Chess Puzzle books are one of my favorite genres of books. They are designed to provide mental exercises that teach you the skills you need to excel at chess. I personally prefer books that focus on end game exercises, since that is what I spend most of my time on when I play. These types of books are harder to come by, so I am happy to find some good ones on the market.

Some people just love puzzles. Some people just love chess. And some people just love both. If you fall into that last category, then this article is for you. We’ve selected the top 10 chess puzzle books for you, and explained what you can expect from each.

What is the fastest way to solve a chess puzzle?

To solve a chess puzzle, you need to analyze the board for threats, target weaknesses, and available pieces. Want to learn how to solve chess puzzles? There are many ways to solve a chess puzzle. Follow these tips:

  • Puzzles can be solved by using your brain. Your brain must be able to visualize chess positions in your head. If you can’t, then it’s hard to solve chess puzzles.
  • You must be able to see chess moves in sequence, and be able to see which moves lead to which moves. If you can’t, then it’s hard to solve chess puzzles.
  • Books are one of the best sources of solving chess puzzles.
  • Take time to solve each puzzle.
  • Determine your probable future move.

What are the Benefits of Solving Chess Puzzles?

  1. Solving chess puzzles is a great way to improve your chess abilities.
  2. They will improve your tactical skills.
  3. You’ll be able to think faster and more creatively.
  4. You will automatically improve your chess opening repertoire.
  5. They will train your concentration. Chess puzzles are the best way to train concentration. When you are solving puzzles, you are improving your concentration, concentration is a skill that can be trained.
  6. They will train your ability to visualize a chess position.
  7. They will train your ability to see a number of moves ahead.
  8. They will help you to see a tactic or a combination from afar.
  9. You’ll become a better chess player.

What is the highest rated chess puzzle?

The highest-rated chess puzzle is the one where the solution is the most elegant, the one with the most profound strategy, the one with the most breathtaking combination. It is also the one that is so hard to solve that most grandmasters could not solve it even if they had infinite time to solve it.

highest rated chess puzzle
Highest rated chess puzzle

Top 10 Chess Puzzle Books

The chess puzzle has been around for so long that there are now literally thousands of chess puzzle books on the market. Each one claiming to have the solution to all your chess problems. Here, we will talk about ten of the best chess puzzle books. Let us talk about a few of the many chess puzzle books available.

1. The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book

The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book is a top book of chess puzzles and problems. Emms has collected and organized his problems in ways that will be useful to every chess player, from the most advanced grandmaster to the beginner. This book is perfect for players and puzzle lovers alike.

An incredible collection of challenging chess puzzles ever assembled; best collection of the best chess puzzles of all time. The puzzle book starts with 100 simple positions that are fit for openers. In the end, there are also 100 highly tough puzzles in this book.

The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book

These puzzles are to help you improve your chess skills. It has unusual and entertaining puzzles for fun and enjoyment. Each problem has a detailed solution to help you learn from your mistakes. The problems begin with easy ones to allow you to build confidence and then gradually get harder and more challenging. 

John Emms, a leading English chess player, coach and author of many chess books. He is the Grandmaster and 1997’s British Champion.

2. John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book

John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book is a collection of chess puzzles by John Nunn. John Nunn was on the list of the world’s top then chess players. He is an English grandmaster, mathematician, chess writer, and world champion for solving chess problems. His wife is a Woman FIDE Master and German leading chess player.

This book will give you hours of entertainment with 300 puzzles to solve. This is one of the best books on chess puzzles.

John Nunns Chess Puzzle Book

3. The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles

The Complete Chess Workout: Train your brain with 1200 puzzles was written by Richard Palliser. It is a book of puzzles for chess players. The Complete Chess Workout is a collection of 1200 chess problems. The book has eight chapters devoted to different aspects of chess strategy, each of which is preceded by an example game. Each chapter is concluded with a test of your knowledge, followed by a set of problems to solve.

It is a 360-page book that includes more than just chess puzzles. The first part of the book involves puzzles on chess warming up. The second part of the book involves puzzles on chess attacks. The third part of the book involves puzzles on chess opening tricks and traps. The fourth part of the book involves chess skills in the Endgame.

The Complete Chess Workout

If you are looking to improve your game of chess, increasing your chess IQ, or just looking for some fun puzzles to get your brain working, then this book is for you. The Complete Chess Workout is a practical guide to improving your game, increasing your IQ, and building puzzles that will challenge your mind.

4. 600 Modern Chess Puzzles

The 600 Modern Chess Puzzles is a chess puzzle book from Martyn Kravtsiv. The book contains 192 pages and over 600 chess puzzles from the modern chess era. The puzzles range from easy to very hard.

Martyn Kravtsiv is a Ukrainian grandmaster and he was a FIDE World Cup participant in 2013. As of October 2021, his FIDE rating is 2625.

600 Modern Chess Puzzles

Chess is one of the most popular board games in the world, but not all chess players are familiar with the advanced strategies that can be used to beat even the toughest opponents. The 600 Modern Chess Puzzles book provides players with the tools they need to succeed at chess, including modern strategies that can be applied to games of all skill levels.

5. The Gambit Book of Instructive Chess Puzzles

The Gambit Book of Instructive Chess Puzzles is a compilation of carefully selected instructive problems to help improve your game. The solutions are also included, so you can work out your own way to the solution.

Instructive Chess Puzzles book is written by an English FIDE Master, Graham Burgess. At the age of 20, the writer and trainer Graham Burgess became a FIDE Master.

This book is the perfect way to improve your game! Now you can improve your game in no time at all, with this collection of 300 puzzles specially designed to help you improve your tactical ability. These puzzles are diverse in style and difficulty, so you can pick up new tricks, sharpen your skills, and improve your game in no time!

The Gambit Book of Instructive Chess Puzzles

6. The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book is written by a Paraguayan chess grandmaster, Zenon Franco. He is the gold medalist and one of the world’s top chess players.

Chess has captivated minds for centuries and continues to fascinate chess players of all ages. This beautifully illustrated collection of chess puzzles offers a fresh perspective on this classic game. Perfect for avid chess players and novices alike, these mind-boggling challenges will spark your creativity and help you think outside the box.

What do you get when you combine a chess puzzle book with giant chess pieces? You get The Giant Chess Puzzle Book! With over 1001 puzzles. You’ll learn how to play one of the most iconic board games of all time while improving your critical thinking skills. Each puzzle is unique, with no two being the same.

The Giant Chess Puzzle Book

7. Quality Chess Puzzle Book

The Quality Chess Puzzle Book is a collection of 735 chess puzzles that will test your skills to the limit. Written by John Shaw, an international chess Grandmaster who has represented Scotland at five Olympiads. The puzzles have been skillfully selected to provide a wide range of challenges. This book is a must-have for all chess puzzles fans.

John Shaw is a Scottish International chess Master player, who was awarded the title in 1999. His FIDE rating is 2425 as of October 2021.

Quality Chess Puzzle Book

8. The ChessCafe Puzzle Book

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book: Test and Improve Your Tactical Vision is one of the best chess puzzles book. It is written by Karsten Müller, Co-author Susan Polgar is the latest in chess puzzle books to come out.

The author, Karsten Müller is an author, a Ph.D. holder in mathematics, and a German Grandmaster. His FIDE rating is 2532. The co-author Susan Polgar is a women’s World Champion, who represents Hungary and America. Her FIDE rating is 2577.

Each puzzle is followed by a detailed solution, so you’ll know exactly what you need to work on in order to improve your game. You’ll also find chess history, training tips, and 600 well-chosen positions to test.  This is a great way to improve your game!  Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, you’ll love these entertaining puzzles that improve your game.

The ChessCafe Puzzle Book

9. Practical Chess Puzzles

Practical Chess Puzzles is a book by Guannan Song that contains 600 chess puzzles to improve your calculation and judgment. The author of this book, Guannan Song is a Canadian FIDE Master and Canadian youth chess champion.

The tasks are designed to improve your tactical skill and attacking skills too. It is a great book for all chess enthusiasts and beginners. Each chess puzzle is laid out over four pages and can be read independently of the others. So, players of all standards will find the puzzles challenging and enjoyable.

Practical Chess Puzzles Book

10. The Chess Puzzle Book 4

The Chess Puzzle Book 4: Mastering the Positional Principles by Karsten Mueller is the fourth book of a series of chess puzzle books containing chess puzzles and chess problems of all kinds. This series of chess puzzle books is aimed at chess amateurs and also at all chess players, who want to improve their chess by solving chess problems.

The series can help you improve your game because it offers you puzzles, tips, and strategies to help you improve your game.

The Chess Puzzle Book 4
Best chess puzzle books for kids

Top 3 Best Chess Puzzle Books For kids

Chess Puzzles are a popular way to teach children chess. These books are great to help kids improve their long-term memory, problem-solving skills, and strategic thinking. Many of the puzzles are things you can use in your home to help kids learn at home. As the child becomes familiar with the puzzles, they are able to build confidence by solving them in practice.

But what is the best? Well, we haven’t got the answer to that yet, but we do have a list of the top 3 chess puzzles books for kids.

1. Chess Tactics for Students

This book is written in English by John A. Bain, who is experienced in this area. The book is the perfect guide for students to develop their chess skills. A 9-12 grade student can easily gain knowledge by reading this book. The author has written this book in simple language, so that every student will be able to understand it easily.

Chess Tactics for Students

2. Winning Chess Puzzles for Kids

Winning Chess Puzzles for Kids by Jeff Coakley is for learning chess. Jeff Coakley is a Canadian leading chess coach and author of the best chess puzzle book.

The puzzle book has a large variety of puzzles that can be solved by a kid. This book is a collection of more than 1000 positions, puzzles for children between the ages of 7 and 13. The puzzles will teach the kids about chess. There are different kinds of puzzles in the book.

Winning Chess Puzzles for Kids

3. Chess Puzzles for Kids: 100 Simple Exercises

Chess Puzzles for Kids: 100 Simple Exercises by Maksim Aksanov will be helpful for young children who want to improve their chess skills and tactics or wants to make learning chess more fun. Maksim Aksanov wrote this chess puzzle book with the collaboration of his daughter, who was 6-year-old.

It’s no secret that learning chess is a great way to get smarter and increase your IQ. The logic and planning involved in chess is the sort of skill that will serve you well in life. If you’re looking for fun and interesting ways to improve your child’s chess game, then this is the chess puzzle book for your child.

Chess Puzzles for Kids 100 Simple Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions of Chess Puzzle Books

What’s a good puzzle rush score?

A good puzzle rush score is getting to the finish line without getting zapped or seeing the other player’s pieces. And making sure no friendly pieces get zapped. 55 is the highest puzzle rush score that was gained by GM Hikaru Nakamura. 50-54 is a good puzzle rush score, it is FIDE standard. 40-49 is a grandmaster standard and 30-39 is a Master standard score.

Are puzzles good for chess?

Yes, chess puzzles are good for chess players. They are a great way to learn how to strategize, solve problems, and improve your ability to think quickly.

What is Puzzle rush chess?

Puzzle rush chess is a puzzle where you have to find the mate in x number of moves, but the mate is given at the start. The winner is the one who can solve it at the smallest number of moves. This problem is often called the “puzzle rush” since the winner will often win by making a very fast checkmate.

What is the aim of chess puzzles?

The aim of chess puzzles is to improve the speed of thought. They are good for teaching chess skills too. The goal of chess puzzles is to help with training and provide enjoyment in chess.

Is puzzle rush good?

Puzzle Rush is a chess puzzle for desktops. The game gives you a chess position that should be easy to solve. It should take you no more than 30 seconds to solve it. But here’s the catch: the pieces are randomized. You can play Puzzle Rush from here.

Do puzzles help chess?

If you are looking for a way to improve your tactical skills, then do puzzles. Do not expect to see an immediate improvement in your game, but over time you will see improvement. This is because puzzles help you get better at thinking about positions and therefore get better at chess.

Is chess a puzzle game?

Chess is a procedurally generated puzzle game in which two players compete to deliver a checkmate. A puzzle is a game or question that is intended to test ingenuity or knowledge. A puzzle is defined as a problem that is difficult to solve.

What do you look for in a chess puzzle?

You should look for a chess puzzle with an interesting problem to solve, an elegant solution, and a great presentation.

Does chess rating matter for puzzles?

Yes. The rating system does make a difference. If you play a player with a higher rating than you, you will receive fewer rating points. Chess rating is an important factor in puzzling. If you want to solve chess puzzles, you will need to know all the basic chess rules. Plus, if the puzzle contains tactical moves, you will need to know all the chess tactics.

Is 1500 a good chess puzzle rating?

On chess.com, 1500 is a good puzzle rating. It’s a good puzzle rating for a beginner. The rating system is a method for determining the relative skill levels of players in one-on-one games such as chess. The official rating list is called the USCF Rating List and is published monthly. There are three factors that determine a player’s rating: the number of games you have played, the number of games you have won, and the result of each game.

Is the 2400 rating a good puzzle?

Yes, 2400 is a good rating for a puzzle.

In brief, the books listed above contain a diverse mix of puzzles that is sure to appeal to a wide variety of chess players. If you are looking to challenge your tactical prowess, any of these books will be a great addition to your chess library. If you are a chess player who likes to solve chess puzzles, these 10 chess books will provide you with hours of fun. You can easily go through all of these books within a couple of weeks.