The Best Chess Books for Kids
Sharing chess with kids is one of my biggest passions. And there are a lot of reasons for that, other than the fact that I’m obsessed with chess. I deeply believe in the positive benefits chess has for kids - both academic and social. And I’ve spent a lot of time advocating for the inclusion of chess in schools.
Many years ago I started up a chess club at the middle school where I was teaching 4th grade math and science, and the kids were very dedicated and enthusiastic about it from the very beginning. It quickly grew into something very special, with always more than 10% of the school attending chess club after school. That wonderful group of kids even won the national championship in their division for three straight years.
Over time, my job even changed to the point where I was only teaching chess during the day - having the opportunity to expose every 4th, 5th, and 6th grader in the school to the beautiful game. And over those years of teaching and coaching, I built up quite a personal library of chess books. Some were definitely more for my older students and myself, while others were for my younger students, beginners, and my own kids at home.
And it’s that second group I want to focus on today. I’ve already written about my favorite digital platforms and chess apps in the past, but I’ve had several people write and ask me about chess book suggestions, so I’d like to do a roundup of my favorite chess books for younger kids. In my head, I’m thinking roughly 10 years old and down.
By no means does that mean 5th and 6th graders won’t learn from and enjoy these books too - especially if they’re beginners. But, in my experience, it’s about that time that interested and dedicated students of chess can easily access chess books that are no longer obviously made with kids in mind - particularly if they are independent readers. And that will be another list of books altogether.
If your kids have already reached this point in their reading and chess careers, and you’re looking to progress to an intermediate level - I highly encourage you to check out the works of Jeremy Silman - such as The Complete Book of Chess Strategy, Silman’s Complete Endgame Manual, How to Reassess Your Chess, and The Amateur’s Mind. These books were always my favorite recommendations as a coach (and great for adult students as well!).
But, like I said, this list is focusing on a younger and newer crowd - the type of crowd that really needs more engagement and many more pictures than the occasional chess diagram. Some are designed as complete introductions to the rules, while others offer tons of practice in strategy and tactics that will challenge and grow the kids who have already fallen in love with the game.
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The Story of Chess
Written and Illustrated by Horacio Cardo
I’m kicking off this list with my very favorite picture book about chess. It tells the tale of two warring nations, and a contest to create the greatest memorial to the fallen - so that they are always remembered and the war never repeats itself. One such memorial is the invention of the game of chess, explained piece by piece and rule by rule by a man named Sissa.
This book is gorgeous, and it’s incredibly clever. It’s such a fun introduction to chess, and a truly entertaining and mythical explanation for its creation. Newcomers can actually learn the basics of how to play by reading this story, but there’s so much joy to be had just by soaking up the clever stories and explanations - even for those who have been playing for years. It has a real One Thousand and One Nights feel to it, and the illustrations are so cool.
Story Time Chess
I can’t make a list of chess books for kids without mentioning Story Time Chess. Despite the fact that it comes in a box and is really an entire chess-teaching system - stories are (obviously) a very big part of Story Time Chess. We even crowned Story Time Chess our favorite board game for 4-year-olds, and the theory of introducing chess with stories is a big part of that.
The general concept of Story Time Chess is that the rules of chess are introduced with stories for every piece and the basic rules. The stories, featuring characters like the anxiety-filled King Shaky or the circus-performing bishops Bea and Bop, are memorable for little ones, and the design and illustrations are great. There are even cardboard cutouts to attach to the chess pieces to bring it to life and connect the stories to the game.
For more on Story Time Chess, make sure to check out our featured article.
Winning Chess Strategy for Kids
Written by Jeff Coakley
This book is actually a part of a series, which also includes Winning Chess Exercises for Kids, and Winning Chess Puzzles for Kids - and they’re all truly wonderful. But if you had to choose only one, I would personally start with Strategy. I think of Exercises and Puzzles like collections of extra practice, while Strategy does an amazing job at introducing a ton of different chess concepts, lingo, and important ideas.
All of the books in this series feature fantastic original content and awesome chess cartoons. And, as a coach or teacher, I find them invaluable. The illustrations and the very accessible presentation and organization of the book goes a very long way - and I can’t think of a more engaging workbook collection for kids. But, take note, the strategies and puzzles in these books can also be quite challenging! This is not a simple “how to play” book by any means.
The Chess Tactics Workbook
Written by Al Woolum
I included this workbook on my list for the parents who are looking primarily for more practice. Some of the books on this list are purely for entertainment, some are for introduction, and some are for improvement. This is definitely in the latter category. And it’s a great resource for parents, teachers, and coaches.
This book actually does include a brief introduction to the rules and how the pieces move, but primarily it is a book of puzzles. And I really like the way they’re organized. Each page has 6 puzzles on it, and a theme listed at the top of the page. It’s a great way to study, being able to hand a child a page of knight fork puzzles or pins. I know there are a lot of wonderful puzzle applications on the internet, but there are still plenty of times when it’s convenient to have them organized on paper to study as well.
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
Written by Bobby Fischer, Stuart Margulies, & Donn Mosenfelder
During the first year of our chess club, we gave a copy of this classic book to every single member. The kids really loved it, and honestly I saw a lot of growth from my players right after this. Lots of kids worked their way through the entire book, marking their answers to the puzzles with pencil. And parents, teachers, and coaches everywhere know very well that you can’t undervalue anything that gets kids intrinsically motivated and studying during their free time.
And this is the first book that did it for many of my students - because they had a tool in their hands to really study and improve away from club. Primarily it’s a book full of puzzles to solve, and part of their attraction to it was certainly the allure and mystique of having Bobby Fischer’s name attached to it. And kids also tend to love the clever way how it’s designed to be flipped over, turned around, and read again from back to front after you finish.
The Batsford Book of Chess for Children
Written by Sabrina Chevannes
This might be the handsomest book on this entire list. It’s very well put together and has a wonderful presentation. It’s designed around two cartoon children - Jamie and Jess - having a conversation throughout the entire book. And I can’t overstate the fact that they do an amazing job teaching kids everything they need to know in a very engaging way.
First of all, framing the entire book as a conversation between kids - one of which who is learning and always asking lots of questions - is extremely clever and so much more accessible than the usual wall of text kids run into in chess books. They start with the way the pieces move and progress to so much more information - it’s incredible how much they manage to cover. Strategy, etiquette, tactics, puzzles - it’s all here. And it’s brilliantly executed.
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
Written by Murray Chandler
I can’t tell you how many kids have borrowed this book from me because they were drawn to the name. It’s proven so extremely popular that I’ve used it as a raffle gift in chess club many times. It’s actually part of a set of kids Gambit books that all look very nice on the shelf next to each other - like Chess Openings for Kids and Chess Endgames for Kids - but this one is by far our most popular one (and honestly the most interesting and accessible for kids in my opinion).
Despite the bold claim made in the funny title, there is very little time spent on learning how to beat Dad. The book is actually a collection of 50 famous checkmating patterns - like Anastasia’s Mate or the Arabian Mate. Memorizing patterns to the point where you see opportunities to utilize them in your own games is actually a very big part of chess, and I’ve known a lot of kids who have really enjoyed and benefited from memorizing the famous checkmates in this book.
Chess: Easy to Learn - Fun to Play (Dragulf)
Written by Olga Dolzhykova and Timofey Galinsky
This workbook is actually designed to be used to teach chess to younger kids than the other workbooks on this list. I bought it to work through with both of my own young kids - now ages 8 and 5. When my son was 6, we worked through the entire thing together, and he really liked taking the comprehensive test at the end and earning the certificate. He actually already knew how to play going into it, but it was still a great review of tactics and excellent practice with vision and calculation.
Because it’s designed as a system for teaching young kids, a lot of effort is put into the cute design of the exercises. Instead of chess pieces on the diagrams, you’re going to find things like ghosts and trolls and spiders and princesses. The exercises are always accompanied by a little story explaining what’s going on, and what you’re trying to accomplish - and of course you need to be told which piece the characters are moving like. And, as you and your kids are working through these clever exercises, they’re actually learning about how all the pieces move and drilling many of the most important tactics as well.
Tani’s New Home
Written by Tanitoluwa Adewumi & Michelle Lord and Illustrated by Courtney Dawson
Like The Story of Chess, Tani’s New Home is actually another picture book about chess, as opposed to a book on how to improve. I think it’s important to mix some of these in, and not just because I love them, but because kids who love chess want to read and hear about chess. They go to the library and hope to find books like this in the sports section to connect with. And this one just so happens to be a wonderful new book based on a true story.
This is a picture book biography of Tani Adewumi - the boy who recently won the K-3 New York State Chess Championship and made many national headlines because of the fact that he was a homeless refugee at the time - who recently sought asylum in the U.S. with his family because of threats from a terrorist organization in Nigeria. As you can imagine, the details of Tani’s life described in this story are sometimes terrifying and sometimes heartwarming.
I only hate that the climax of the story involves offering a draw after making a blunder - and hoping the opponent doesn’t know they can win. It really doesn’t sit right with me celebrating that strategy, but of course that’s the chess coach in me being a bit nit-picky about what’s otherwise an incredibly special book and story. If you’re on the hunt for stories about chess, look no further!
For more ideas, make sure to check out your local library as well, and the chess section of used bookstores is always a wonderful place to find hidden gems. I even once found a very cool old Disney-themed chess book.
And if you happen to have Kindle Unlimited - you’ll be amazed at all the free chess books they have to explore, including many for kids!
Do you have any little chess players in your house or your classroom? What are their favorite ways to study? Feel free to reach out and let us know how your chess adventure is going in the comments!
