Dan Shapiro's newly released "Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club" has landed on the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list. The book explores how chess can help kids build confidence, focus, resilience, and decision-making while offering adults a fresh lens on mental performance.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Dan Shapiro's newly released book, "Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club," has landed on the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list following its launch week, ranking among the week's top 100 bestselling books nationwide.
The recognition marks a major milestone for a book that began with one father trying to help his son and grew into a wider look at why chess has shaped thinkers, students, prodigies, and high performers for more than 1,500 years.
In "Decoding Genius," Shapiro explores how chess can give kids a different kind of arena, one where they can practice focus, patience, resilience, confidence, and decision-making without the pressure of traditional activities. For children who think or learn differently, the board can become a place where improvement is visible, mistakes become feedback, and confidence builds one move at a time.
"I wrote this book because I saw firsthand how chess helped my son build confidence and think differently about challenges," said Shapiro. "To see 'Decoding Genius' reach readers in this way is incredibly meaningful."
The book also speaks to adults interested in mental performance. Through stories of blindfolded grandmasters, prodigies, Soviet chess training, artificial intelligence, and strategic sacrifice, Shapiro looks at how memory, preparation, pattern recognition, and patience can shape better thinking far beyond the game itself.
"Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club" is available now.
For more information, visit DecodingGeniusBook.com.
About Dan Shapiro
Dan Shapiro is the author of "Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club." A longtime professional in the investment industry and a father, Shapiro was inspired by his experience helping his son Harry through chess. He wrote the book to explore what the game can teach children, parents, educators, and high performers about confidence, resilience, preparation, and thinking one move ahead.
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SOURCE Dan Shapiro
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