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Summary: Can you run that by my again Nimzy?
Review: Ok...we all know that this is one of the lasting bibles of chess. Still, I can't help but wonder why no one has sought to truly turn these lessons into understandable, learnable ideas without the surrounding muck. What do i mean? Over and over in My System one must wade though cryptic trash writing such as "I have sought to illustrate this entry by some particularly marked, because catastrophic, examples, but I must here, to offset this, emphasize the fact that, in the normal course of events, it will only be late, when we pass into the endgame stage, that the 7th rank will be seuzed, for catastrophes of whatever nature are, after all, only the result of serious mistakes of our opponent, and consequently cannot be regarded as the normal." HUH? WHAT?? Nimzo's writing is peppered with this mumbo-jumbo...page after page of it. His ideas are remarkable but they are so hidden by this poorly written (translated?) work that they remain out-of-reach of all but the most patient reader.
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Summary: MY SYSTEM -- Your key to understanding chess
Review: Chess is first a game of UNDERSTANDING. Have you ever wondered why strong players overwhelm you at chess? The tactics always belong to them. You never have any counterplay. From start to finish your position gets worse and worse and you don't know why. Sound POSITIONAL PLAY is what these players are using to beat you. How did they learn it? Well .... experience counts for some of this understanding, but we all know people who have played chess for decades and not become very good. Virtually every chess master in the world has studied "My System" by Aron Nimzowitsch. Here's a quote from world-class Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan in his introduction to "My System - 21st Century Edition." --- "MY SYSTEM is a book that provokes you to think differently about chess. It challenges you to consider a different approach and urges you to prove or refute Nimzowitsch's ideas. It is also a book that you can read and reread, each time coming away with different lessons and insights, leading to a deeper understanding of the game." Grandmaster Seirawan goes on to discuss the benefits of his repeated readings of "My System", first as a teenager, and later during difficult periods in his chess career. The first nine chapters of "My System" make up PART ONE - THE ELEMENTS. Nimzowitsch said, "A thorough knowledge of the elements takes us more than halfway to mastership." What are these elements? Chapter 1. The center and development. Chapter 2. Open files. Chapter 3. The seventh and eighth ranks. Chapter 4. The passed pawn. Chapter 5. Exchanging. Chapter 6. Elements of endgame strategy. Chapter 7. The pin. Chapter 8. Discovered check. Chapter 9. The pawn chain. These nine chapters take only 100 pages of the book and can be learned and understood by any aspiring chess player. Once you have absorbed what is in these chapters, you can move on to the more sohpisticated PART TWO - POSITIONAL PLAY. Chapter 10. Positional play and the center. Chapter 11. the doubled pawn and restraint. Chapter 12. The isolated d-pawn and its descendants. Chapter 14. The two Bishops. Chapter 14. Overprotection. Chapter 15. Maneuvering against weaknesses. The final section of "My System - 21st Century Edition" consists of fifty well-annotated and instructive chess games. These games are integrated with the previous sections and used as study examples for these earlier chapters. Nimzowitsch's chess writing is entertaining and witty, adding to the pleasure of studying this great book. "My System" is a fun, challenging, thorough and fullfilling learning experience. As Grandmaster Seirawan says, it requires you to think differently about chess and will greatly increase your UNDERSTANDING. Virtually every Grandmaster, International Master, master, and even expert has read "My System." "My System - 21st Century Edition" is in algebraic notation and contains 419 diagrams, nearly double the number in the older edition. As editor, I did everything possible to make it as easy as possible to study. The book is edited for the modern reader, but leaves out nothing from the old descriptive edition. Tens of thousands of players worldwide have purchased this new edition. Join this crowd of winning chess players and start UNDERSTANDING chess with "My System - 21st Century Edition". --Lou Hays, Editor / Publisher.
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Summary: Possibly the best chess book ever written
Review: There are a number of books on chess theory that are nothing more than "My System" condensed or rewritten. The principles Nimzovich laid down are as true today as they were 70 years ago. The book is also very entertaining; Nimzovich was known for his sharp (and often cruel!) sarcasm. It is welcome news that the book has finally been updated from descriptive notation to algebraic notation, which had been its only drawback. "My system" belongs in every chessplayer's library.
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Summary: Many books since it, but none like it
Review: Every chess master has read this book. Every player wanting to understand the positional beauty of the game should read this book. Every player wanting to pick up endgame wins by learning the power of your rook (or rooks) on the opponent's seventh rank should read this book. Every player wanting to learn how to combat against or fight with an isolated queen pawn should read this book. Every player who wants to learn how a blockading of a passed pawn is part of defense should read this book. The prose is less turgid that the original translation, for which I am glad. If you are of average level, buy this book. If you are a beginner, this book is difficult.
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Summary: A great book, but beginners should look elswhere...
Review: My copy of My System has been around. It is dog-eared, the pages have yellowed a bit and the price on it is marked $2.95. I recall many years ago that I had put a great deal of time into this book, but I'm not sure that I got a lot out of it then. Despite the smothering praise for this book given below, it is not without its flaws. Firstly, the book is not easy reading. The formal and stodgy early twentieth century prose makes one feel as if he is wading through molasses just to get to the point. The writing is unnecessarily wordy -- younger readers will have a tough time with the vocabulary. My System was revolutionary in its day but there are several newer books that I feel have ecclipsed it. Ludek Pachman's Modern Chess Strategy is an excellent book as is Jeremy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess. If a "C - B" strength player were to ask how to get to 2000, I'd have him start with either of those first. Other excellent books of this genre are Lar! ry Evans' New Ideas in Chess, Michael Stean's curiously misnamed Simple Chess and almost any of Max Euwe's books. That said, this is a great book to browse through. If I were planning to study isolated queen pawn positions, for instance, I would get out Nimzovich, Pachman, et al, and go through each chapter on the IQP in succession. The areas where there was common ground would serve to reinforce the learning and the areas where there were differences would broaden it -- a win-win situation. Buy this book, but don't buy the "greatest chess book ever" hype.
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Summary: A classic book passing down fundamental ideas in chess
Review: This is a classic. The influence of Nimzovich's writing is undisputed. The fundamental ideas which are described in Nimzovich's book provide a background of tools and ideas for the modern tournament player. Rook on the 7th for example, is a phrase often quoted by chess players World wide. The idea of "overprotection" of a strong point, and "blockade", and of the pawn "chain" all provide chess "technology" which will definitely have a positive impact on a chess player's strength. This is definitely not a book for opening parrots! It is book for people who wish to deepen their knowledge of the fundamentals of chess.
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Summary: hypermodernism
Review: Nimzovich in this book teaches what positional chess is all about unsurpassed up to this day. This book can never go out of date.
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Summary: I've seen the light!
Review: I was always amazed at how expert players where able to pull off brilliant combinations and wondered if those positions happened by accident. When I read My System and Chess Praxis, I saw how Nimzowitsch's ideas and principles were the root and foundation for such brilliant play. I've read over 30 chess books and none have had the profound effect on me and my play as My System and Chess Praxis by Aron Nimzowitsch. A definite must read!!
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Summary: Read this book before you read any other chess literature!
Review: This book gives you the foundation to understand most modern chess analysis. Better analysis leads to growth and better play. Many chess authors referenced this book in their works! All chess theory that came before and after "My System" led to and came from "My System." A chess player who does not understand the "Nimzovich System" in a formal or informal way is not a chess player at all; he or she is just a mere wood pusher! Older editions of this book had translation errors, but I'm sure they have been taken care of. "My System" is an on going study and should be read by any chess player who wants to be taken seriously!
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Summary: An all-time classic chess book
Review: If you're an ordinary player looking to become a good player, this book is a great place to start. It is, quite simply, one of the most entertaining and instructive chess books ever written. Nimzovich's principles are interesting, important and far from obvious. His annotated games are a delight and will help prepare the reader for Nimzovich's more advanced book, "Chess Praxis."
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