RESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONS

Wishing to improve your chess skills?

I understand it's overwhelming to navigate the huge pool of chess material, and so I decided to compile a list of books, workbooks, websites, and chess-related movies that I highly recommend. I have used these listed resources for myself and for students. For efficiency purposes, I separated the material into two sections: for adults and for kids.

Please note that some of the links are affiliate links for which I will receive a small commission on sales. However, this does not affect the price for the customer.
My goal is to suggest good and relevant resources that will support players on their chess journey and aid their chess improvement. Enjoy!

Note:

♥ My top favorite item

⚠️ For advanced players (meaning, these should not be your first chess books to purchase)

Glad to have you here! Starting is the hardest part, and so you've almost completed this part. Good work!

If you're a total beginner, sign-up on the websites below and use their excellent & free-resources. Start playing games to get the feeling for the game. Then you're intermediate!

For intermediate players, I recommend upgrading your membership for more resources, and buying a few lessons with a chess coach who can answer your questions and provide a tailored guidance. Then you're advanced!

For advanced players, use your purchased membership (right?) and buy some chess material for further improvement. During this time you also highly benefit from watching chess streams, YouTube videos, and catching up with your coach.

Websites:

Lichess (free, open-course)
Chess.com (basic membership free)
Upgrade is optional (read as recommended) so you can have unlimited puzzles and unlock "Drills".

BOOKS

Tactics & Calculations

♥ The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles! by Richard Palliser
Complete Chess Workout 2: Another 1200 Puzzles To Train Your Brain by Richard Palliser
Chess Steps (10% off with promo code "Katerina")
Quality Chess Puzzle Book by John Shaw
♥ ⚠️Forcing Chess Moves: The Key to Better Calculation by Charles Hertan
♥ ⚠️Combinative Motifs by Maxim Blokh

Strategy

♥ Move First, Think Later: Sense and Nonsense in Improving Your Chess, 2nd Edition Hendriks, Willy
♥ Excelling at Chess: Technical and Positional (Volume 1) by Jacob Aagaard
Positional Chess Handbook: 495 Instructive Positions from Grandmaster Games (Dover Chess) by Israel Gelfer
⚠️My System (Chess Classics) by Aron Nimzowitsch

Game Collections / Others

♥ Practical Chess Psychology by Amatzia Avni
♥ Wonderboy Magnus Carlsen: How Magnus Carlsen Became the Youngest Grandmaster in the World by Simen Agdestein
The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games: New ed (Mammoth Books) by John Nunn
Breaking Through: How the Polgar Sisters Changed the Game of Chess by Susan Polgar & Paul Truong

When can kids pick up on chess? Around 5 & 6 years of age, they may show interest and I would encourage them to learn! If they're younger, playing with chess pieces (and throwing them around is also encouraged!). Older kids are definitely ready to launch their chess journey.

If they're a total beginner, learning chess rules is #1 goal that can be completed by a parent or any website below (both have excellent & free resources). Goal #2 is joining a school club or a chess club. Learning how pieces move is challenging and takes time - please don't rush your child.

Then they're a chess kiddo, I highly recommend upgrading their membership (for more resources), finding a private chess coach, and planning for tournaments. They're ready to play games and have fun - that's the most important part!

Websites - basic membership is free, upgrade is optional (& recommended)

Chesskid.com (my promo code "SachyCesko")
Chessity.com (my promo code "SachyCesko")

WORKBOOKS

Tactics & Calculations

♥ ♥ Chess Steps (10% off with promo code "Katerina")
Stepping Stones 1 & 2
Workbook Basic: Step 1 through Step 6
⚠️ Workbook Thinking Ahead: Step 2 & Step 3
♥ Learn Chess the Right Way by Susan Polgar
Book 1: Must-know Checkmates
Book 2: Winning Material
Book 3: Mastering Defensive Techniques
Book 4: Sacrifice to Win!
⚠️ Book 5: Finding Winning Moves!

Strategy

This is a tough one! I'm trying out a few books now and will list them here when I can recommend them.
Key strategy topics are included in Chess Steps (Workbooks Basic); however, these workbooks include little explanation and I would recommend to have a coach to secure understanding of the material.

Game Collections

I am not a big fan of assigning game collections to children as I haven't found any interesting (not boring) and children-friendly (chess skill & reading level). However, if your child is reading-proficient and somewhat experienced as a player, then feel free to go upward to the section for "adults".

Learning chess is not only about learning how to move with the chess pieces, but also about learning the chess culture. Luckily, every once in a while the chess audience has the opportunity to enjoy a big budget chess-themed movie which includes well-written scripts and popular cast. What a gift!

I highly recommend to watch these movies as they nicely feature the benefits and struggles of being a chess player, and the values, thinking processes, and behaviors that are part of a chess culture.

And although some of these movies contain slight chess inaccuracies, I think they deserve a great applause for bringing the game of chess into spotlight and raising its popularity.

WHAT TO WATCH

♥ ♥ Magnus (2016) - Not Rated

♥ Knights of the South Bronx (2005) - PG

♥ The Queen's Gambit (2020) - Not Rated

Searching for Bobby Fisher (1993) - PG

Brooklyn Castle (2012) - PG

Life of King (2013) - PG-13

Pawn Sacrifice (2014) - PG-13

Queen of Katwe (2016) - PG

You can also see chess (& incorrectly placed pieces) in: The Guardian (TV Show, 2001-2004), Numb3ers (TV Show, 2015-2010), The Mentalist (TV Show, 2008-2015), and House of Cards (TV Show, 2013-2018).

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY MOVIES

Addressing optimal performance and well-being of a chess player is a crucial part of chess development.

♥ ♥ The Weight of Gold (2020) - Not Rated, sensitive content

♥ The Gabby Douglas Story (2014) - Not Rated

Invictus (2009) - PG-13

Miracle on Ice (1981) - Not Rated