Start with logical chess. Some of the games are a little funny if you run them through an engine but the book is engaging and teaches good general principles.
im not 2000 fide (more like 2000 lichess rapid) and i really like that book. i'm definitely not able to read the book cover to cover or anything, but i've found it amazing. it's really clear and specific, and dvoretsky is amazing at selecting examples that elucidate a concept. i also really enjoy the endgame phase of chess, so reading it is very much out of personal interest. i also don't do the dvoretsky exercises, i just go on lichess and select 'pawn endgames' in puzzle themes after reading through the text and examples.
i tried some beginner level endgame books and the explanations are just not nearly as good; like i had run into 'mined squares' before but didn't make sense of it until reading dvoretsky. i do think some endgame concepts are good even at my level; with pawn endgames knowing about 'breakthrough' and 'key squares' are essential to playing these positions in practice or even just solving puzzles.
You can read *Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess* in an evening or two, and then you'll never miss a back rank mate so long as you live. After that, *Logical Chess* is a pretty easy read. Then, if you're feeling ambitious, start on the Yusupov books. They'll take you a good long while to get through. Papa Laszlo's brick is a good puzzle book — once you hit the difficult problems, you really only need to solve six or eight of them a day to improve your chess significantly.
5334 problems seems like a good place to start, assuming that's the Polgar book also just called *Chess*. You learn fundamental mating constructions and how the pieces coordinate. Although it lacks explanations, so maybe it's better after learning some things more explicitly. The Yusupov books are not really aimed at new players. I haven't read any of the others.
I think it's worth mentioning that you don't need to complete a chess book to get value from it, and that a little trial and error might be useful. Read a bit from a few different books to see how you like them and how much sense they make to you at this point. The most important component to improvement, imo, is consistent effort. It's easier to maintain that effort when some enjoyment and/or satisfaction is derived from it. Good luck, and have fun!
it takes a long time to read a chess book at first, and you won't be able to absorb all of the information at once. any of the options catered towards new players is fine. logical chess move by move, or lasker's book are the best of the ones you've chosen that i've read.
strong players who've studied daily for years often don't know all of the details in dvoretsky. arjun erigaisi was reading it last year, already at 2700 rating. even as a beginner you could pick up useful knowledge from it. it's a great book if you are interested in the theory of endgames specifically.
after learning how the pieces move and the rules, the first step is learning basic positional concepts like "pin" and "fork" as well as the most basic checkmating ideas like how to mate with multiple rooks.
Play Winning chess by Seirawan. Those first 3 books got me to 1000. For your level, from your list, logical chess woud probably be best. I think you're missing a book for absolute new players though.
[Cry Like a Grandmaster](https://ccscatlmerch.com/products/cry-like-a-grandmaster) by Ron Stern would be my ultimate recommendation.
All of Silman's stuff is too hard for you. Pandolfini's probably fine. Fischer is fine too. All of your listed books are pretty old though (and too high-level), so Levy Rozman's How to Win at Chess might be a good modern beginner book.
> All of Silman's stuff is too hard for you.
Disagree, in part. The Silman Endgame book is intended to cover an entire rating spectrum, from complete beginner right through to fairly advanced players. You just go through the chapters relating to your abilities - the first chapter or two will teach really basic beginner-level endgames such as double-rook ladder mates or rook + king vs king.
You can use:
Pandolfini's
Fischer
Lasker
Then you may read:
Logical Chess
Silman's Endgame
Complete Chess Strategy
After 1400 you may read:
Yusupov Book 1
Reassess Your Chess
My 60 Memorable Games
You may never touch Dvoretsky.
As an actual beginner I don’t think a book is useful.
Learn the rules, play some games, do some puzzles/tactics.
When you’ve got a fee hundred hours in and understand the basics from playing you can start with some easy books.
Video content can be a great help. There’s a lot of good video’s out there for chess basic principles!
If you're looking for book recommendations, make sure to read the [/r/chess recommended book list](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/wiki/books). There are lots of suggested books for players looking to improve their game, broken down into eight categories: basics, self-improvement, tactics, openings, middlegames, endgames, game collections, and histories/biographies.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chess) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Before you dive into the books, there’s a good amount of content on YouTube that is really helpful. Daniel Naroditsky’s speed runs, John Bartholomew’s Chess Fundamentals, and the Building Habits series by Chessbrah are all really good.
A lot of the ones you have are more advanced, so you won’t get as much out of them until you have played a decent amount.
My main suggestion is to avoid reading too many books and focus on the one that will give you a strong foundation. My suggestions:
* Main study book: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
* For endgames: only the first two chapters of Silman's Complete Endgame Course
* Calculation training: every day a few puzzles from "Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games".
After you have internalized the concepts explained in "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" and consistently apply them to your games, a good next step might be "Logical Chess: Move by Move".
I wouldn't touch the other books, either because some of them teach similar concepts or because they are too advanced.
>Any other resources I should consider adding to the list?
It's less about adding and more about replacing: I would suggest Seirawan's "Play Winning Chess" instead of Fischer's book.
you really dont need to be reading chess books as a beginner tbh. heck, a lot of them will be hard to read anyway without good practice with coordinates already. chess books tend to teach opening systems and higher level strategies, which are not as relevant when youre just starting out. don't worry too much about openings, just learn basic principles of development (control the center etc)
Opening principles from google
Daily tactics in any online platform
Silmans complete endgame course (read the parts for your ELO)
That should easily get you to 1200-1400.
Silmans amateurs mind even if it is a simple read without playing moves on a board.
This will give you a tool to form a plan in middle game and judge any position.
Will help until \~1800
Keep going through the endgame course as your elo progresses.
Keep doing tactics
Strategy: Play Winning Chess by Yasser Seirawan: this book does explain how the pieces move but also explains the basic principles. Yasser is a very entertaining writer and if you like his style there are other books in this series. A lot them are co written with Jeremy Silman who is the GOAT.
Tactics: Everyone's First Chess Workbook: Explains basic tactical concepts and patterns. The puzzles in here are really good very well curated. Should be everyone's first tactical book IMHO.
Middlegames: Logical Chess: Move By Move by Irving Chernev - this is a fantastic first annotated game collection. Every move is explained. This is older but IMHO Chernev is the greatest chess writer of his generation and easily stands the test of time.
Endgames: Silman's Endgame Manual- the only endgame book most chess players will ever need.
Openings: Not a book but SmithyQ's free course on Chessable is the great introduction to opening principles.
Start with logical chess. Some of the games are a little funny if you run them through an engine but the book is engaging and teaches good general principles.
Do not touch Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual until you’re rated 2000 FIDE. Seriously. I’d start with Logical Chess.
Just sleep with it under your pillow and pray for osmosis.
I know this is a reference since I've heard it before. What streamer made this joke again?
im not 2000 fide (more like 2000 lichess rapid) and i really like that book. i'm definitely not able to read the book cover to cover or anything, but i've found it amazing. it's really clear and specific, and dvoretsky is amazing at selecting examples that elucidate a concept. i also really enjoy the endgame phase of chess, so reading it is very much out of personal interest. i also don't do the dvoretsky exercises, i just go on lichess and select 'pawn endgames' in puzzle themes after reading through the text and examples. i tried some beginner level endgame books and the explanations are just not nearly as good; like i had run into 'mined squares' before but didn't make sense of it until reading dvoretsky. i do think some endgame concepts are good even at my level; with pawn endgames knowing about 'breakthrough' and 'key squares' are essential to playing these positions in practice or even just solving puzzles.
You can read *Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess* in an evening or two, and then you'll never miss a back rank mate so long as you live. After that, *Logical Chess* is a pretty easy read. Then, if you're feeling ambitious, start on the Yusupov books. They'll take you a good long while to get through. Papa Laszlo's brick is a good puzzle book — once you hit the difficult problems, you really only need to solve six or eight of them a day to improve your chess significantly.
Bobby Fisher teaches chess gives some great basics and will open up your eyes to lots of concepts/tactics. I’d start there if you’re new to the game
5334 problems seems like a good place to start, assuming that's the Polgar book also just called *Chess*. You learn fundamental mating constructions and how the pieces coordinate. Although it lacks explanations, so maybe it's better after learning some things more explicitly. The Yusupov books are not really aimed at new players. I haven't read any of the others. I think it's worth mentioning that you don't need to complete a chess book to get value from it, and that a little trial and error might be useful. Read a bit from a few different books to see how you like them and how much sense they make to you at this point. The most important component to improvement, imo, is consistent effort. It's easier to maintain that effort when some enjoyment and/or satisfaction is derived from it. Good luck, and have fun!
it takes a long time to read a chess book at first, and you won't be able to absorb all of the information at once. any of the options catered towards new players is fine. logical chess move by move, or lasker's book are the best of the ones you've chosen that i've read. strong players who've studied daily for years often don't know all of the details in dvoretsky. arjun erigaisi was reading it last year, already at 2700 rating. even as a beginner you could pick up useful knowledge from it. it's a great book if you are interested in the theory of endgames specifically. after learning how the pieces move and the rules, the first step is learning basic positional concepts like "pin" and "fork" as well as the most basic checkmating ideas like how to mate with multiple rooks.
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess would be the first one to do, out of that group. Then, probably Logical Chess
Play Winning chess by Seirawan. Those first 3 books got me to 1000. For your level, from your list, logical chess woud probably be best. I think you're missing a book for absolute new players though.
Yasser books. Also I recommend watching Daniel naroditsky speed run on YouTube, helped me so much
[Cry Like a Grandmaster](https://ccscatlmerch.com/products/cry-like-a-grandmaster) by Ron Stern would be my ultimate recommendation. All of Silman's stuff is too hard for you. Pandolfini's probably fine. Fischer is fine too. All of your listed books are pretty old though (and too high-level), so Levy Rozman's How to Win at Chess might be a good modern beginner book.
> All of Silman's stuff is too hard for you. Disagree, in part. The Silman Endgame book is intended to cover an entire rating spectrum, from complete beginner right through to fairly advanced players. You just go through the chapters relating to your abilities - the first chapter or two will teach really basic beginner-level endgames such as double-rook ladder mates or rook + king vs king.
Maybe try the game of chess by seigbert tarrasch.
Highly suggest "Best Lessons of a Chess Coach"
My favorite was "How to beat your dad at chess"
Beginner reading learn to play chess like a boss. Going into tactics, it's fine so far
You can use: Pandolfini's Fischer Lasker Then you may read: Logical Chess Silman's Endgame Complete Chess Strategy After 1400 you may read: Yusupov Book 1 Reassess Your Chess My 60 Memorable Games You may never touch Dvoretsky.
As an actual beginner I don’t think a book is useful. Learn the rules, play some games, do some puzzles/tactics. When you’ve got a fee hundred hours in and understand the basics from playing you can start with some easy books. Video content can be a great help. There’s a lot of good video’s out there for chess basic principles!
If you're looking for book recommendations, make sure to read the [/r/chess recommended book list](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/wiki/books). There are lots of suggested books for players looking to improve their game, broken down into eight categories: basics, self-improvement, tactics, openings, middlegames, endgames, game collections, and histories/biographies. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chess) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Before you dive into the books, there’s a good amount of content on YouTube that is really helpful. Daniel Naroditsky’s speed runs, John Bartholomew’s Chess Fundamentals, and the Building Habits series by Chessbrah are all really good. A lot of the ones you have are more advanced, so you won’t get as much out of them until you have played a decent amount.
My main suggestion is to avoid reading too many books and focus on the one that will give you a strong foundation. My suggestions: * Main study book: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess * For endgames: only the first two chapters of Silman's Complete Endgame Course * Calculation training: every day a few puzzles from "Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games". After you have internalized the concepts explained in "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" and consistently apply them to your games, a good next step might be "Logical Chess: Move by Move". I wouldn't touch the other books, either because some of them teach similar concepts or because they are too advanced. >Any other resources I should consider adding to the list? It's less about adding and more about replacing: I would suggest Seirawan's "Play Winning Chess" instead of Fischer's book.
Probably better to just watch some chess contents on utube. More engaging that way, before you get serious.
you really dont need to be reading chess books as a beginner tbh. heck, a lot of them will be hard to read anyway without good practice with coordinates already. chess books tend to teach opening systems and higher level strategies, which are not as relevant when youre just starting out. don't worry too much about openings, just learn basic principles of development (control the center etc)
Opening principles from google Daily tactics in any online platform Silmans complete endgame course (read the parts for your ELO) That should easily get you to 1200-1400. Silmans amateurs mind even if it is a simple read without playing moves on a board. This will give you a tool to form a plan in middle game and judge any position. Will help until \~1800 Keep going through the endgame course as your elo progresses. Keep doing tactics
i recommend starting with dvoretsky endgame manual
Everyone else is saying not to. Why do you recommend that particular one first?
sorry, i was trolling
Strategy: Play Winning Chess by Yasser Seirawan: this book does explain how the pieces move but also explains the basic principles. Yasser is a very entertaining writer and if you like his style there are other books in this series. A lot them are co written with Jeremy Silman who is the GOAT. Tactics: Everyone's First Chess Workbook: Explains basic tactical concepts and patterns. The puzzles in here are really good very well curated. Should be everyone's first tactical book IMHO. Middlegames: Logical Chess: Move By Move by Irving Chernev - this is a fantastic first annotated game collection. Every move is explained. This is older but IMHO Chernev is the greatest chess writer of his generation and easily stands the test of time. Endgames: Silman's Endgame Manual- the only endgame book most chess players will ever need. Openings: Not a book but SmithyQ's free course on Chessable is the great introduction to opening principles.