Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929 [Paperback]

Aron Nimzovich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1981

In this account of his victory at the 1929 Carlsbad Tournament, Nimzovich offers a captivating retrospective of his triumph over some of the best of his contemporaries: Capablanca, Spielmann, Bogolyubov, Tartakower, Sämisch, and others. A tart analysis of Carlsbad's 30 best games.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: Dover Pubns (January 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486241157
• ISBN-13: 978-0486241159
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,566,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting curio, December 20, 2005

By 

Petrosian (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929 (Dover Chess) (Paperback)

This book isn't even the best book that Nimzovich himself wrote.

It appears to be a straightforward account of the 1929 Carlsbad tournament.

However, Nimzovich, in the course of this book, assails Capablanca for adopting the true "hypermodern-restraint-blockade" course of play that Nimzovich felt was his patent.

Pure sour grapes on Nimzovich's fault.

If you don't mind reading a tournament book intermingled with polemics, this is the book for you.

The reader might view this aspect of the work as antiquatedly charmful (Imagine Anand assailing Shirov in book form!) but I view it as petty.

The book itself is adequate enough, though perhaps a tad less detailed in its variations then other contemporaneous books.

However, I would steer the general reader towards other tournament books such as Zurich 1953 by Bronstein, New York 1924 and/or 1927 by Alekhine, and Wijk aan Zee 1975 by Kavalek ahead of this book.

Readers interested in reading more of Nimzovich's material beyond "My System" and "Chess Praxis" should likewise skip this book until they've read "Blockade" by Nimzovich and "Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal" by Keene.

There are better tournament books out there. There are better books about and by Nimzovich out there. This book is not essential reading, unless you must have everything Nimzovich.

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, eccentric, but flawed., April 22, 2011

By 

Joseph A. Harder "coffee drinking papist" (Warren Michigan,) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929 (Dover Chess) (Paperback)

Shortly after the coinclusion of the great 1929 Carlsbad Tournament, in which every notable masters of the time othe rthan Alekhine and Lasker took part, the Wiener Scahacchzeitung brought out a huge tournament book, annotated chiefly by Tartakover but also featuring a witty round by round commentary by Kmoch, and contribution by Spieellman, Brinckman, Rubinstien, Nimzozich, etc. This is not that book. Instead, it is a pamphlet by Nimzozich ( the winner, by an excruciatingly narrow margin, over Capablanca and Spiellman), announcing his genius to the world, and providing indepth annotations of the "thirty best games", concentrating, naturally, on the divine Nimzozich's own masterpieces. The annotations are funny and usually insightful, and the pen portraits of the other masters are often hilariously condescending.( References to Vidmars " peasant humor", Euwe's dryness, and to the fact that Spiellman has finally begun to comprehend Nimzozich's theories) In short, a fun book, but not an essential one.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of chess literature, April 16, 2005

By 

A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G." (Pensacola, FL (U.S.A.)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929 (Dover Chess) (Paperback)

This book - originally written by Nimzovich, and translated by Marfia - is one of the greatest books of all time. Nimzovich helped author the "hyper-modern" movement. He was one of the strongest players of his day, second only to Alekhine. And his writings have now helped shaped generations of chess players.

It is said that Petrosian - when he was young - was greatly shaped and influenced by the ideas of Aron Nimzovich. GM Bent Larsen felt that "My System" was the most influential book that he had ever read. I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the idea. (I also feel that Nimzovich was a powerful force in my development as a chess player.)

Perhaps the ONLY criticism that I could offer of this book is that the openings look a little dated, a player who wants to see ONLY modern games should skip this one. But this book is a bargain, and if you want to study some great chess, and {also} be influenced by the writings of Nimzovich, then grab it!