New Ideas in Chess [Paperback]

Larry Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994

According to author Larry Evans, grand master chess players are notoriously inarticulate about their own thought processes. So Evans analyzed his own tournament games (both won and lost) and here offers players a sound grasp of the principles that can help them defeat an opponent. Serious students can learn how to recognize and advantage and exploit it. 196 diagrams.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Grandmaster Larry Evans is a 5-time USA champion, author of 25 books, and the “dean” of American chess. His national syndicated column, Evans on Chess, has appeared continuously since 1971. He coached Bobby Fischer during his world championship run and is generally considered to be the most authoritative, astute and witty observer of the international chess scene. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 185 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Revised edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486283054
• ISBN-13: 978-0486283050
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,217,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An under-recognized gem; read "New Ideas" and prosper, June 27, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Redmond, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Ideas in Chess (Paperback)

GM Evans, one of America's strongest post-World War II players before Fischer, clearly explains the fundamental concepts of modern chess theory. In "New Ideas" Evans resolves the game's dynamic complexities into the major elements of Pawn Structure, Force, Space, and Time. Using examples from his own games, he shows how these dynamic and static elements are conbined in winning play. Virtually every page illustrates a new theme such as "The Minority Attack", "Try to Keep Isolated Pawns Mobile" and "Converting Time into Pawn Structure." Each theme begins with a position from master play; Evans then works through the ensuing 8-12 moves with the reader to show how the theme is carried out in practice. This is a gem of a book that is as entertaining to read as it is educational.

Jeremy Silman, in his book "How to Reassess Your Chess," advises that players learn to recognize the "dynamic imbalances" in a position so as to develop the proper plan. Nowhere will you find greater clarity in how to assess a chess position than in Evans' "New Ideas." This was the first chess book I ever read nearly 20 years ago, and it's still one of the best. Recommended for anyone up to candidate master (expert) level.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "C" player's bible, July 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: New Ideas in Chess (Paperback)

If you are a 1200-1800 player who is not making much progress, try this book! Evans uses actual game examples to illustrate dozens of chess themes -- many of which it's likely you've never seen before. Each is a mini-lesson that breaks chess down into short segments that one can learn a lot from in a half-hour sitting. No long chapters here! Other books that are good adjuncts are Michael Stean's Simple Chess (surely an oxymoron if there ever was one) and Kmoch's Pawn Power in Chess.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evans' version of his brief "My System"... ;-), March 11, 2005

By 

Hoa H (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Ideas in Chess (Paperback)

I read this book more than 15 years ago from a library, and then bought a personal copy in '01. I didn't realized how good the book is until recently. Nimzovich's "My System" is too long, while Evans' New Ideas is too short. Evans also wrote the (very) short introduction for each game in Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games. Likewise, for each example in this book, Evans provides a brief introduction. There is much to learn from these short paragraphs but we have to pay attention to keywords.
The four chapters (2, 3, 5, and 6) were devoted to the four topics (Pawn Structure, Force, Space and Time) that Evans thought important for his own "system". I think even players at 2000 rating can still draw some good lessons from this books, especially chapters about Pawn and Space. I feel the two chapters Space and Time described more about the Strategies and Tactics, and when and how to use them. But how much do I know about chess? Just a personal opinion. Evans knows much more than I.
The example's headings can be grouped together on a piece of paper as a checklist, for quick recollection for chess student to sort out for what to do at each stage during the game.
Evans didn't provide complete games but gave a quick snapshot at each critical position and explained from there on. Because the number of moves of each example is too few, it does not look that impressive. Actually, with careful look and following his explanation, we can see that the analysis is rather detailed.

PS: This book could be called "Evans' My System". I didn't see many "new ideas" in this book, maybe couples of them. But the rest of ideas could be found in the work of older chess masters and writers. Another title could be better match, "New Way to See (or Present) Chess Ideas". And again this is just another personal opinion.