The best chess books for beginners up to about 1500 rating teach patterns, calculation and endgames—not long opening variations. Rating systems differ between platforms and over-the-board organisations, so treat 1500 as a rough skill band rather than a precise border.
A good sequence is simple: learn the rules and checkmates, practise tactics, study annotated complete games, then add endgames appropriate to your level. The five books below serve different points on that path.
The best beginner chess books at a glance
- Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess — best for a true beginner learning mating patterns.
- Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev — best introduction to annotated games.
- Winning Chess Tactics by Yasser Seirawan — best structured tactics course.
- Silman’s Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman — best rating-banded endgame reference.
- The Soviet Chess Primer by Ilya Maizelis — best demanding all-round course once the basics feel easy.
1. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
This programmed workbook uses short questions and repeated back-rank mating patterns. It requires little notation knowledge and gives immediate feedback, which makes it accessible to someone who has only just learned how the pieces move.
Its scope is narrow: it will not provide a complete chess education. Use it to build pattern recognition, then move to a broader tactics book and real games.
2. Logical Chess: Move by Move
Irving Chernev explains every move in a collection of complete games. That format helps a developing player connect opening principles, tactical threats and endgame consequences. Some opening assessments reflect the era in which it was written, but the habit of asking “what does this move do?” remains valuable.
Read with a physical board or analysis board. Before revealing each explanation, predict the next move and write down one candidate alternative.
3. Winning Chess Tactics
Yasser Seirawan introduces forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, double attacks, deflections and mating ideas in a friendly progression. It suits players who know the rules but miss one- and two-move opportunities during games.
Tactics improve through recall, not passive reading. Solve without moving the pieces, calculate the opponent’s best reply and repeat missed exercises until the pattern is immediate.
4. Silman’s Complete Endgame Course
Jeremy Silman arranges endgame material by rating band. A beginner can study essential mates, basic king-and-pawn endings and a few practical rook ideas without first working through advanced theory. That makes the book useful for years rather than weeks.
Do not start at page one and read straight through. Study only the sections assigned to your current level, set the positions up, and practise them from both sides.
5. The Soviet Chess Primer
Despite its title, Maizelis’s book becomes challenging quickly. It covers combinations, positional play and endgames with substantial exercises. It is best for an ambitious player already comfortable with notation and basic tactics, not for a first week in chess.
Choose it near the top of the beginner-to-intermediate range, especially if you enjoy a textbook style and are willing to calculate carefully before reading solutions.
What to study before openings
- Legal moves, check, checkmate, stalemate, castling and en passant.
- Basic mates with a queen or rook against a lone king.
- Hanging pieces and the core tactical motifs.
- Simple king-and-pawn endings and opposition.
- Opening principles: develop, contest the centre and secure the king.
For formal rule questions, consult the current FIDE Laws of Chess. For another current shortlist, compare the explanations in World Chess’s beginner book guide, then choose according to the weakness you actually need to fix.
How to get value from a chess book
Use active study. Set up each position, cover the answer, calculate two or three candidate moves and record your reasoning. After a game, identify one turning point and find the chapter that addresses it. Twenty focused minutes followed by a slow game will teach more than reading several chapters without a board. The same learn-by-playing principle underpins our beginner backgammon reading path.
A simple buying decision
Below roughly 800, start with Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess or another basic workbook. From about 800 to 1200, pair Logical Chess with a tactics course. From 1200 to 1500, add Silman’s level-appropriate endgames and consider The Soviet Chess Primer. Exact ratings vary; your recurring mistakes are the better guide.
Hi Amund, great sight and advice, I am based in Ireland and can’t seem to get:
Amateur’s Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery
anywhere except Amazon.com which doesn’t deliver to Ireland, any advice?
Anthony
Hi Anthony.
Sorry for late reply.
I’m sorry to say that I don’t know. I have seen more and more chess books in the “normal” book stores here in Oslo, so that could be something you could try out. I also know that the book stores have the possibility to order one specific book if you ask them.
Wish you the best!!
Kind regards,
Hey, I just wanna say thank you for these book recommendations, but I want to know if you have any recommendations on how to learn opening theory?. If so, thank you
Hi Anas! Frankly, I believe Youtube videos are very good at learning opening theories.
Another thing you can try is to open Chess.com or Lichess.org. Turn on stockfish against the computer. Try different openings and see how Stockfish (the computer) reacts to your different moves. After trying your favorite opening for an hour or so, you start to learn all the good (and more importantly: all the BAD) moves that you can do. That worked wonders for me! 🙂
seeing all these comments from “up and coming” chess players make me really happy 😛
I’ve played chess for about 10 years and i’m rated ~2000-2200 on Chess.com. I can’t really remember how many games I have played throughout my career, but it’s A LOT. And these puzzle books helped me to develop my skills early on. I agree that books can help, but you have to combine these books with playing a lot – especially playing online.
If you’re 2000-2200, you’re a super good player. I mean, you’re almost at the level where you can compete against people like Chessbrah and Eric Rosen?
I agree that puzzles online and puzzle books are super helpful to become better at chess. They’re almost better than playing a lot. I hate the feeling of playing chess openings and not being sure what to do after move 3. I would love to learn theory better, which is why I’m focusing a lot on reading books at the moment 😛
Wow, you really had some great progress!
I’m a 900 rated player now. About a week ago, I thought I was quite decent at chess. Then my friend dragged me to this “noob chess tournament” that was hosted in a bar.
Let me put it this way: I am not a great chess player! 😀
I guess that’s why I am reading this article trying to get some books that can help me grow. I’ll definitely order one of these – the one about endgame seem interesting enough
Good story! 🙂
It’s nothing as subjective as saying that you are “good at chess”. And to be fair: tournament players are usually rated above 1500. So don’t be sad that you didn’t win any games.
I’m even hosting chess tournaments now. And I’ve only played for about six months 😀
Chess books recommendations = the more heavy theory, the better. Like a rook endgame…it looks so basic and simply when you see the board. But in fact, it’s super complicated. You can study rook endgames until your tongue falls out haha.
I’ll try to pick up some of the books mentioned in this article.
I “discovered” chess about two months ago and I’ve gone from 800 to 1200. frankly, i’ve always been good at seeing patterns, doing mathematics and all that. And it’s so good feeling when you go from 1000 to 1200 in a weekend of studying and playing chess.
But i’m a very dedicated guy. I sit down, write down all my openings, and try to analyze every single game that I play.
Might also be buying chess books shortly, which is why I’m reading this article 😀
Wow!
If you go from 800 to 1200 in two months, you really got some serious chess skills. I’m very impressed.
Studying chess is the part where most people drop out. Playing chess is fun, but the “studying part” can kill the interest of people. That’s why I haven’t really progressed even more. Playing 100 games equal 1 hour with a chess book…or something. 😉
“Youtube Chess” is for entertainment. I agree.
Hikaru Nakamura is a brilliant chess player, but a poor streamer. He is only famous because he is one of the best bullet and blitz players in the world. What makes him so good is his ability to think fast. But he is DEAD BORING and extremely socially awkward when he streams 😛
so having a good chess teacher is not only about how good they are at playing chess. They also have to be extremely well at teaching you stuff. I’d rather have a chess teacher which is rated 2000 and is great at explaining end games compared to one rated at 2500 that don’t have EQ
Hello. I couldn’t agree more. Their ability to teach chess is not necessarily in correlation with their rating.
That also applies to books. The top grandmasters are not necessarily the people who writes the best chess books.
Inspring! Thanks a lot. It’s quite clear that you’ve been through exactly what I will be through: to become a better chess player. I am rated around 1300 now, but want to grow to at least 1500.
That being said, I struggle to become better in the openings. Do you believe that any of those books are good for openings or are they just better at understanding the game?
Sorry for all the quesitons, but do you also have some recommendations on the opening?
Hello ungarne.
Good to hear that you’re progressing with your chess. Frankly, my tips on the opening (that have helped me quite a lot to progress):
1) Stick to the same opening every time. Learn “all” the variations with the first 4-5 moves. That helps A LOT to gain an advantage against lower-rated chess players.
2) Once you start to get a grip, learn another opening. take it slooooooooow. 🙂
Youtube videos will only have you come 40-50 % of your potential. I agree that Youtube works best for chess entertainment.
If you want to educate yourself, you realy need to pick up some chess books. Great article btw. I think I have read that puzzle book, but I’m not sure. It was at the library so I couldnt “draw” in it, which was a mistake 😛
Hi Ujah. I agree – drawing in the puzzle chess books is a great way to learn. 😛
Mine is almost filled up with drawings of my own puzzles. But it’s a nice and fun activity that makes you being able to take your puzzle chess book to the beach.
I watch chess Youtube videos out of curiosity, but mainly due to entertainment purposes.
I’ve figured out that practice is just about 50 % of the progress. At some point, you meet the wall. And that’s when you need to read about chess theory and what not.
In the beginning I thought it would help to read some books from grandmasters. Turned out that this wasn’t of any help at all. Now I am reading books from instructive people that actually know how to TEACH people chess. Grandmasters don’t know how to TEACH. they just know how to play brilliant chess,.that’s a huge difference
People might say that going from ~500 ELO to ~1300 ELO isn’t a great achievement. But I think it is!
Congratulations!
And of all the books you mentioned in the article, I believe the strongest one is the puzzle book. I am a 2000 player myself, but I find that book to be extremely educational and great.
In regards to the chess Youtube videos you mention:
Chessbrah is by far the most popular one among people that play at a “semi-low level” 😀 And the reason for that is because their content is very noob friendly. If you ever wanna play, hit me up haha!
Hi Mark! 🙂
Thanks a lot for your comment. I agree that puzzles (chess puzzles online & chess book) is the best way to get better at chess.
In regards to Youtube, I love Chessbrah when I’m in the mood for being entertained. And I can watch Eric Rosen for hours if I’m eager to learn a new opening or something.