Who was the strongest . . .

chess playing author?

Lets try something different, instead of the endless 'Capa pwns Fischer' threads, I propose we judge the relative chess strength of various chess authors.  By chess authors, I am talking about the folks that are actually cranking out chess books for a living as opposed to some GM slapping his famous name on the cover as a co-author (ahem, Mr. Karpov).  I also want to restrict the discussion to writers that are currently writing that played during the modern era (last 40 years or so).

Names like Nunn, Soltis, McDonald, Dvoretsky, Silman, Pandolfini, Alburt, de Firmain, etc. (feel free to add your own)

I fully intend for this thread to veer off the tracks quickly, bon apetite.

I think it will be difficult - the books these authors have written are intended at a specific audience, and not an indicator of their chess ability.

But I have an affinity for Silman.

Pandolfini's a great teacher.  I don't know much about his competitive career, but I believe his highest achievement was national master, so there are thousands of players that could probably beat him.

However, I will say that great competitors don't always make great teachers.  Look at the terrible job Magic Johnson did as a head coach in the NBA.

I'm thinking John Nunn or Yasser Seirawan right now.

 Archaic, you said---

" I am talking about the folks that are actually cranking out chess books for a living as opposed to some GM slapping his famous name on the cover as a co-author (ahem, Mr. Karpov)."

Are you saying Karpov didnt write any of his books? If so you should cite the books in question and give your sources.  I suppose you feel the same about Kasparov and Fischer. At the low point in his life, when he was drifting from one cheap room to another---the bulk of Fischer's  income was royalties from his two best selling books. Brady says the total from those royalties was $6,000 to $8,000 a year. He asked for and received financial help from his mother. She sent him money until he became a millionaire in 92'.

If you say Kasparov didnt write his books ---cite the books and your sources.

I have a book co-authored by Karpov---"Chess Kaleidoscope" by Karpov and Gik.

Capablanca only released one book, but it was great.

Capa wrote three books---

I apologize if this post is slighlty off topic but leficious your past made me laugh so hard i walked outside.  hahaha you are so correct and as soon as i read your post for some reason I had a mental image of Mike Tyson coaching golden gloves!?!? how crazy would that be? I think he does pigeon racing now

You realize Fischer, Capa, and Kaspy all wrote books right? 

Chess authors - not champs that cashed in and wrote a book, guys that make a living as writers.

Karpov's writing skills are only eclipsed by his oil company CEO skills - ok I'll grant that he wrote a few books - though I only found three without co-authors, and kasparov also authored some very good books.  But lets be honest, niether of these guys spent a year in front of a monitor grinding out page after page of text and analysis.  Fischers two books were a beginners book and a game collection (both great books), niether of which was the same as the kind of grist for the mill that authors who make a living writing chess books are putting out. I doubt Bobby spent a lot of time changing the ribbon on a typewriter . . .

I say we can rule out all of the non-GMs except maybe Dvoretsky, how good a player was Soltis?  Lev Alburt was the European champ . . .

There are probably Russians that we are missing.

Feel free to add to the list.

Silman isn't a GM right?  I think he's a great author.

I thought the question was which author would win a double RR tournament for authors :)

Ok, so most effective author I dunno.  All the people you named were great.  I haven't read enough chess books to be able to comment really.  As a person who hasn't read many I'd throw out the comment that it might depend on a persons's learning style or if the author made sense to them in general.  In that vein, I'd have to throw my hat in with public opinion and shout out names like Silman and Dvoretsky, Reinfield and Pachman...

Rheinfeld was not much of a player or author . . . Pachman on the other hand, HE was definately a baller.

Some of Reinfeld's earlier books have good reputations.

As to whether he was a good player, while not among the very best in the USA, he was the only American player with a plus score against Reshevsky through the 1940s.

Igor Khmelnitsky (an IM) has written 3 books that deserve to be in every library.

Joe Gallagher wrote some interesting stuff on the King's Gambit and later on the KID.

What?! There's no endless "Capa pwns Fischer" threads; They're all about how Fischer pwns Capa. With modern opening theory and so much more time studying and practicing, Fischer would smash Capablanca like a bug. All in favor say "aye!"