The Greatest Chess Books Ever Written. Question Answered Once And For All

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kindaspongey

"... where is Capablanca's 'Chess Fundamentals'. Another classic of long vintage." - ed1975

"I'm looking at a PDF of a very old printing. Has it been updated by someone?" - RMChess1954
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101418/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review564.pdf

"... In this column I want to give an overview of the sophisticated e+Chess app by e+Books ..., which can be used on both IPad, IPhone and touch IPod. ... The app itself is free from the Apple itunes store; what you pay for are the books you choose to download. ... You get a free sample book, Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals, ..." - IM John Watson (2013)

http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-107-of-eplus-and-chess-praxis

kindaspongey

"People who know chess books say my system is utter garbage. That is certain" - BadPing (~31 minutes ago)

One can get some idea of the lasting scope of the respect for My System by looking at:
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Still, it might be noted that My System apparently did not occur to GM Yasser Seirawan as something to include in his list of personal favorites, and Aaron Nimzowitsch was not identified by the GM as a very worthy author.
Also, My System has accumulated some direct negative commentary over the years.
"... I found [the books of Aaron Nimzowitsch to be] very difficult to read or understand. ... [Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal by Raymond Keene explains his] thinking and influence on the modern game in a far more lucid and accessible way. ... The books that are most highly thought of are not necessarily the most useful. Go with those that you find to be readable; ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2010)
In 2016, IM pfren wrote:
"My System is an iconoclastic book. A lot of things in there is sheer provocation, and it does need an expereienced player to know what exactly must be taken at its face value.
I love 'My System', and I have read it cover to cover one dozen times, but suggesting it to a class player is an entirely different matter."
"[Some things] ARE wrong, and it's not easy for a non-advanced player to discover those wrong claims.
Nigel Short has claimed that 'My System' should be banned. Stratos Grivas says that the book is very bad. I don't share their opinion, but I am pretty sure that there are more useful reads for class players out there."
Although he is a fan of My System, IM John Watson similarly acknowledged (2013) that:
"... Not everything in it has stood the test of time, ..."
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-108-of-eplus-books-part-2-nimzowitsch-classics
One last point to keep in mind is that, even if My System would eventually help a player, it might not necessarily be helpful to a player now.
"... Just because a book contains lots of information that you don’t know, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be extremely helpful in making you better at this point in your chess development. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
A My System sample can be seen at:
https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/MySystem-excerpt.pdf

dannyhume
Why are there two of these threads?
EscherehcsE
dannyhume wrote:
Why are there two of these threads?

I'm assuming that the OP of the original thread has blocked kindaspongey.

dannyhume
I have an idea for kindaspongey... Since you have a large collection of quotes that pertain to various specific chess topics that are often discussed on this site, why not create a page here that lists them all, kind of like RussBell and the list of Good Books for Beginners. Then in any given forum, you can drop a link to your page(s), share your opinion, and folks will be able to read your thoughts without having to feel bombarded by or wade through the list of quotes?
kindaspongey

I prefer to use my judgmemt as to what might be of interest in a particular discussion.

dannyhume
You could do both... Then I could check out what chess authorities have said on eveeything!
kindaspongey

In principle, I have no objection to assembling a massive online collection of quotes, but I am not confident that I will feel up to such a task any time soon.

dannyhume
Yeah, sounds like a monumental task... if you were to one day attempt to tackle it, you could do it on an as needed basis. For instance, if you post on another thread in the unimportance if openings for amateurs, then you could copy paste your quotes not only to that thread but also to your new website/page.
kindaspongey

This is embarrassing, but I don't know anything about having a website/page.

dannyhume
You could just do a blog on this site, I meant ... just let the idea percolate in your brain for a while before you make a decision 👍🏻
kindaspongey

Don't know about blogs either.

kindaspongey

"... Would you recommend [Capablanca's 'Chess Fundamentals'] for beginners? ..." - JaseE22

"... 'Chess Fundamentals' ... does not deal so minutely as this book will with the things that beginners need to know. ..." - from Capablanca's Primer of Chess

"... For let’s make no mistake, what ground Capablanca covers, he covers well. I enjoyed reading Capablanca’s presentation of even well-worn and standard positions. ...
Still, when compared with other instructional books for beginners and intermediate players, Capablanca’s Chess Fundamentals would not be my first choice. Other books cover the same or similar ground with a less confusing structure and more thoroughness. The following works come to mind as equal or in some ways superior: Lasker’s Common Sense in Chess; Znosko-Borovsky’s series of books; and Edward Lasker’s Chess Strategy. Later works that equal or surpass Chess Fundamentals would include Reuben Fine’s Chess the Easy Way and any number of Horowitz tomes.
Capablanca’s work has historical interest and value, of course, and for that reason alone belongs in any chess lover’s library. But there are better instructional books on the market. Certainly the works of Seirawan, Silman, Pandolfini, Polgar, Alburt, etc. are more accessible, speak a more modern idiom, and utilize advances in chess teaching and general pedagogy, etc. ..." - David Kaufman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20131010102057/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review564.pdf

RussBell

I support Kindaspongey doing whatever he likes with regard to his posts.  No one is being forced to read his posts.  If you don't care for them, then ignore them and move on....