Grandmaster Joel Benjamin introduces all seventeen World Chess Champions and shows what is important about their style of play and what you can learn from them. He describes both their historical significance and how they inspired his own development as a player.
Benjamin presents the most instructive games of each champion. Magic names such as Kasparov, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, and Karpov, they’re all there, up to current World Champion Magnus Carlsen. How do they open the game? How do they develop their pieces? How do they conduct an attack or defend when necessary? Benjamin explains, in words rather than in chess symbols, what is important for your own improvement.
Two Americans are included in this highly instructive manual, accessible to every post-beginner. Of course the crystal-clear style of Bobby Fischer, the 11th World Champion, guarantees some very memorable lessons. Additionally, Benjamin has included Paul Morphy. The 19th century chess wizard from New Orleans never held an official title, but was clearly the best of the world during his short but dazzling career.
Studying World Champion Chess for Juniors will prove an extremely rewarding experience for ambitious youngsters. Trainers and coaches will find it worthwhile to include the book in their curriculum. The author provides many suggestions for further study.
Joel Benjamin won the US Championship three times and has been a trainer for almost three decades. His book Liquidation on the Chess Board won the Best Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA), and his most recent book Better Thinking, Better Chess is a world-wide bestseller.
“The nice idea of this book is to fill the ‘culture gap’ that modern young players have about the classics (I was once told of a training session of promising young Western players where the immortal words ‘who was Spassky?’ were uttered!) through an easy to read overview of the world’s greatest players from Morphy to Carlsen. For each player, Benjamin provides an introductory summary of their career, annotates a few games in detail and then provides a small number of unannotated games for further study. I would definitely make sure this book was in the Christmas stocking of any budding young chess player!”
GM Matthew Sadler, co-author of ‘Game Changer’
“Benjamin’s guide to the greats of chess is most readable and contains a wealth of handy tips.”
CHESS Magazine (UK)
“Although the tone of voice is aimed at juniors, this book is very readable also for older generations. Welcome reading material, particularly for (beginning) club players who would like to learn more about the history of chess.”
Florian Jacobs, Max Euwe Center
“A book to increase the chess culture of junior chess players. The author brings to the reader’s attention the chess legacy of every official world chess champion including Paul Morphy. Joel Benjamin understand how juniors learn and the book is not a heavy read, but a door to future independent study. Benjamin’s writing style in World Champion Chess for Juniors is engaging, light but not simplistic and definitely will keep a young reader engage and make older readers avid to review their classics.”
Miguel Ararat, Florida Chess
For kids who love to amaze their friends with their chess skills, Charles Hertan presents new ways to find Power Moves, winning tactics that require thinking ahead.
In Volume 2, the four special teachers get a new colleague! Knelly the Knight arrives on the scene and will assists Zort (a computer from outer space), the Dinosaurs, the Power Chess Kids and the Chess Professor. Together they will help you to become a very dangerous chess player.
Power Chess for Kids is the most complete, practical and fun kids guide ever on learning how to win games. Forget about studying openings and endgames, Power Moves will help you to beat your opponents in all stages of the game!
Charles Hertan is a FIDE master from Massachusetts who has been teaching kids for more than thirty years. He has written a chess book for advanced players called Forcing Chess Moves: the Key to Better Calculation which was shortlisted for the Guardian Chess Book of the Year Award and won the ChessCafe Book of the Year Award.
Lukas Wedrychowski, DailyChess:
"What a wonderful series. This is really a beautiful and instructive book and a lot of children will certainly be enjoying it and getting better because of it."
Zwischenzug! is the first-ever comprehensive guide to the chess tactic also known as the intermediate move, or intermezzo. This exciting manoeuvre can catch opponents off guard because it is against the expected run of play. You will learn how to spot Zwischenzugs, when to look out for them, and how to set them up in your games.
The authors have studied thousands of games and have identified the patterns that appear frequently in practical play. The book categorizes the different types of Zwischenzugs and distils them into easily accessible themes. The concepts are given catchy names to make them more memorable, and historical details and anecdotes are added throughout the book.
Included is an extensive mix of sample puzzles for learning and practice.
When published on Chessable, the course was received very enthusiastically and awarded an average rating of 4.82 out of a possible five stars. Another welcome effect is that the authors are now finding a lot of Zwischenzugs in their own games!
Natasha Regan is an award-winning chess author, best known for her book Game Changer, co-authored with GM Matthew Sadler. She has represented England at two Chess Olympiads and is also an accomplished Go and shogi player.
Matt Ball is a content creator and chess coach. He holds the FIDE title of National Instructor and is also a regular tournament player. He represented England at the World Senior Team Championship 2022.
IM Gary Lane (Australian Chess)
“An absorbing puzzle rush with a twist.”
IM John Donaldson (Oklahoma Chess Magazine)
“Players in the rating range 1600-2200 will find this book helpful in breaking the habit of making automatic recaptures without first looking for an in-between move.”
Chebanenko's move 4.a6 in the Slav Defence has grown into one of the main systems for Black as it is an extremely flexible and almost universal weapon against the Queen's Gambit. The Chebanenko Slav is very popular among top chess players, and club and internet players like it as well, because it offers Black solidity and active counterplay in all lines. Victor Bologan is a world-class chess player, writes in a very accessible style and has included many tips, tests and tools.
This opening manual completes the Black repertoire against the Sicilian that uses the Kalashnikov as the main line. When possible, Black will opt for the adventurous moves 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5, covered in the book King’s Kalashnikov. But everyone playing 1...c5 has to be ready when White chooses to avoid the Open Sicilian.
In this volume King gives you the answer to all of the so-called Anti-Sicilians, including the Rossolimo, the Alapin and the Grand Prix Attack. All other, less frequently played variations such as the Morra and the Wing Gambit, are covered as well.
Grandmaster Daniel King has extensive experience playing the Sicilian, having done so for over forty years. His clear explanations and practical approach will help you achieve your own successes with the Sicilian. Additionally, there is a selection of annotated model games by grandmasters such as Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, and Daniel King, which demonstrate how the recommendations are applied in real games.
The two volumes provide a compact and versatile repertoire for Black, focusing on the most important lines, and always aiming for dynamic middlegame play.
Daniel King is an English chess grandmaster, coach, journalist, and broadcaster. He has authored dozens of chess books and courses on a range of topics, including opening preparation and the historical biography of Sultan Khan. His PowerPlay YouTube channel is a must-see destionation for chess players interested in elite chess events and chess book reviews.
Stjepan Tomić (chessreads.com)
“King's Anti-Sicilians is a book that accompanies Daniel King’s Kalashnikov, and with it creates a complete Sicilian repertoire for black. If you’re a Sicilian player and you want to play relatively rare, very sharp systems that will force white to either know tons of theory or improvise in madly complex positions, look no further! It may be insufficient for serious tournament players who may have to supplement it. Still, it will definitely be an easily digestible introduction to Anti-Sicilian variations for players of all levels.”
“The explanations are clear and concise, which any club player would appreciate and applaud. This practical opening repertoire suddenly makes defending the Sicilian a lot easier.”
Jan Sybren Zagema (Schaaksite.nl)
“With practical recommendations and a dose of humor, King presents a repertoire in which dynamic and active counterplay is central. With his book King’s Kalashnikov Sicilian, King offers a complete repertoire for the Sicilian that many players will enjoy.”
Although Jose Raul Capablanca was the World Chess Champion a century ago, his games remain among the most interesting to study. The clear logic and simplicity of his moves inspired other great players such as Mikhail Botvinnik and Bobby Fischer. And the clarity of his play will boost the confidence of any chess student. It all seems so easy when you read the explanations, says a student in a comment on Chessable, so much so that you really believe you can play like Capablanca.
Capablanca's most instructive endgames will help you to understand:
– The principle of two weaknesses - the art of creating a second weakness, leaving opponents helpless because they cannot deal with both at the same time.
– How to convert an advantage in the endgame, not by brute calculation, but by knowing where best to position your pieces.
– Sharpen your intuition in double rook endgames and avoid wasting energy calculating everything and making mistakes.
– The key concept of prophylaxis when it comes to trading pieces, a remarkable aspect of all Capablanca's games. You will learn when to trade off unnecessary pieces.
Capablanca's Endgame Technique will help you play with precision at all levels of the game, not just in the endgame. It was Capablanca himself who said, 'To improve your game, you must study the endgame before anything else.'
On the shortlist for ECF book of the year 2025 award
Alex Colovic is a grandmaster from Macedonia who has won 18 national championships and represented his country in three chess Olympiads. He is a prolific chess writer, drawing on his thirty years of experience as a tournament player and chess coach.
Sean Marsh (CHESS magazine)
“The material is highly pertinent to the club player, with Colovic covering such topics as the principle of two weaknesses, improving the pieces, prophylaxis, and how to deepen your intuition in double rook endgames.”
GM Matthew Sadler (New In Chess magazine)
“I wish I’d had that advice during my playing career after years of unhappily sweating over repetitions! I always felt I should demonstrate my grandmasterly strength, but only succeeded in making myself nervous! It’s just one example of how Colovic turns these excellent technical games of Capablanca into a valuable learning experience.”
In My First Chess Opening Repertoire you will learn how to play the opening. This book gives you a compact and easy-to-learn repertoire for White, starting with the move 1.e4. And it gives you a similar repertoire for Black, with answers to all of White's approaches.
For beginners and improvers, for anyone with a rating up to 1200 (or even higher!), there is probably no better guide than Christof Sielecki, who has already published four opening books and more than a dozen courses on the Chessable platform. He knows exactly what his students need and has indeed received thousands of five-star ratings. The author strikes the perfect balance between fun, easy to understand and theoretically sound opening choices. And he keeps it entertaining with attacking and counterattacking lines!
First you'll learn the general opening principles that will guide you in any situation - even if your opponent doesn't play the exact moves in the book. Then you'll learn specific variations that will improve both your opening play and your general understanding of chess.
With White you will start with 1.e4 and build your repertoire around timeless opening principles with logical moves that almost play themselves. With Black, for example, you will study the Sicilian Defence - an opening that guarantees you the most interesting games and the most attacking opportunities.
This repertoire will allow you to hit the ground running.
Christof Sielecki is an International Master from Germany. He has coached chess for many years and runs a popular YouTube channel called ChessExplained. He won numerous awards with his course on Chessable and has created three volumes of the Keep it Simple opening manuals.
“If you are a club player needing to know the very basics of an opening repertoire, then this is the book for you.”
“I’d have said that it was impossible, but reading through the book, I rarely came across any line where I felt that a line was cut short prematurely. Essentially, Sielecki has chosen his lines carefully to make this whole approach work well, and I guess that a lot of unseen work went into achieving this.“
The story of the Polgar sisters is extraordinary. The idea that Laszlo Polgar, a mediocre chess player, could decide to turn his children into chess geniuses, and then succeed beyond his wildest dreams, is incredible.
It suggests that, with the right training, anything’s possible.
In this book, Judit Polgar - the strongest of the three sisters and a former world top-10 player – reveals some of the secrets of her success. Together with the prize-winning coach, International Master Andras Toth, she has created a course based on the training she received as a young player. It is like having a private lesson from one of the best players in the world.
You will learn how to punish the three most common opening mistakes. And how to spot hidden tactical opportunities and how to force your opponent to play weakening moves. You will understand how to master one of the most difficult skills in chess: seizing the initiative. And you will find the tools to turn yourself into a lean, mean, attacking machine.
Master Your Chess with Judit Polgar covers all aspects of the game: from the opening to the endgame. The manual is accessible both for ambitious beginners wanting to build their chess development on a strong foundation and for intermediate players who have hit a plateau and need new insights to leap forward.
Nobody said mastering chess was easy! But with Grandmaster Judit Polgar and International master Toth behind you, you will learn to Master Your Chess and attack like the chess legend herself.
When a young woman from India moves to America and reaches out to Bobby Fischer, the world's greatest chess champion, it sparks a lifelong bond few knew existed.
Growing up in a privileged family, Shernaz Kennedy discovered the magic of chess at an early age. After Bobby Fischer's legendary victory over Boris Spassky in the match of the century, she sent him a heartfelt letter asking for advice - and he answers.
What began as a simple act of admiration blossomed into an extraordinary, enduring friendship. This exhilarating account of their relationship reveals how she sustained his spirit for decades, educating him and rekindling his love of competition during his darker periods.
Like A Beautiful Mind and Amadeus, Bobby Fischer's Chess Queen transcends the boundaries of its subject. This is not just a story about chess - it is a story about ambition, resilience, and the healing power of connection.
Discover the untold story behind the legend, an unforgettable portrait of two champions and a love that defied distance, fame, and the demands of genius.
Shernaz Kennedy is a chess player, teacher and writer. She is a Women’s International Master, has competed in ten U.S. Women's championships and has represented the United States at the Olympiad. She teaches chess at two dozen schools in Manhattan, New York. She was born in India and immigrated in 1976 to the United States.
Award-winning author Charles Hertan knows what kids really need to know (and want to know) about getting their pawns and pieces ready for action.
Traditional chess opening books concentrate on the variations in different openings. Charles Hertan believes that for beginners and advanced beginners memorizing lines is not only boring but also a waste of time.
Hertan’s approach is different.
He helps kids to develop a solid understanding of the fundamental opening principles. What are the properties of each chess piece, and how can they be mobilized effectively to work together and get a strong position on the board?
In his trademark humorous and kidfriendly way, Hertan teaches what you should actually be trying to achieve at the start of a game. Kids will love learning how to avoid The Five Most Common Opening Mistakes.
This is a fun, easy-to-use, down-to-earth and accessible chess opening primer.
Charles Hertan is a FIDE Master from Massachusetts who has been teaching kids for more than thirty years. He won the ChessCafe Book of the Year Award and authored the best-selling Power Chess for Kids books.
Sean March, CHESS Magazine (UK):
"I like the way in which Hertan breaks down the section on development to focus on each individual piece (..) The explanatory notes are perfectly accessible to juniors and novices (..) A very accessible book for juniors to take thier first steps into opening theory."
Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam:
"In his newest book Hertan discusses good opening play. He starts with basic principles such as development and activitiy. Hertan also gives advice on how to play certain openings and tips on errors he sees children make. An entertaining book."
IM Dirk Schuch, Rochade Europa Magazine:
"Very good for trainers or parents with a chess background."
GM Paul Motwani:
"Excellent. Ideal for young players who already have basic knowledge of the rules of the Royal Game, including how the chess pieces and pawns move, and are now looking to improve to the next level and beyond."
John Hartmann, Chess Life Magazine (US):
"Hertan's basic strategy --investigating what each piece 'likes' to unpack good piece play-- is solid and his ideas-based approach of the opening is good for beginners."
Kees de Groot, Reformatorisch Dagblad:
"Hertan's clear explanations are never infantile. That's why this book will also appeal to adults."
If you want to improve in chess you often find instructional material based on games played long ago by old masters with who you have no affinity at all. Franco Zaninotto has a different approach. He knows from experience how stimulating it is to study the games of the best players in your peer group.
Zaninotto teaches elementary strategy and tactics by using games he has selected from recent Junior Championships all over the world. He shows that you don’t need to have decades of experience in order to play clever moves.
Super Chess Kids tells you all you need to know about recognizing and exploiting weaknesses in your opponent’s position. You will learn how to evaluate your position, develop a plan, and calculate moves of attack and defence. You will also see typical errors that even the best young players tend to make.
In the process you get to know players who may be members of the world elite in the not-so-distant future. Included are more than 100 strategic and tactical exercises. There is little excuse for not finding the winning moves: after all, other kids already did!
The Sicilian Defence is the most attractive and most complicated opening in chess. If you don't play the Sicilian with White or Black, you miss much of the beauty and the challenges our royal game offers. For White 1.e4 players, building a repertoire against 1...c5 should be their priority.
Croatian top grandmaster Ivan Saric is one of today's greatest Sicilian experts. He plays 1.e4 with White and the Najdorf with Black! With The Open Sicilian, based on his highly acclaimed Chessable course, he has managed something impressive: a watertight repertoire against the Sicilian of just over 400 pages. But reading this one volume, your knowledge of this opening and chess, in general, will make a spectacular jump.
The Open Sicilian is not a phonebook crammed with computer lines but a textbook full of 21st-century chess wisdom. Saric covers the entire range of Sicilians, from obscure sidelines to the main lines: the Najdorf, the Taimanov, the Rauzer, the Kan, the Sveshnikov, and the various Dragons. His approach, firmly based on the ideas of the English Attack, is very ambitious, and he supports his claims with deep analysis and illuminating and elaborate verbal explanation.
Saric has written a book that will serve as a standard work for many years. He offers you the content to be fully armoured against all the intricacies of all the topical Sicilian lines.
Ivan Saric (1990) is a Croatian chess player who became an International Master at 17 and a Grandmaster at 18. He became U18 European Champion in 2007, U18 World Champion in 2008, and won the European Individual title in 2018. Saric beat Magnus Carlsen for his country at the 2014 Olympiad in Tromsø.
"...a pretty good book with plenty to interest the aggressive 1.e4 player looking for repertoire ideas in the Open Sicilian."
Cookie settings
We use cookies to deliver and improve our services, analyze site usage, and if you agree, to customize or personalize your experience and market our services to you. You can read our Cookie Policy hier.
