Silman's Chess Odyssey: Cracked Grandmaster Tales, Legendary Players, and Instruction and Musings

by Jeremy Silman

""Silman's Chess Odyssey" is International Master Jeremy Silman's homage-part instruction, part history, part memoir-to the game he loves. The book opens with with behind-the-scenes tales of tournament life. Then it profiles the lives and careers of eleven legendary players-Adolf Anderssen, Ignatz Kolisch, Johannes Zukertort, Siegbert Tarrasch, Wilhelm Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, Frank Marshall, Rudolf Spielmann, Alexander Alekhine, Salo Flohr, and Efim Geller-with the help of diagrams and analysis of over 275 games. After that it delves into accounts of criminals who were talented chess players, discusses a memorably odd series of games in a historic interzonal tournament, and memorializes some of Silman's friends in the chess world. It concludes with material on openings, imbalances, tactics, and psychology, and FAQs"--

Genres: Chess

549 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Fred Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real mixed bag but in a good way. I had expected a story of his journey as a player, author and instructor and there is plenty of that. But the book turned out to be over 550 pages long and deals with the lives of famous masters, tournament tips and training and interesting quirky folks and games, trends and game history. Granted, you need to be seriously interested in the game to enjoy this. You'll need to understand chess notation, the rules of the game, basic theory and have a few games under your belt. But, if you love the game as I do, you will find this an enjoyable, entertaining and informative read. I have long enjoyed Silman's instructional work and columns so it was fun to wander a bit further afield exploring the game of kings.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book from the late great chess writer Jeremy Silman. My favorite part, and more than half the book, is "Legendary Players". Here Silman profiles his favorite players in history and provides annotated games.

[Robert Irons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silman’s Chess Odyssey is a cornucopia of interesting chess stories and games, as seen through the eyes of one of America’s foremost chess teachers. IM Jeremy Silman earned his reputation through a long list of publications, of which the most impactful is the 4th edition of How to Reassess Your Chess. His teaching of the use of imbalances as the basis for forming plans and choosing moves has helped countless developing players improve. That, however, is not the intention of this book. Rather, IM Silman has produced a labor of love, detailing his journey through the world of amateur and professional chess, and the many characters he met along the way.
You will read stories, see photos, and play over annotated games he played with such people as Igor Ivanov, Walter Browne, Miguel Najdorf, John Fedorowicz, and former World Champion Vasily Smyslov. You will hear his take on some of the strongest players in history, using annotated games to make his case. You will be introduced to some of the most fascinating characters modern chess has known, including Steve Brandwein, the unknown player who couldn’t even be taken for a drawn game!
A fascinating collection of anecdotes, games, and photos, perfect for when you want to enjoy some chess without studying another opening line (although there are a couple of those in the book as well!) Highly recommended. DISCLAIMER: I did not purchase this book, it was provided by the publisher.