The index of chess book reviews should allow you to find any reviewed book with ease. The index is broken down into the following basic categories: OPENING, MIDDLEGAME, ENDGAME, GAME COLLECTIONS, VARIOUS. If you are looking for an opening book, go to the opening section and you’ll find your title in alphabetical order.

Our team of reviewers consists of the following players (all masters, international masters, or grandmasters):

Grandmaster Joel Benjamin “jb”
Grandmaster Larry Christiansen “lc”
Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan “ys”
International Master Jack Peters “jp”
International Master John Donaldson “jd”
International Master Anthony Saidy “as”
International Master Jeremy Silman “js”
International Master John Watson “jw”
National Master Randy Bauer “rb”

At times you will find more than one review on the same book. For example, THE ROAD TO CHESS IMPROVEMENT (found in the “GAME COLLECTIONS” archive) by Yermolinsky is reviewed twice as shown by “(js)” and “(jw)” after the book name and author. The listing would appear in the following way:

ROAD TO CHESS IMPROVEMENT, THE by Yermolinsky (js) (jw)
If you wish to go to Jeremy Silman’s review, simply click on “(js).” If you want to see what John Watson said about this same book, click on “(jw).”

Our team also provides numerical grades on many books, allowing you to get an idea as to its worth with just a quick glance. Using Yermolinksy’s book as a template, here’s how the listing appears in the Index with both reviews and numerical values given:

ROAD TO CHESS IMPROVEMENT, THE by Yermolinsky (js) (jw) [ys-9/jd-9/js-8.5/jw-8/as-8]

Thus, initials within “()” allude to an actual review, while initials in “[]” stand for a numerical value. In the Yermo example, a glance shows us that two separate reviews are given by Silman and Watson, while Seirawan, Donaldson, Silman, Watson, and Saidy provided numerical values.

The 1-10 numeric value system is simple and to the point: “5” is about average (though such a score usually shows a real lack of interest in that title), anything below a “5” tells you that the book is a dog, and anything higher means the book is worth your consideration. A “7” denotes a very solid effort, an “8” should instantly transform the title into a “must buy,” and anything higher should already be in your library. A quick look at THE ROAD TO CHESS IMPROVEMENT’S numbers show us that Yermolinsky’s book is very highly regarded.