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How to Win at Chess #1
How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond
Learn chess from International Master and top Youtube chess teacher GothamChess in this accessible and fun guide for beginner and mid-level players packed full of game-winning strategies and entertaining wit.
Clever and informative, How to Win at Chess teaches beginner and intermediate players the art of the game, including all the important chess moves and strategies to keep you thinking several steps ahead.
Teeming with Rozman's signature charm and humor, the first half introduces aspiring players to four key areas to consider when playing chess—openings, endings, tactics, and strategies—while the second builds upon these core skills. How to Win at Chess brims with 500 instructional game play illustrations to help you better visualize the board and QR codes to exclusive educational videos on the GothamChess website.
Whether you want to become a recreational chess player or a Grandmaster, How to Win at Chess is the perfect interactive introduction to the world of chess!
Clever and informative, How to Win at Chess teaches beginner and intermediate players the art of the game, including all the important chess moves and strategies to keep you thinking several steps ahead.
Teeming with Rozman's signature charm and humor, the first half introduces aspiring players to four key areas to consider when playing chess—openings, endings, tactics, and strategies—while the second builds upon these core skills. How to Win at Chess brims with 500 instructional game play illustrations to help you better visualize the board and QR codes to exclusive educational videos on the GothamChess website.
Whether you want to become a recreational chess player or a Grandmaster, How to Win at Chess is the perfect interactive introduction to the world of chess!
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2023
2570 people are currently reading
13199 people want to read
About the author
Levy Rozman
5 books124 followersI was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1995 to immigrant parents who came from a background in Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. When I was 5, my parents argued about which afterschool classes they should sign me up for. They were confident about art but skeptical about chess – I was too hyper to focus on some stupid wooden pieces.
As it turned out, I hated art. But not chess. I loved chess. I practiced every day, forcing my relatives to play against me. In January 2003, at the age of 7, I played my first chess tournament. Throughout my childhood, I was ranked in the Top 5 for my age category in the United States. But I never told anyone about my hobby—the one time I did, I was bullied mercilessly for being a nerd.
In 2010, as a sophomore in high school, I started teaching a classmate chess and his mother paid me $10/hour. I thought I was Bill Gates. A silly little board game could earn me money? Who would have thought…
In 2013, as a freshman in college, I started teaching chess 20 hours a week in New York City. By 2015, I was running my own K-12 chess program. Our team won multiple city and state championships—even though I was just a 19-year-old head coach at the time.
This was my job for 5 years. In 2020, the world changed forever. So I took things online.
Fast forward to now: I have scaled my 10-person after school chess classes to the entire planet. Millions of people around the world come to my channel every day to watch videos about chess openings, strategies, common beginner mistakes, and recaps of top level competitions. Tens of thousands of people have tried my chess courses and my chess book.
Chess has changed my life forever, and I hope it can change yours too. I will keep bringing a high level of instruction and excitement to my channel for many years to come.
~Levy Rozman aka GothamChess
As it turned out, I hated art. But not chess. I loved chess. I practiced every day, forcing my relatives to play against me. In January 2003, at the age of 7, I played my first chess tournament. Throughout my childhood, I was ranked in the Top 5 for my age category in the United States. But I never told anyone about my hobby—the one time I did, I was bullied mercilessly for being a nerd.
In 2010, as a sophomore in high school, I started teaching a classmate chess and his mother paid me $10/hour. I thought I was Bill Gates. A silly little board game could earn me money? Who would have thought…
In 2013, as a freshman in college, I started teaching chess 20 hours a week in New York City. By 2015, I was running my own K-12 chess program. Our team won multiple city and state championships—even though I was just a 19-year-old head coach at the time.
This was my job for 5 years. In 2020, the world changed forever. So I took things online.
Fast forward to now: I have scaled my 10-person after school chess classes to the entire planet. Millions of people around the world come to my channel every day to watch videos about chess openings, strategies, common beginner mistakes, and recaps of top level competitions. Tens of thousands of people have tried my chess courses and my chess book.
Chess has changed my life forever, and I hope it can change yours too. I will keep bringing a high level of instruction and excitement to my channel for many years to come.
~Levy Rozman aka GothamChess
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
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April 19, 2023"Get out of here" - Gothamchess
December 25, 2023
A great guide for people who have recently mastered the basic rules of chess and would now like to make the transition to studying the game, not really knowing where to start. My rating of this stems from me being a bit past that stage, so as an intermediate player this only scratched the surface for me, but I still enjoyed the diversion!
How to Win at Chess is the first literary effort of the International Master Levy Rozman, who many know and either love or hate as GothamChess. During the pandemic, his educational and often snappy – sometimes almost bitchy – but always educational videos on chess really blew up and he has since established himself in the world of the online chess community. With this book he takes beginners by their hands and patiently helps them navigating through the confusing and overwhelming world of those sixty-four black and white squares.
It's a well-structured manual and great starting point. I myself remember picking up this game and being blown away by the vastness of it. I knew the rules, but where to do from there? There are endgames to study, openings to learn and tactics to practice. It can get overwhelming quickly, so a book like this will make you feel more secure on your path towards greatness or whatever you personally strive for. After explaining the basics of the game to you, this explains and suggests a couple of beginner-friendly openings for White and Black to you and covers basic strategy ideas and endgames.
If you've already dabbled quite a bit in the world of chess, this might not be for you. Though it claims to be for beginners and intermediate players alike, I think the former will benefit way more from this release. Rozman is a great teacher, I really liked the tone he went for with this: it's clear, easy to understand and follow and supportive. The design of the book is clean and deliberate and there are a few boxes with fun facts that make the otherwise dense material feel lighter.
It may not be the most comprehensive guide, but you'll have ideas of where to go from here. This really just is a starter, but explaining the game of chess on less than 300 page is no easy task and Rozman does really make the best out of it. It may feel surface-level to those more advanced, but if you're new to the game you will have a solid understanding of what steps you can take next in your personal chess journey. Any fan of the author or player rated below 1200 will definitely make no wrong choice by spending a bit of time with this!
How to Win at Chess is the first literary effort of the International Master Levy Rozman, who many know and either love or hate as GothamChess. During the pandemic, his educational and often snappy – sometimes almost bitchy – but always educational videos on chess really blew up and he has since established himself in the world of the online chess community. With this book he takes beginners by their hands and patiently helps them navigating through the confusing and overwhelming world of those sixty-four black and white squares.
It's a well-structured manual and great starting point. I myself remember picking up this game and being blown away by the vastness of it. I knew the rules, but where to do from there? There are endgames to study, openings to learn and tactics to practice. It can get overwhelming quickly, so a book like this will make you feel more secure on your path towards greatness or whatever you personally strive for. After explaining the basics of the game to you, this explains and suggests a couple of beginner-friendly openings for White and Black to you and covers basic strategy ideas and endgames.
If you've already dabbled quite a bit in the world of chess, this might not be for you. Though it claims to be for beginners and intermediate players alike, I think the former will benefit way more from this release. Rozman is a great teacher, I really liked the tone he went for with this: it's clear, easy to understand and follow and supportive. The design of the book is clean and deliberate and there are a few boxes with fun facts that make the otherwise dense material feel lighter.
It may not be the most comprehensive guide, but you'll have ideas of where to go from here. This really just is a starter, but explaining the game of chess on less than 300 page is no easy task and Rozman does really make the best out of it. It may feel surface-level to those more advanced, but if you're new to the game you will have a solid understanding of what steps you can take next in your personal chess journey. Any fan of the author or player rated below 1200 will definitely make no wrong choice by spending a bit of time with this!
October 28, 2025
Back in the 60's I learned the basic moves of chess but it never grabbed me. Then, the Fischer-Spassky world championship kicked off the Fischer frenzy and lots of folks got swept up in it. I began playing competitive chess, studied lots of books, but could not devote a lot of time to it so pretty much remained an intermediate player -probably average for a strong club player but I did win a state class championship and once defeated a master in a simul where he was also playing 6 others. I continued to play in clubs around Florida now and then and kept studying books I thought would be interesting. One of my favorites, actually published in 1957 by Irving Chernev (still in print) "Logical Chess Move by Move" was great to read because it was chess move by move. Not having to keep variations in the head and following different lines without illustration made the book quite easy to follow.
American Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan wrote a series of instructional books about 20 years ago that are clear and informative and interesting but he took about 6 books to cover what this one does in one. So, combine the great principles of those two authors and you have this book. Explanations, move by move, covering rules, play, analysis, strategy and tactics.
When I downsized a few years ago I donated 222 chess books to a local club so I have been through a few! This is by far the best book I have read on learning the game, playing the game, practicing the game, and hopefully winning a lot more than you used to! While it ends at my skill level, I still gained some ideas, keyed some forgotten ideas and am glad to have read it. It is clear, logical, and supportive so if you have an interest in the game, give it a go! Or maybe, there is someone you just don't seem to be able to beat and could use a helping hand!
American Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan wrote a series of instructional books about 20 years ago that are clear and informative and interesting but he took about 6 books to cover what this one does in one. So, combine the great principles of those two authors and you have this book. Explanations, move by move, covering rules, play, analysis, strategy and tactics.
When I downsized a few years ago I donated 222 chess books to a local club so I have been through a few! This is by far the best book I have read on learning the game, playing the game, practicing the game, and hopefully winning a lot more than you used to! While it ends at my skill level, I still gained some ideas, keyed some forgotten ideas and am glad to have read it. It is clear, logical, and supportive so if you have an interest in the game, give it a go! Or maybe, there is someone you just don't seem to be able to beat and could use a helping hand!
November 15, 2023
This book was truly well done, especially for a first-time author. Of all the beginner chess books I’ve seen, I think it’s the best so far. The only true downside is that it was supposed to be aimed at “intermediate” players as well, and since I myself am an intermediate player, I hoped to benefit... But I don’t think it went much beyond beginner. From number one chess YouTuber, Rozman’s leap to educational author went smoothly, I think.
I posted a full video review on my Random Chess Person YT channel, but won’t link to it here in case this site frowns on that.
February 10, 2025
I’m still losing at chess
March 21, 2025
Now that I am retired, I have been doing a lot of fly fishing for trout and trying to significantly improve my Chess game. I have been playing Chess pretty actively for more than 60 years. I play a lot of board/card games, and Chess is clearly my favorite game. I have been slowly acquiring a good little collection of Chess books, mostly focusing on various openings and defenses. If you play Chess, you cannot go wrong in following Levy Rozman on YouTube (Gothamchess). He is a great teacher and explainer, and he has a terrific sense of humor. If you're new to Chess or an intermittent player, this book is invaluable. If you're a serious intermediate, or better, player this book may not help you much, but it sure makes a fine gift to a friend or relative just coming to the game. Very solid 4.5/5.0 stars for me!
The late-Latvian/Soviet Grand Master, Mikail Tal, was quoted, when asked about how he played Chess, as saying: You must lead your opponent into a deep, dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.
The late-Latvian/Soviet Grand Master, Mikail Tal, was quoted, when asked about how he played Chess, as saying: You must lead your opponent into a deep, dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.
January 8, 2024
An instructive and approachable read. Levy Rozman’s author voice is exactly like his speaking voice: warm, funny, clear, and intelligent. I discovered his GothamChess YouTube channel by accident recently, and became totally engrossed. His passion for the game drew me in and made chess not only interesting but also actively made me want to play myself. I found his book through that experience, and I’m glad to have read it.
He breaks down the details of chess in a way that is simultaneously easy to follow and yet not pandering to the uneducated. Almost any age could learn how to play chess from this book, which is pretty impressive given how complicated the game is.
After reading this, I want to buy a chess set. That is success, by any measure.
He breaks down the details of chess in a way that is simultaneously easy to follow and yet not pandering to the uneducated. Almost any age could learn how to play chess from this book, which is pretty impressive given how complicated the game is.
After reading this, I want to buy a chess set. That is success, by any measure.
Read
February 11, 2025Well presented, uncluttered pages with clear diagrams.
Levy’s explanations are easy to follow.
A great tool for people like me who are desperately trying to leave beginner territory and teeter on the boundary of intermediate chess.
I use this as reference material from which I can pick chapters out to study, depending on what areas of my game I’d like to work on.
Definitely recommend.
Levy’s explanations are easy to follow.
A great tool for people like me who are desperately trying to leave beginner territory and teeter on the boundary of intermediate chess.
I use this as reference material from which I can pick chapters out to study, depending on what areas of my game I’d like to work on.
Definitely recommend.
March 13, 2024
beginner half was great intermediate half was meh
December 31, 2025
Lo tengo que terminar, pero le he notado algo extraño. Eso sí, creo que he mejorado en mi juego, no demasiado, pero sí algo. Algo que espero conservar. ¿Es así de frágil el juego de uno mismo? ¿Se pierden las habilidades? ¿Dónde habita la verdad?
April 21, 2024
Good book for beginner to early intermediate
I recently picked up chess again and have been playing a lot. I was doing most of my learning through chess.com lessons from instructors, puzzles, etc but wanted to also back it up with a thorough course on the basics. This book does cover all those basic concepts you need to be practicing at all times so is worth the cost, especially for beginners.
I recently picked up chess again and have been playing a lot. I was doing most of my learning through chess.com lessons from instructors, puzzles, etc but wanted to also back it up with a thorough course on the basics. This book does cover all those basic concepts you need to be practicing at all times so is worth the cost, especially for beginners.
August 11, 2025
Hopefully it works (probably won’t…)!
Genuinely though, great read. Looks gorgeous. Excellent voice from Levy.
About 5 too many MMA analogies, but nevertheless, still a great training book for beginners!
Genuinely though, great read. Looks gorgeous. Excellent voice from Levy.
About 5 too many MMA analogies, but nevertheless, still a great training book for beginners!
October 28, 2023
Empieza muy básico y explica muy bien hasta un nivel como de 1500 (si no metes la pata a cada poco, como yo) Más gracioso en los vídeos, lógicamente, y con acceso a contenido online muy bueno.
April 11, 2024
GothamChess is an excellent communicator and makes the game accessible and fun. His YouTube channel is also great. I don’t always win at chess now but this book has helped me improve my game quite a bit!
June 12, 2024
I originally got this book to help play chess with someone who was extremely talented in it. Though life had other plans, I unexpectedly got into the book and chess even more. Chess can easily become boring to read about but the author made it understandable and fun! As a beginner to chess, I learned a lot and improved my game for sure! My brain is now forming thoughts of openings, controlling the center, castling early (while not forgetting a luft ofc), forming batteries, tactics and strategy’s, and middle and endgames. I also know where to go from here to improve even more. Though, I def still have a longggg ways to go lol.
January 12, 2026
It was lowkey quite informative but the first like section would be more suited to complete beginners. The tactics and gambits were interesting tho and cool to learn about. I also lowkey needed a refresher on endgames so that was helpful.
February 15, 2026
5/5
An excellent introduction to chess, nothing more, nothing less.
An excellent introduction to chess, nothing more, nothing less.
September 17, 2023
Whilst I understood the principles of chess and basic game rules, I have never really played chess properly. I picked up “How to Win at Chess” by Levy Rozman and am delighted by the improvement in my understanding…and ability to win! Granted, I have only tested my new skills against the computer and chess puzzles but I’m enjoying chess far more!
This book is carefully thought out to give the reader small wins in each chapter. As my understanding improved as to what winning strategy looks like, my game win ratio improved. I find it easy to flip back to the book when I encounter a permutation to a gambit and learn a better way to play. I am only at 600 so haven’t fully utilised the book’s teachings yet but that’s an improvement from O in little more than a month.
The passion of author and Grandmaster Levy Rozman exudes throughout and it is an easy read as he explains why as well as how, for me the why make the how easier to recall.
If you’re looking to improve your chess game or start playing chess and discover why it is so popular, this is the book to read! I couldn’t watch the videos as I had the advanced copy but can only imagine how much more depth this will add. Its a five out of five and highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Clarkson Potter/ Ten Speed Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book is carefully thought out to give the reader small wins in each chapter. As my understanding improved as to what winning strategy looks like, my game win ratio improved. I find it easy to flip back to the book when I encounter a permutation to a gambit and learn a better way to play. I am only at 600 so haven’t fully utilised the book’s teachings yet but that’s an improvement from O in little more than a month.
The passion of author and Grandmaster Levy Rozman exudes throughout and it is an easy read as he explains why as well as how, for me the why make the how easier to recall.
If you’re looking to improve your chess game or start playing chess and discover why it is so popular, this is the book to read! I couldn’t watch the videos as I had the advanced copy but can only imagine how much more depth this will add. Its a five out of five and highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Clarkson Potter/ Ten Speed Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
November 4, 2025
Okey not as good as Fun master mike 🙂
July 15, 2025
Good book but I'm still trash.
August 25, 2024
Levy was the YouTuber that really sparked my joy in chess making the learning of the game fun to ingest. in many cases chess educators before Gotham were dry, just listing the facts. adding helpful critique to a comedy video about chess helped my to understand what I was doing wrong in my games and where I needed to improve. over a year my ELO climbed from 150 to 1083 mainly watching Gothamchess and Eric Rosen. this book has many of the things I've already learned and is now not that useful to me but I still have a ways to go and there's some interesting looks at openings I don't know that well. I plan to use this as a reference book to crack open when I need a refresher on something or to learn a listed opening.
this book is in many ways a complete beginners guide covering the absolute basics so if you are looking to learn from nothing at all ground up, this book has that and more. I highly recommend it.
this book is in many ways a complete beginners guide covering the absolute basics so if you are looking to learn from nothing at all ground up, this book has that and more. I highly recommend it.
February 8, 2024
An attractive and readable chess book. The design of the book is visually pleasing and the diagrams are clear, and they are enhanced by a QR code in each chapter that the reader can scan to be taken to Levy's chess website for additional practice.
Unfortunately, most of the advice in the book, which is offered in a conversational and fun prose style, is below my level. I'm far from the second coming of Kasparov, but the majority of the advice is more suited for beginners and less suited for the "beyond" mentioned in the book's subtitle. That said, he does offer simple introductions to a number of openings, which is more than many beginner books offer.
Along those lines, I've been trying his recommendation for the Caro-Kann advance variation, and I've had some success!
Ultimately, what you get out of this book will depend on how far along you are in your chess journey.
Unfortunately, most of the advice in the book, which is offered in a conversational and fun prose style, is below my level. I'm far from the second coming of Kasparov, but the majority of the advice is more suited for beginners and less suited for the "beyond" mentioned in the book's subtitle. That said, he does offer simple introductions to a number of openings, which is more than many beginner books offer.
Along those lines, I've been trying his recommendation for the Caro-Kann advance variation, and I've had some success!
Ultimately, what you get out of this book will depend on how far along you are in your chess journey.
January 21, 2026
A lot of familiar concepts but it was nice to take things a step or two further while reinforcing with examples. An approachable take on chess with the best board illustrations I have come across.
I am leaving this book with more confidence in not only what I know, but also what I don’t know. For example, I’m not fully set on an opening for either side but I’ve gained some new perspective on what makes an opening good and some things to consider when I decide.
I am leaving this book with more confidence in not only what I know, but also what I don’t know. For example, I’m not fully set on an opening for either side but I’ve gained some new perspective on what makes an opening good and some things to consider when I decide.
April 18, 2025
I’ll be referencing this book for a while in my chess journey, especially openings and checkmating basics. It’s the kind of book that tells you just enough about chess to get you excited about playing it a lot and exploring its vast universe. And of course my ELO has increased by 150 since I started watching and now reading Levy’s content :)
May 29, 2023
I'm past the beginner stage but I'm hoping it can still be helpful, since this book is being written by GothamChess I'm sure it'll be helpful.
(Random quote from Levy Rozman A.K.A. GothamChess): "and he sacrifices . . . THE ROOOK!!!"
(Random quote from Levy Rozman A.K.A. GothamChess): "and he sacrifices . . . THE ROOOK!!!"
December 1, 2024
Super helpful introduction to playing chess with intention and expanding your mind to having a grand strategy. Reworked my whole framework for how the game works and what it looks like to come to it with a plan.
September 18, 2025
Great book both for beginners and intermediates. It's not a "dense" chess book, as Levy keeps a light and joyful tone.
Also, it finally taught me rook + king mates!
Also, it finally taught me rook + king mates!
October 25, 2025
I can now win at chess
February 26, 2026
I’ve plateaued 😔
November 30, 2024
Great book, but I’m still 700 ELO in blitz, so I can’t give it more than three stars…
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews