How to Reassess Your Chess - 4th Edition

Mine came in yesterday and I have already read three chapters.  I have also already applied the principles in those first chapters and found an improvement in my game just by understanding a little about "The Concept of Imbalances."  This is shaping up to be an excellent read and an excellent boost to my chess playing.  I guess my rating after another few weeks will show how well it worked!!

However, this is not a book for a beginner, at least I don't think it is.  It is difficult to follow the various lines of play when there are so few diagrams and the lines of play are nested 2 and 3 deep - meaning that you may be following a sequence of moves and another sequence of moves is interspersed in them.  This is something I do not like.

 So far so good!  Also, I found that I can use the Chess.com Ipad app, click computer, then setup position and I can use that to follow along with the diagrams and discussion on moves for each side as he discusses it in the book.  I just wish I could save the setup in the chess.com app.  Maybe you can, but I have not figured that out.

Also, I bought an app called "Game Table" that is just that...a checkers, chess, Reversi, Backgammon tables.   so you can set your position up on that (and it saves).  the only thing it doesnt do is make a piece disappear if you take the piece.. you literally have to move the taken piece off the board (just like on a real board).  Also it doesnt have extra queens...

As to the book, im still on chapter one, but I am really enjoying it and I am "trying" to apply the concepts.  I *think* I just applied one of the concepts to a current online game hahah ill let you know at the end of the game.

Anyone know if there's going to be a kindle version of this book?

 I hope they do, I have most of my books on the kindle, but very few chess books seem to be on the kindle.  I did click the "tell the publisher to make a kindle version" button or whatever that button is lol.  If you ever hear of it going to Kindle, please drop me a note an I shall do the same for you :)

Will do. I had already clicked that on amazon too. I haven't actually got a kindle yet, but that's a minor detail...

well you can still use the kindle with their apps, kindle for PC, kindle for your phone, etc :)

I don't know if anyone else mentioned it, but this book is HUGE compared to the 3rd edition.  

The book is good but it is difficult to follow.  When you try to track through the examples (due to the large number of variations) it is confusing.  I don't recommend this for the "young" players.  It could benefit from a few more photos of the positions so that a person could at least follow without a board or computer in front of them.  Don't ever hope to just read this on the subway.

use the analysis board from one of your game

  I got my copy (paperback) last week and have already worked through a couple of parts of it. I'm following advice from him that he gave me in a message a few days ago so hopefully this will improve my game quite a bit. 

   -Mark

  Nimzo - here is the bulk of what he said to me:

   "For players 1200 rated, I recommend reading Part One (imbalance basics) and Part Four (chess psychology), then put it down and read THE AMATEUR'S MIND. Then read HTRYC 4th edition from beginning to end. You'll be one scary player if you do all that!"

   -Mark

  Not a problem Nimzo 

   -Mark

I wonder if it's the same with this book like the first Reassess...

Many, many players claim's that they have learnd a lot from the book, but nothing happens to the playing strength.

I personally have seen several hundred points increase in my rating since I first read Reasses 3rd edition (and re-read it a few times since).

I think two things keep players from seeing an increase in rating strength even though they learn a lot from the book. First, they continue to lose games due to tactical oversight. Silman is upfront about this, if you don't have the tactical ability to calculate moves, you won't get much out of what he teaches about positional chess. Second, it takes a fair bit of discipline to apply what you learn in Reasses in an OTB game. The student has to make this leap on their own from learning the principles in the book to applying them in their games before they see an increase in results.

 You probably have a point.

Two little article's who gave me much more than the Reassess... is:

"Think like a good player" and "play real chess"

The first one explains how you should think when your opponent have moved, what does the move do, what is the concequensess every time the position has changed you should make a "to do list" and the candidatemoves are the ones who deal with the most important thing on your to do list.

Play real chess (not intierly the correct name...) is about how to aviod bad moves.

It would be more interesting to read how the best players in the world think, how they come up with a plan, how they calculate and so on.

Not to say annything bad about Silman, but he is only an IM. 

Silman is a really good player and a really good writer, that makes his books really worth buying  But other books have given me much more in playing strength.

-Maybee I just need something, a pice in the puzzle then the "Silman knowledge" will work too

The one is from Silmans site, the other is from International chess school, but I cant share since it's from a paying course.

Re: Silman is only an IM

If he were writing books on how to go from IM to GM this would be instantly damning criticism. If he were writing books on how to go from FM to IM it would be a serious question mark. Even if he was writing books on how to get to FM you may wonder if he's qualified.

But he's writing books on how to get from 1400 to 2100. Not even NM level. His qualifications are actually working with players in the 1400 to 2000 range and finding out what they need to improve. This is ten times more valuable than the accomplishment of going from IM to GM.