Stjepan Tomić has built a sizable following through his beloved Hanging Pawns YouTube Channel, but good old-fashioned chess books remain his true passion. That passion has led to his ambitious new project, ChessReads.com, a free platform designed to help players of all levels find the right book for their needs through crowdsourced reviews. The project already features its own YouTube channel, Discord server, and a growing website filled with helpful writeups.
To celebrate the site’s launch, Stjepan joined me for a wide-ranging conversation about the enduring value of chess literature. We answered listener questions about whether books are still as vital as ever, how Stjepan chooses what to read next, and we shared recommendations across nearly every rating band. Stjepan also updated us on his own chess improvement goals and upcoming tournaments.
As a fellow chess bibliophile, I’m excited about the ChessReads project and enjoyed catching up with Stjepan. Timestamps for all topics and rating ranges are below, along with Amazon affiliate links to the books mentioned.
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Below are shortened show notes, for more complete show notes with links for all of the book recs, click here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Io2RMjGWDpncNDRcUMOlNmYHKMvdxUP1TGmGJFtdB4/edit?tab=t.0
0:03- Stjepan joins the pod! What is the chessreads.com origin story?
Mentioned:
Chessreads Discord-
https://discord.gg/gbFZGDw4
0:07- Patreon mailbag question: 1) Are chessbooks useful/optimal as chess improvement tools in the modern digital era? 2) Are modern books and older classics equally useful?
19:00- Patreon mailbag question:
Could Stjepan recommend a few books that can be read without a chessboard?
Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Improvement, Thinking Inside the Box
23:00- Patreon mailbag question: How does Stjepan select which chess book to read next?
25:00- Patreon mailbag question: What recommendations does Stjepan have for books about thinking processes?
30:00- Book Recommendations by rating range, starting with under 1000
36:00- Recommendations for the 1000-1200 level
37:00- - Recommendations for the 1200-1400 level
41:00- Recommendations for the 1400-1600 level
45:00- Recommendations for the 1600-1800 level
49:00- Recommendations for the 1800-2000 level
52:00- Recommendations for the above 2000 level
1:01:00-
Chess improvement update from Stjepan
1:06:00- Impromptu discussion- what makes some countries better at chess (and other competitive endeavors) than others?
1:11:00-
Check out Stjepan’s interview with me about my book on the Chessreads channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plMpTaO3Z2Y
Perpetual Chess Improvement is finally available on Audible!
https://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Chess-Improvement-Practical-World-Class/dp/B0FHWWC2ZX/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0
1:17:00- Thanks to Stjepan for joining me again, here is how to keep up with him and the ChessReads project.
Hanging Pawns YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@HangingPawns
Chessreads YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@ChessReadsCom
Chessreads Discord-
https://discord.gg/gbFZGDw4
Chessreads
chessreads.com
X
x.com/chessreads
Instagram
instagram.com/chessreads
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