If you love the game of bridge, then it’s almost natural that you will come to read about a handful of other board and tabletop games as your journey into contract continues.

Bridge enthusiasts aren’t just bridge enthusiasts. We love bridge because it embodies our infatuation with the card deck, our love for the partnership game, and our undeniable quest for new puzzles.

It’s the never-ending puzzle quest that leads bridge players to explore other tabletop and card games.

It’s the above thought that led me to write this particular column about the game of chess.

If you’ve wondered about exploring the game of chess but you aren’t sure where to begin, check out these resources for the love of chess (& bridge).

Chess basics

Chess basics forms the very foundation of a good chess player. It’s how you plan to apply these basics that will eventually make you a better (and maybe even great) player on the board.

Here’s where to start your chess journey if you haven’t played in a while – or you’ve never laid your hands on a chess piece before.

The FIDE official laws of chess

FIDE is the international authority which represents the game of chess, its players, and its overall interests. Basically, it’s the equivalent of the World Bridge Federation, but for a different board.

The official rules are available in PDF.

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess

Bobby Fischer might very well be one of the best chess players who has ever lived, and there are so many stories about his life that any chess enthusiast will eventually end up reading about him.

Additionally, his approach at teaching the game was both brilliant and accessible.

If you want to learn chess from the writings of an expert, I’ll almost always recommend Fischer first.

Chess 101

Chess 101 is a newer chess instructional title, written to make complicated chess introductions far more accessible. Author Dave Schloss approaches every aspect you’ll need as a beginner or novice player in a way that most readers can appreciate. Brushing up or only starting? Start here.

Resources for chess openings

Every great journey begins with a single step – and every great match with a first move. Chess openings are a widely studied branch of chess, and if you would like to know where to begin the match, start with these three books on chess openings.

Modern Chess Openings

Modern Chess Openings is successful enough to be in its 15th Edition at the time of writing, and even gets abbreviated to MCO whenever readers mention it. If you want to know how to begin any chess match, Modern Chess Openings is required and recommended reading.

Chess Openings For Beginners

Chess Openings For Beginners is a book that says what a lot of other chess instruction books have already said, but perhaps in simpler terms (and much more modern language).

Compliment your chess openings and make sure you’ve read this book before your next match.

Chess Opening Names

Chess Opening Names

Chess openings all have different names, like Christine or Jack – but instead of being called these things, they have more complicated, weirder names (or at least it might sound that way to people entirely new to chess).

Chess Opening Names by Nathan Rose can help you to get familiarized fast.

It’s a great book, and it’s exactly why it’s part of this post.

Resources for chess endings

The endgame is studied just as often as the chess opening – and to become a great chess player, it’s recommended that you study both equally well. Here are three of the best books to refine how you complete your chess game (and inevitably, how you play bridge).

Basic Chess Endings

Basic Chess Endings is one of those books that you’ll see on a lot of recommended reading lists. That’s because the book is authoritative and good – so if you’re learning the art of the endgame, you’ll want to add it to your list.

Silman’s The Complete Endgame Course

The Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman is recommended to all great chess players – and of course, one can only assume that they paid attention. Books that contain the words “Complete” and “Course” in the title are usually worth reading as a student – and this one is no exception.

Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual

Dvoretsy’s Endgame Manual is another staple of the chess greats. It gets recommended in many introductory books to chess for the value of the information in it – and it’s one of the most comprehensive endgame titles you’ll ever find. Read it at least once if chess interests you at all.