporate the same in their game and level up. There are various exercises and games in the book that can help you to exercise the moves and learn from them.
Moreover, the board diagrams can help to learn about the moves practically.
You can buy this book from here.
9. Chess for Kids
Written by: Michael Basman
As you know, chess is one of the world’s most fascinating games and the author has mentioned here how to learn this game and ace it. If you are a beginner, an intermediate, or an expert you have the opportunity to upscale your skills to gain a deeper understanding of this game.
In addition, there are some interesting aspects for you to learn this game better. Take a look:
- Every piece has been explained in depth.
- There is a history section that describes the background of the game and its origin.
- Graphics and diagrams to show how to apply the moves in real life.
All the chapters will teach you how to improve the tactics that you can apply in the game to excel. Moreover, there are various tricks through which you can visualize the moves and their potential outcomes.
You can buy this book from here.
10. Winning Chess Tactics
Written by: Yasser Seirawan
The writer has beautifully explained the tactics and combinations that can be used in chess to improve your game. There is a detailed account of the world’s top chess players, their strategies, attacks, defenses, etc.
Yasser is an international grandmaster and shows how to use tricks in the game along with the mindset of the chess legends. In addition, the chapters include diagrams and tactical themes for better understanding. Each topic has a test at the end so that you can track your improvement.
All the examples in the book give you the confidence to play well in the game and excel at it.
You can buy this book from here.
Conclusion
Being one of the most interesting games in the world, chess needs a lot of tactics and the presence of mind. Every chess-playing enthusiast must know that there is a lot to learn in this game. A lot of chess legends have written their books to mention the strategies and tactics to implement in your game in order to excel at it.
In this article, we have listed the 10 best chess books that contain international grandmasters as well. There is a lot to learn from their experience and incorporate the same in your game. If you wish to learn this fascinating game and be a master, then this list will definitely help you! a
We hope that information benefits you in making an informed decision. Which one is your favorite book, tell us in the comment section below!
Happy Reading!
People are also reading: