On the History of Chess Strategy

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20th September 2009, 01:09pm
#1
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 I would like to know about elements or other issues of Chess Strategy which are not incorporated in Aaron Nimzowitsch's monumental book "My System"!...

 I had studied fifteen years ago (for ... three months or ... more!) this splendid book which is both didactique, deepest and delightful but I never studied the next book of him, "The Praxis of my System" due to lack of time.

 Anyway there might be elements of chess strategy already in existence before the edition of "My System" that someone could discover in the play of other great players like Lasker, Pillsbury, Rubinstein, Capablanca and Alekhine...

 However some evolution (and enrichment) of the chess strategy should exist either in games or in writings of the next generations of great players; I already found an important element, e.g. in the writings of the WIM energia, the one concerning the cooperation/coordination theme about Q+N in the attacking, namely a (very important) qualitative criterion for development which is not covered in Nimzowitsch's great book... But there must exist some history about this issue, e.g. articles in chess magazines, maybe references in books etc.

 I would like to learn about such issues, theoreticians and sources as my lack of time supports my lack of information... Thanks!

20th September 2009, 01:12pm
#2
by NM tonydal
United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 4268

Honestly, I've never been a big fan of My System (although of course many others swear by it).  Anyway, if you're interested in a continuation of Nimzo's work, check out Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by John Watson.

20th September 2009, 01:23pm
#3
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 Thanks.

 In fact I 'm interested in every "significant" progress in chess strategy, not only continuations of Nimzowitsch's work...  

 Could you (maybe someday...) give a list of "other" strategy issues (plus a very concise description) as I haven't time to study?

 The true meaning of the topic is: WHAT'S IN MODERN CHESS STRATEGY BEYOND "MY SYSTEM"!?! And what's the (concise) history of these very ideas?

20th September 2009, 01:57pm
#4
by Ziryab
Spokane, Washington United States
Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 1277

Many of the principles elucidated in My System had been articulated by such writers as Howard Staunton, Wilhelm Steinitz, Seigbert Tarrasch, Emanuel Lasker, and some lesser lights before Nimzovich pushed his first pawn across the board. Other principles of Nimzovitch challenge the principles articulated by those that went before.

You might look at Development of Chess Style by Max Euwe for a very short synopsis of the contributions to chess theory of each moment up to and through Nimzowitsch.

21st September 2009, 06:21pm
#5
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 Thanks, Ziryab.

 I knew about Chess Theory debts to Steinitz, Tarrasch, Lasker and even Chigorin, Blackburne and Morphy, Nimzowitsch himself speaks about the contributions of Steinitz, Lasker and even Tarrasch!

 But ...  The true meaning of the topic is: WHAT'S IN MODERN CHESS STRATEGY BEYOND "MY SYSTEM"!?! And what's the (concise) history of these very ideas?

20th November 2009, 03:57am
#6
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 As it comes out ... now, this Q+N coordination/cooperation theme (in the attacking) was a famous topic introduced by J. R. Capablanca in the wonderful book of him; "Chess Fundamentals" published in 1921, namely about six years before the edition of "My System".

 But the general question still holds...

20th November 2009, 02:51pm
#7
by NM tonydal
United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 4268
cunctatorg wrote:

Could you (maybe someday...) give a list of "other" strategy issues (plus a very concise description) as I haven't time to study?


Frankly cunc, if you don't have the time to study, you'd best forget the whole idea.  Check out the Watson book I mentioned (actually, there's two of them now)...but be prepared for it to take hours and hours (cuz that's how long it took me to get through em both).

20th November 2009, 09:39pm
#8
by chessoholicalien
Missouri United States
Member Since: Dec 2008
Member Points: 793

Ah, the immortal Capablanca, one of the greatest talents to ever pick up a chess piece, but strangely contributed little to chess theory...

21st November 2009, 10:00am
#9
by anonym
following the guidon United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 268

Two good books on development of chess theory:

Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Réti

The March of Chess Ideas—How the Century's Greatest Players Have Waged the War over Chess Strategy by Anthony Saidy (intended by author as a sequel to Réti's book)

21st November 2009, 10:49am
#10
by Bardu
United States
Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 112

Lipnitsky's Questions of Modern Chess Theory covers advances since Nimzowitsch. I have heard that it is very similar to Watson's book, but it was written much earlier.

26th November 2009, 03:26am
#11
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 Thank you, both anonym and Bardu, I 'll have these informations in mind!

 An answer to the awful Tony-boy with the ever negative way of thinking;  you, disrespectful-one, who dare to despise Nimzowitsh's masterpiece (and even declare in public this blasphemy and shame of yours...) you really don't count with respect to difficulty estimations and time measurements; if you had studied "My System" (forgive the poverty of my english, it's probably due to that one-month alienation...) , you could easily -even you...- study any good book about chess strategy! By the way, I must withdraw my expressed approval of your poetic abilities and even your alleged chess-playing virtues... 

 It is also true that even a concise reading of a book (chapters, titles etc.) is not without some merit, it's too little but it's still something. Moreover the study of Nimzowitsch's book is a kind of a bridge and map of chess strategy issues...

26th November 2009, 04:07am
#12
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 By the way you could find information about this John Watson in "google" by typing John L. Watson!

 You can see there (in Wikipedia) that the blasphemous Tony went too far (too far...) this time; the exact (GGGRRHHH...) title of the aforementioned John Watson's book is Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy; Advances since Nimzowitsch ... In this Wikipedia article you can also read the title of the second Watson's book on the evolution of chess strategy, Chess Strategy in action which is also a tribute to Nimzowitsch's work, namely his own second book entitled "The Praxis of my System"...

26th November 2009, 11:31pm
#13
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 Bardu;

 what is the full name of this Lipnitsky? I want to find information about him!

26th November 2009, 11:36pm
#14
by cunctatorg
Athens Greece
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 318

 I spend (back in 1994) almost two months in order to study "My System" but the true understanding (the ability to correctly apply some of his conceptions in play) begun the next years.

 

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