Nimzovitsch had a great respect for the squares on the Board. when controlling and overprotecting certain key squares, he could stamp his power on the game. If his opponent had no viable counterplay, he could just whittle him down. It's great he wrote books trying to explain his methods.
"My system" vs my sanity
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Many of Nimzo's ideas were already being used by the top players of the day.
He gets credit, though, for writing about them in a way that non-masters could grasp.
Mar 30, 2020
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#4
This might be of interest...
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/game-analysis/a-chess-parody-an-ingenious-example-of-my-system
I will point out in that parody game that black went into the tarrasch defense. nimzovich's dislike for tarrasch on a personal level is well documented. makes it that much funnier.
Mar 31, 2020
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#6
xs1100rider79 wrote:
I decided to go through "My System" and this time really go through it rather than just a skim. Nimzovich knew his stuff, even if it may be a little outdated by today's standards. I still feel like it will help my game...just maybe not my sanity so much. Does anyone else get the impression that he was some kind of mad genius?
If you want to read a chess book by a mad genius that will improve your chess while eroding your sanity, read "Pawn Power in Chess" by Kmoch.
That book probably added 200 points to my rating, while killing 10,000 of my brain cells.
In a previous discussion, someone reported a passage from Pawn Power in Chess by Kmoch: "The lengthening of the rearspan is often favorable, inasmuch as the expansion of territory behind the pawn increases the freedom of the pieces. By the same token, the shortening of the frontspan limits the freedom of the opposing pieces."
One can see a sample at:
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486264866.html
kindaspongey wrote:
thank you for posting those, especially the open letter between Seirawan and Radovic. Very enlightening. I find it interesting that Yasser regards Nimzo as unreadable, even when in his book "Play Winning Chess" he actually has beginners counting squares to see how much influence their pieces exert in the enemy camp. I'm not disputing the effectiveness of such a method but it seems a bit tedious. I didn't find it very effective, personally.
below he gets annihilated by Seiawan back in 1905. so much for His System !
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From what I have read, Nimzowitcz had an anxiety disorder. Amazing that he could play at all, and I think it was generous of him to write in an effort to help others play chess.
As I understand it, Seirawan was born in 1960.
Mar 31, 2020
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#14
Thee_Ghostess_Lola wrote:
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Uh, Yasser was not alive back in 1905. What are you smoking or snorting or drinking????? I have met him, he used to live in Seattle and was the editor and publisher of inside chess magazine. He also wrote several chess books published by Microsoft publishing. Just to clarify, Microsoft was not around in 1905 either. 🤣He lecture at the Seattle chess club many times. He is under 60 years old. He is probably the coolest, most normal, levelheaded world class player you could ever meet.
Maybe Seirawan's dad was also called Yasser, or maybe he pulled off a Jesus' and was resurected. Only two ways to explain Why someone called Yasser Seirawan played in 1905.
Perspective on Aron Nimzowitsch's "My System"...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/perspective-on-my-system-by-aron-nimzowitsch
Apr 1, 2020
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#17
Morphys-Revenge wrote:
Thee_Ghostess_Lola wrote:
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Uh, Yasser was not alive back in 1905.
I suspect Thee_Ghostess_Lola was not being entirely serious.
Morphys-Revenge wrote:
Thee_Ghostess_Lola wrote:
.
Uh, Yasser was not alive back in 1905. What are you smoking or snorting or drinking????? I have met him, he used to live in Seattle and was the editor and publisher of inside chess magazine. He also wrote several chess books published by Microsoft publishing. Just to clarify, Microsoft was not around in 1905 either. 🤣He lecture at the Seattle chess club many times. He is under 60 years old. He is probably the coolest, most normal, levelheaded world class player you could ever meet.
i meant 2005.
I suspect Thee_Ghostess_Lola was not being entirely serious.
(someone knows me thx matt 
)
I decided to go through "My System" and this time really go through it rather than just a skim. Nimzovich knew his stuff, even if it may be a little outdated by today's standards. I still feel like it will help my game...just maybe not my sanity so much. Does anyone else get the impression that he was some kind of mad genius?