Nimzowitsch - My System

Finally got around to obtaining My System a couple of weeks ago, and though I've been playing hypermodern openings and defenses for a while now, I hadn't expected to see such immediate results (I haven't even finished the book, and my results against Experts and strong amateurs are already noticeably better).  The book has validated some of my long-held beliefs, particularly with respect to minor pieces, but I've also come to realize just how poor my positional sense was.

Just like many things, I don't feel the new principles have completely gelled with the rest of my game, but certain aspects of my game are vastly better, particularly my play with pawns and rooks.  Case in point, I finally earned a draw against an Expert in a tournament!  Here is the game:

I didn't notate the rest, but my superior king activity proved adequate compensation for the pawn, and the game was a draw.  I felt I was better for most of this, particularly from 7. d4, though my opponent showed some good instincts of his own (17. ..b5! seems especially good).  The big thing is that I didn't feel hard pressed at all during this game - and I usually feel pressed in games against B-ranks.  What is more, the parts of Nimzowitsch's book I hadn't read yet contained clear insights as to why the endgame worked out as poorly for me as it did - namely that the isolani is stronger in the middlegame, which I failed to protract.  Two late inaccuracies of mine (36. Rc4?! and 41. Be4?!) now stick out very clearly.

I tied for 1st in this tournament (so the book has already paid for itself!), which included three Experts (the other two had a draw head-to-head, and I won my remaining games).  Club results have been similarly stronger.  I'm not sure it would be as useful if I hadn't been playing in the hypermodern style already, but I never imagined my game could make such clear improvement in so short a period of time.