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My System & Chess Praxis: His Landmark Classics in One Edition
In My System, he expounded his theories of prophylaxis, blockade and much more, while providing ground-breaking insights in pawn structures. In the sequel Chess Praxis, Nimzowitsch demonstrated how he had successfully tested his theories in his games.
Without reading Nimzowitsch your chess education cannot be complete. Perhaps not all of his convictions have stood the test of time, but even today, any chess student will deepen his understanding while enjoying the author s insights and witticisms.
Part of the charm of Nimzowitsch s prose was his idiosyncratic use of the German language, which has been very carefully preserved in Robert Sherwood s new translation.
Added in this edition are the influential essays The Blockade and On the History of the Chess Revolution 1911-1914."
Without reading Nimzowitsch your chess education cannot be complete. Perhaps not all of his convictions have stood the test of time, but even today, any chess student will deepen his understanding while enjoying the author s insights and witticisms.
Part of the charm of Nimzowitsch s prose was his idiosyncratic use of the German language, which has been very carefully preserved in Robert Sherwood s new translation.
Added in this edition are the influential essays The Blockade and On the History of the Chess Revolution 1911-1914."
- GenresChessNonfictionGames
1482 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2016
227 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Aron Nimzowitsch
15 books32 followersAron Nimzowitsch (or Aron Isayevich Nimtsovich, or Aaron Nimzovich; Latvian: Ārons Ņimcovičs, Russian: Аро́н Иса́евич Нимцо́вич; born Aron Niemzowitsch; 7 November 1886 – 16 March 1935) was a Russian-born, Danish leading chess master and a very influential chess writer. He was the foremost figure amongst the hypermoderns.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 31, 2021
An excellent book! I will need to re-read (and study) many times.
My only complaint is not on the content but its presentation. It could have been made more clearer and simpler to be comprehendible by non-experts like me.
My only complaint is not on the content but its presentation. It could have been made more clearer and simpler to be comprehendible by non-experts like me.
December 5, 2024
One of the chess “masterpieces,” written like 100 years ago.
He does offer plenty of nuggets and lessons, and so the book is useful. However, he buries his points in strained metaphors that muddle his meaning.
For example, at one point he compares a pawn end game to a séance. I know séances were popular in the author’s day, but I have never been to one, and how pawn moves relate to communicating to dead spirits is beyond me.
So, the amount of mental work required to understand his point, beyond learning the chess lessons themselves, made this a tedious chore. It triggered flashbacks to my worst high school teachers: too wrapped up in their own egos to realize how bad they were at teaching and communicating effectively.
In the process of making chess easier to understand, he (like other writers I have encountered) ends up making it needlessly complicated somehow.
He does offer plenty of nuggets and lessons, and so the book is useful. However, he buries his points in strained metaphors that muddle his meaning.
For example, at one point he compares a pawn end game to a séance. I know séances were popular in the author’s day, but I have never been to one, and how pawn moves relate to communicating to dead spirits is beyond me.
So, the amount of mental work required to understand his point, beyond learning the chess lessons themselves, made this a tedious chore. It triggered flashbacks to my worst high school teachers: too wrapped up in their own egos to realize how bad they were at teaching and communicating effectively.
In the process of making chess easier to understand, he (like other writers I have encountered) ends up making it needlessly complicated somehow.
February 20, 2022
Yes, I know.
This book is a classic. And Nimzowitsch writing is passionate. And this book inspired a lot of good players.
However, here is the issue I have with it, and it is on you, dear reader, to decide whether it is a minor or a big problem.
For a long time I wanted to check this book with silicon brain, so that I could implement it in some of my lessons. To my frustration, it turned out that I needed to make corrections on almost every single page. I don't know how many times I was forced to turn his exclamation mark into a question mark. Sometimes, Nimzowitsch was even struggling to create a good illustrative example/position.
For example, the Chapter 6 (Elements of endgame strategy - if I'm correct, I'm using the Russian translation) begins with the next example:
White - Kg1, Rd1, b2, f4, g3, h2
Black - Kg8, Rb3, a7, b7, c7
Nimzowitsch says that the correct plan is Kg1-f2-e2, than Ke2-d1-c2 freeing the white rook (for Rd7).
Since I'm prone to trust the authorities (and I was already behind my schedule considering how many corrections I have made till page 117) I quickly agreed with this plan. However, 15 minutes (and a couple of pages) later, I decided to go back to this example and offer it to my silicon brain; the reasoning was that for the confirmation I will just need 2-3 minutes since there are not so many pieces on the board.
Of course, the plan offered by Nimzowitsch is completely wrong (Black plays ...a5, ...b5, ...a4, while after Kc2 the black rook goes to f3 paralyzing the white pawns) and the correct way to play is 1 Kg2 with the idea 2 f4 / 3 f5 / 4 g5 / 5 Rd8+ / 6 f6+ / 7 Rg8+.
Another example:
White: Kb4, Qd4, c5
Black: Kc7, Rc6, Be4
Nimzowitsch starts with not the best defense: 1...Bg6?! (this leads to checkmate in 18 moves, compared to 1...Re6 - 48 moves), then continues with a double mistake 2 Kb5? (2 Qe5 is checkmate in 18 moves) and 2...Le8? (2...Re6! aiming for the fortress Ld7/Re6).
Lucky for me, when I was around page 200 (the book has 510 pages), New in Chess announced the release of the Game Changer (February 2019), and when I started to read it I quickly realized that I don't want to torture myself any longer by reading & checking My System. The final nail in the coffin came last year with the release of The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement. Now, that's what I call an exemplary textbook!
So personally, I'm over with Nimzowitsch's book. Finished. Period!
This book is a classic. And Nimzowitsch writing is passionate. And this book inspired a lot of good players.
However, here is the issue I have with it, and it is on you, dear reader, to decide whether it is a minor or a big problem.
For a long time I wanted to check this book with silicon brain, so that I could implement it in some of my lessons. To my frustration, it turned out that I needed to make corrections on almost every single page. I don't know how many times I was forced to turn his exclamation mark into a question mark. Sometimes, Nimzowitsch was even struggling to create a good illustrative example/position.
For example, the Chapter 6 (Elements of endgame strategy - if I'm correct, I'm using the Russian translation) begins with the next example:
White - Kg1, Rd1, b2, f4, g3, h2
Black - Kg8, Rb3, a7, b7, c7
Nimzowitsch says that the correct plan is Kg1-f2-e2, than Ke2-d1-c2 freeing the white rook (for Rd7).
Since I'm prone to trust the authorities (and I was already behind my schedule considering how many corrections I have made till page 117) I quickly agreed with this plan. However, 15 minutes (and a couple of pages) later, I decided to go back to this example and offer it to my silicon brain; the reasoning was that for the confirmation I will just need 2-3 minutes since there are not so many pieces on the board.
Of course, the plan offered by Nimzowitsch is completely wrong (Black plays ...a5, ...b5, ...a4, while after Kc2 the black rook goes to f3 paralyzing the white pawns) and the correct way to play is 1 Kg2 with the idea 2 f4 / 3 f5 / 4 g5 / 5 Rd8+ / 6 f6+ / 7 Rg8+.
Another example:
White: Kb4, Qd4, c5
Black: Kc7, Rc6, Be4
Nimzowitsch starts with not the best defense: 1...Bg6?! (this leads to checkmate in 18 moves, compared to 1...Re6 - 48 moves), then continues with a double mistake 2 Kb5? (2 Qe5 is checkmate in 18 moves) and 2...Le8? (2...Re6! aiming for the fortress Ld7/Re6).
Lucky for me, when I was around page 200 (the book has 510 pages), New in Chess announced the release of the Game Changer (February 2019), and when I started to read it I quickly realized that I don't want to torture myself any longer by reading & checking My System. The final nail in the coffin came last year with the release of The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement. Now, that's what I call an exemplary textbook!
So personally, I'm over with Nimzowitsch's book. Finished. Period!
January 3, 2024
I enjoyed and gleaned much from this book. For reference, I am ~900 Chess.com and ~1480 LICHESS, so I am a novice. There has been a lot of criticism leveled at Nimzowitch and this book and depending upon your frame of reference, some of it might be justified. However, I feel that the "good" far outweighs the "bad" and I can highly recommend this book.
Firstly, and this is true, some of Nimzo's analysis falls short when compared to modern engine analysis. Some of his annotations graded ! or !! are seen by Stockfish as ? or ?? While that is true, bear in mind that there were NO computers in the time of Nimzowitsch and that his annotation was based on how he believed the move advanced his plan. The way I read this book, and "Chess Praxis" was to play each game over-the-board, and then annotate using an engine. Despite some annotational irregularities, Nimzowitch was a brilliant player (middle-game and endgame especially) and a highly entertaining writer.
Having said that he also was at the forefront of the Hypermodern style of chess - in sum "it is not necessary to occupy the center with pawn in order to control the center, and that central pawns could be turned into targets".
Like him or not there is valuable chess insight to be gained from this book:
Centralization
Restriction
The Blockade
Overprotection - I am now ever mindful of "d5" as an English player
Open files
the 7th and 8th ranks
The passed pawn
Elements of endgame strategy
the pinned piece
the discovered cheek
The pawn chain and how best to attack it
Positional Play/Prophylaxis
and much more....
The "Chess Praxis" volume is a series of additional annotated games that further illustrate tenets of Nimzowitsch's system.
Yes, there are analytical flaws and some concepts that flew past me (i.e. the "mysterious Rook" move, but I will take my chances with the solid fundamental approach he presents and I am certain to catch a few of my opponents off guard utilizing his approach. It may not be for everyone, but I will continue to refer to this book going forward. Worth it!
Firstly, and this is true, some of Nimzo's analysis falls short when compared to modern engine analysis. Some of his annotations graded ! or !! are seen by Stockfish as ? or ?? While that is true, bear in mind that there were NO computers in the time of Nimzowitsch and that his annotation was based on how he believed the move advanced his plan. The way I read this book, and "Chess Praxis" was to play each game over-the-board, and then annotate using an engine. Despite some annotational irregularities, Nimzowitch was a brilliant player (middle-game and endgame especially) and a highly entertaining writer.
Having said that he also was at the forefront of the Hypermodern style of chess - in sum "it is not necessary to occupy the center with pawn in order to control the center, and that central pawns could be turned into targets".
Like him or not there is valuable chess insight to be gained from this book:
Centralization
Restriction
The Blockade
Overprotection - I am now ever mindful of "d5" as an English player
Open files
the 7th and 8th ranks
The passed pawn
Elements of endgame strategy
the pinned piece
the discovered cheek
The pawn chain and how best to attack it
Positional Play/Prophylaxis
and much more....
The "Chess Praxis" volume is a series of additional annotated games that further illustrate tenets of Nimzowitsch's system.
Yes, there are analytical flaws and some concepts that flew past me (i.e. the "mysterious Rook" move, but I will take my chances with the solid fundamental approach he presents and I am certain to catch a few of my opponents off guard utilizing his approach. It may not be for everyone, but I will continue to refer to this book going forward. Worth it!
February 25, 2023
Instructive and written in style, which is definitely a plus as I can't imagine going through a chess book that reads like a crane lift maintenance manual. Judging by the last remark, I was probably not entirely ready for this book. I'm around 1100 chess.com ELO, and I mainly got value from reading the rules outlined in My System. I did not play through all of the games cause I prefer watching YouTube GM's comments on more modern plays.
Definitely something to pick up, though as it structures all of the advice scattered around the internet.
Definitely something to pick up, though as it structures all of the advice scattered around the internet.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews