Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances Since Nimzowitsch

Like all.

this book is the bible of chess. and like the bible it was written by a human! hehe ok i wont go there. one thing i here recurring about this book is a very strange rumour that it improves peoples games. even though watson did not write it as a training book. its more a report on the evolution of chess and how modern players handle positions. im sure it will improve peoples chess because watsons research matches his interpretation which is incredible and without a doubt he is one of the greatest chess writers of all time. i noticed a reviewer said that reading this book can be a bit of a slog. in that case they probaly dont understand the depth to which watson takes the book. its very deep and very thoughtful and if you cant understand it you will see it as a slog reading rather than the gem it is. if you cant understand it then read silmans books or a few others on basic strategy then come back to it and you will see how groundbreaking and to current knowledge how correct watsons report on chess is.

I am not a master chess player but I am on my way there. I started playing at the age of two and developed an early understanding of the game. Unfortunately I didn't have the proper competition as a kid and quickly lost interest in chess due to my domination of weaker players. I picked up the game again at age 23, because of the internet's ability to allow me to play chess-players of a superior level in online gaming. After being humiliated a few times by advanced players on the internet, I rediscovered my love for this complex game and decided to get studying! After browsing through countless chess books (for advanced players only, I have already studied and am beyond basic chess books) I found this book to be the most comprehensive and challenging one on the market for a player of my level, (advanced-intermediate striving for mastery). Of course the BEST way to improve your chess is to PLAY, and study your OWN games. But this book serves as my "chess-bible" which I study, play out the games( alot of goodies in here), and go back too when I need to develop my chess understanding with a master's help. Watson reveals his genius to the reader and I, like most chess-players would be more than happy to reach Watson's level of chess comprehension. Another thing I like about the book is Watson's 'philosophical' view of the game, and his very witty remarks about everything from the old chess masters' games, to extremely abstract views of the essence of chess as a whole. to sum up in one word -'GENIUS.'

Very comprehensive and instructive.

I bought this book when it first came out. Many years later I got the ebook version, and gave away my physical copy to a friend who played chess. The absence of that book on my shelf bothered me (I have other Watson books in that spot so I noted this book was missing every time I looked at my bookshelf). So a few years later (late 2023/early 2024) I bought a second physical copy to recomplete that section of my shelf. I've read Watson's book cover to cover several times now, sometimes playing through the examples, sometimes just reading it to get the gist of the arguments without the examples. For me, this book was a game-changer because I'd learned chess by reading My System by Nimzowitsch. Prior to reading that book I couldn't win against level 5 of 8 levels on my Radio Shack 1650 Fast Response portable chess computer (which tells you how bad I was). After reading My System, I was able to beat the best commercial product (Chessmaster 2000, I think) by using the positional ideas and steering away from tactics. I was quite wedded to Nimzowitsch's ideas for that reason. Reading Watson's book opened my eyes to how much more flexible chess is. It felt like I'd been in a strict rule "church" and Watson's book set me free to see beyond the rules. I have no idea if Watson's book made me a stronger chess player or not, but I do know it made chess feel more "wild" where I'd start looking at ideas that normally I'd have rejected because of My System's advice against those ideas. If you are like me and have a rules based approach to which chess moves and ideas are good especially if you've read Nimzowitsch, then this book will be an excellent addition to your library and will open your mind to new possibilities. I suspect if I'd read this book before I read Nimzowitsch (not possible since it came out 20 yrs after I'd read My System), my playing strength would have taken that big leap forward just as it did when I read My System. Currently, this book is still on my bedside table and I'm working my way through it yet again. I really like the ideas and concepts in it, and Watson explains them fairly well. I suspect this is my second review of this book, so sorry for cluttering, but I'm enjoying it almost like it's my first time reading it instead of my 5th? 7th? time. For context, I don't play tournaments, I'm just a happy patzer who plays chess against computers and friends for fun where getting to be the best isn't a goal but where understanding more and more about chess is the main goal.

Estou lendo e aproveitando para aprender com os diversos exemplos e também de forma indireta conhecer um pouco sobre os temas abordados em MI SISTEMA - NIMZOVICH. Mais um livro interessante para minha coleção. Com o tempo posso melhorar o meu aprendizado. O livro parece muito interessante, preparado com a experiência de quem conhece a melhor forma de ensinar. Eu possuo alguns livros do mesmo autor. Este é o ultimo que adquiri sendo que estou lendo a parte 3 no momento usando o arquivo para Kindle.

I got about 20 books this winter to update and add to my collection. This was one of the choices, partly due to some reviews, but also because it covers newer tenets in theory since 1950 or so. Having the more updated concepts outlined in a succinct format was what I was looking for. I have a LOT of reading to do! :) So, I haven't yet fully dived into this yet - a look at the first two sections tells me this is going to get a lot of use as I continue to study and re-develop my chess skills. I believe it is a nice addition to the repertoire of many chess libraries. Not recommended for novices - sorry - this is really more advanced and requires understanding some of the theories of the likes of Nimzowitsch, Tarrach, and a few others first to make more sense of it. I am far form an expert, but am currently going through the "My System" again and plan to follow up with this one afterwards to round out the concepts to a more modern approach. A nice book I think! I was careful in my book choices and this seems very good from what I have gleaned so far!

Excelente!!!!

I am writing this review, because this masterpiece is accessible and the other reviews dont point this out. Clearly this book is aimed at higher level players with a fair grip on essentials, but it is very readable. If you have ever read a chess book, any chess book at all, cover to cover than you will enjoy this book. If you have ever wondered why you lost a game when you played by the rules and your opponent ignored basic sane principle then you will enjoy this book. If you consider yourself an intelligent person, even if you are not yet Class A or expert, then you will enjoy this book. If you play an occasional game against your father on holidays, well, then see my comments above on reading Silman or Nimzowitch once first. I never had a board out while reading this. It is not that kind of book. It is an essay on the magical growth of the game into a wild, unpredictable, and sometimes incomprehensible contest at the highest levels. It will, however, improve your game by pulling back the curtains on "mysterious" Grandmaster play. Don't be surprised when you uncork a "mysterious" brilliancy of your own in your next match.