Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master

Why it's worth it

Jeremy Silman's endgame course is organized by rating bracket, so a 900-rated beginner reads the first chapters and a 1800-rated club player skips ahead. It's the rare chess book that stays useful for years instead of one season.

The structure is what makes this the safe gift. Most chess books assume a level and lose everyone outside it. This one splits the material into rating bands and tells the reader where to start and where to stop, so you don't need to know whether your recipient is rated 1100 or 1600. You just need to know they play chess and want to get better. That's a much easier thing to be sure about.

Endgames are where improving players lose points they've already earned. Owners describe the same arc again and again: they knew openings, they were fine in the middle, and then they'd reach a king-and-rook position and butcher it. Readers say the explanations here are written in plain language rather than dense variation trees, which is why it clicks for people who've bounced off other endgame books.

From our review of 6 gifts for chess players

What we like

• +The structure is what makes this the safe gift
• +Endgames are where improving players lose points they've already earned
• +It's also a genuinely low-risk present
• +The catch is that it rewards effort

What to know

• –It's a study book, not a coffee-table one
• –The listing is for a used copy in good condition, so the physical object may show wear