Customer Reviews

How to Reassess Your Chess: A Complete Course to Chess Mastery, 3rd Expanded Edition

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Can't praise this book too highly. Silman shows that each chess position can be analyzed to reveal imbalances which form the basis for planning how to proceed. While many chess books have dealt with the chess theory, Silman has a genius for identifying when the theory applies to a particular position. Planning your next move is demystified. For each type of imbalance, the reader is shown what must be done to take advantage of that type of position. This book is a model of instructional writing. The book contains useful problems after each section, each problem with a clearly explained answer. The author incorporates grandmaster games and games of more humble origins. His experience in teaching chess has allowed him to explain abstract chess theory in the clearest terms. For once the claims on the cover of a chess book are more than justified. You can't read this book and not improve your chess. It is suitable for any player beyond beginner level who wants to be a strong player.

This was the third chess book I purchased in my hopes tofind a book that you could read like a book, instead ofreference. There are of course many books out there that do just this. SILMAN IS A TERRIFIC AUTHOR! I can read this book on and off, improving my chess with whatever amount of time I choose to spend on it. He also mixes in humor and a real zest for attack and foiling your opponent. Purchase other books for reference, but pick this one for improving your attack skills and "thinking on the fly".

Silman goes through many instructive examples which illustrate particular themes such as: good knight vs. bad bishop, isolated Q-pawn, space advantage, etc. Unlike other chess manuals such as My System by Nimzowitsch, Silman refrains from using lofty language. Instead, via simple and direct words, he conveys to the reader the essence of the position, and how to arrive at a proper evaluation. Definitely worthwhile reading for all chess lovers.