The 10 Best Beginner Chess Books
Finding the right beginner chess books from a book list can be a daunting task. After all, this is the only time that you or your child will learn chess for the first time. So what is the best way forward? Here are the best ten beginner chess books that I recommend for beginners to help them start playing and improve their game. I have separated the list into three categories,
- For Kids
- For all new learners
- Taking that next step
I think anyone can learn from the “for kids” section of booksand from the “for all new learners” section ofbooks. But make sure you know the basics before diving into “taking that next step.”
Table of contents
Chess Openings
You might notice a lack of books about chess openings on my list. Some of the books may mention good opening principles, and there are some good beginner books about openings for beginners, but my list will mostly be about learning the basics, learning tactics, and some basic endgames. Just play good opening principles in your chess openings and follow what these books tell you, and you will have a good game of chess.
Chess Books For Kids
While none of these books are only for kids, these are a great start for any students who are brand new to the game. For those who have no experience with chess at all, these are a perfect start to your chess journey. These books will introduce you to the rules, good chess fundamentals, pieces, and basic tactics of chess. Children who read these books and be able to play a full game of chess in no time!
1. Everyone's First Chess Workbook
Everyone’s First Chess Workbook is an excellent beginner chess book and introduction to chess for anyone. Author Peter Giannatos has created 738 exercises with plenty of room for writing down the solutions to the exercises. This makes this the best workbook on my list. It is an excellent resource for a chess coach, chess homework, or eager chess students who want to learn chess as quickly as they can!
I use the book with many of my students who are brand new to chess. Chess teachers can use positions that are simple enough for learners who are brand new to the pieces. A new learner can learn how all the pieces move, all kinds of basic tactics, and even more complex checkmating patterns and themes.
2. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is one of the most popular chess books of all time. Many great chess players will reference this as their first-ever chess book. First published in 1966 written by Bobby Fischer and co-authored by Stuart Margulies and Donn Mosenfelder, it has sold over one million copies.
The book uses nineteen different examples adapted from real games that Fischer played between 1957 and 1965. This book for beginners uses real games from a chess tournament. Studying master games is an amazing way to get better at chess, so this is a great way to learn chess while diving into real game positions. I would not recommend this as your only introduction to chess, but it is a great piece of chess history that teaches chess using high-level examples.
One interesting thing about Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is that it requires no knowledge of algebraic notation. The whole book uses diagrams with arrows and descriptions. While this might lower the barrier to entry for the book, I do think reading and understanding algebraic chess notation is an important step in anyone's chess learning life, and many of the other introductory chess books, like one book later on my list, Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss, go out of their to help you learn that valuable skill.
3. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
Written by New Zealand chess grandmaster Murray Chandler, “How to Beat Your Dad at Chess” is slightly more modern than Fischer’s book. Published in 1998, this one focuses on 50 Deadly Checkmates that will help you beat your proverbial “dad.” Whether that is your friends at school, coworkers, or actual dad, “How to Beat Your Dad at Chess” is a great tool to learn mating motifs.
4. Chess Tactics for Students
Did you or your over-eager student already finish “Everyone’s First Chess Workbook?” Are you/they desperate for more chess? Well until Everyone’s Second Chess Workbook is announced or released, I recommend “Chess Tactics for Students.” There are 252 pages of worksheets here that are ready to be consumed. 434 carefully selected problems are here with increasing difficulty. Drilling chess puzzles is the key to improving and finding these kinds of tactics in your actual game! While this book is advertised for students, it certainly could be for all learners as well.
Chess Books for All New Learners!
Most any chess player, especially a complete beginner chess player, can learn from any introductory chess book. The first books on my list were directed more toward children starting off their chess-playing careers, but now I have some that I recommend for adults who are starting out in the game. I will say, if you have never played chess at all, I highly recommend pairing any of these following books with Everyone’s First Chess Workbook, or Chess Tactics for Students. Implementing the basics you are learning in the following beginner chess books in those workbooks where you are forcing yourself to solve actual problems will see you get the best results.
5. Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss
This was one of the first chess books that I ever read! I learned chess as an adult, and this was an excellent introduction to the game. It includes a nice mix of basics, tactics, and some context for the history and future of the game. If you are an adult who is brand new to chess, I recommend Patrick Wolff’s “Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss.” This book gave me a great stable ground to build my chess skills on.
6. Play Winning Chess
Yasser Seirawan’s Play Winning Chess is a great way to continue your adult chess journey. Yasser’s writing voice is always a joy to read, and this, “An Introduction to the Moves, Strategies, and Philosophy of Chess from one of the World's Top Chess Players” is no different. Yasser Seirawan is a three-time U.S. Champion, has beaten a world champion, and his teaching is among the best. I will always recommend a Yasser book, and I think one is another excellent introduction to the game.
Yasser does a great job of taking you beyond just how the pieces move and introducing you to what he calls the Seirawan method: force, time, space, and pawn structure. There are many great books in the “Winning Chess” series for beginners, and I have another one later on my list.
7. Chess For Dummies, 4th Edition
The black and yellow book cover of a “For Dummies” book is familiar to anyone who has ever perused a bookstore. Whether you want to learn how to cook with an air fryer, study anatomy and physiology, or learn chess, the “For Dummies” books have you covered. If you want something that covers a wide range of chess topics in simple and easy-to-understand language, then Chess For Dummies might be a good option. Covering topics from good chess etiquette to middle game strategy, this book will bring you up to speed. James Eade is a FIDE Master and does an excellent job in this beginner chess book, which is more than it seems.
Chess Books for Taking That Next Step
So, you have learned how the pieces move. You know some basic checkmate patterns and can win a game or two. Maybe you can even beat your dad. But how do you keep on improving? What are those books that will help you if you already know the most basic of basics in chess?
8. Chess - 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games
The more chess puzzles that you can do the better chess player you can become. This massive book of chess puzzles is a staple in many chess player's libraries. The book stands out. It has 5000 puzzles, which is more than all the other books on this list combined! The ability to choose between 306 checkmates in one move, 3,412 mates in two moves, 744 mates in three moves, 600 miniature games, 144 simple endgames, and 128 tournament game combinations means that you will always have some kind of puzzle to solve.
9. Winning Chess Strategies
Back to Yasser! Not to be confused with Jeff Coakley’s Winning Chess Strategy for Kids, which I easily could have included in my “for kids” section and is another excellent resource for new younger players.
Winning Chess Strategies by Yasser Seirawan and co-author Jeremy Silman might be my favorite chess book. It can introduce you to that next level of chess that you are looking for. If you already know the pieces, the rules, and some basic tactics, this is the beginner chess book that will bring you to the next level in this step by step process of improving.
If Play Winning Chess is the chess 101 class every freshman has to take in college, this is year two. This “sophomore” level chess book is ready to introduce you to some of the deeper thinking involved in the game you love. Now this may be the class that weeds out some of the less invested students, though not because it is a particularly hard book to get through, but just because chess is a tough game. If you want to go beyond a basic understanding of chess and enter your games more confident, then pick up Winning Chess Strategies.
10. Silman's Complete Endgame Course
Jeremy Silman, co-author of the previous book on the list, Winning Chess Strategies, wrote the ultimate chess endgame book for anyone from beginners to experts. While I wouldn’t recommend the entire book to beginners. If you want to start feeling a bit more confident in your basic endgame understanding then I recommend grabbing Silman's Complete Endgame Course. Depending on your level you may not read more than the first few chapters, but then you have the rest to look forward to as you improve! Those chapters, though, will give you a huge leg up on your competition as you can enter basic endgames with more confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can never have too many chess books! But I would stick with one book at a time per type. So I would get one book that covers all the basics, like Everyone's First Chess Workbook or Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, then one book with more puzzles to do, like Chess Tactics for Students, and make sure you or your student work through those before moving on to too many more.
Even if you already know the rules of chess, you will greatly improve after working through any of these options. Particularly the “taking the next step” books will help you continue to improve.
You can always do puzzles online, but there is something wonderful about a physical copy of a chess tactics book. And, especially for kids, having something that resembles homework or studying can help you get into the learning mindset.
Do as many as you can! Take your time, be consistent, and you will get better.
I think that you absolutely could read all of these books. I think there are a few that serve the same purpose, like Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss and Chess For Dummies, 4th Edition, which both cover lots of basics. Otherwise, read as many as you can!