… but at least this one is Danish! The winner of the ChessCafe.com Book of the Year award 2012 was definitely the right choice of the three nominees (I still like Judit’s book best, but that is just one opinion!).
… but at least this one is Danish! The winner of the ChessCafe.com Book of the Year award 2012 was definitely the right choice of the three nominees (I still like Judit’s book best, but that is just one opinion!).
Never heard of that book. The annotations must be badass to warrant this. Otherwise, superior writing?
@Ghenghisclown
It is a history book. For the best chess, you should always look to Quality Chess. But chess is mainly an entertainment industry, so it is a very important factor how a book reads and how fascinating the storytelling is. The biography about Nimzowitsch is fabulously researched and brilliantly written. It is the most entertaining book and definitely a worthy winner. That I like Judit’s book better is another matter. I personally rate books as either worth reading or not worth reading. To me all the books mentioned regarding this award are far into the worth reading zone, which is what really matters!
I see!
I have all 3 and while I have only finished 1 and am going thru the other 2, my rankings are:
1. Aaron Nimzowitch: On The Road Too Chess Master, 1886 – 1924. Everything Jacob says is true…it’s the kind of thing that does come out every year…or decade…or…..
2. Grandmaster Preparation: Just finished chapter 2….but it’s everything I hoped for. I am fighting to keep from cracking open Postional Play until I finish it.
3. Move First, Think Later: Finished this one. Lots of fanfare…started off well, but at some point I got the feeling which I was never able to shate he was just being provocative for the sake of being provocative and really did not have as much useful to say as some led me to believe. Oh well, entertaining at least.
…man, I need a word processor…
I have all 3 and while I have only finished 1 and am going thru the other 2, my rankings are:
1. Aaron Nimzowitch: On The Road Too Chess Mastery, 1886 – 1924. Everything Jacob says is true…it’s the kind of thing that does not come out every year…or decade…or…..
2. Grandmaster Preparation: Just finished chapter 2….but it’s everything I hoped for. I am fighting to keep from cracking open Postional Play until I finish it.
3. Move First, Think Later: Finished this one. Lots of fanfare…started off well, but at some point I got the feeling which I was never able to shake that he was just being provocative for the sake of being provocative and really did not have as much useful to say as some led me to believe. Oh well, entertaining at least.
@Leavenfish
First of all, there is no reason not to work with Positional at the same time. If this is what inspires you, go ahead. Maybe it is even a good mix :-).
Secondly, I am reading Move First, Think Later at the moment. I will write an article about it at some point. I do not entirely disagree with his stuff, but it is close…
Let me point out that Watson has given his take on the book recently as well:
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/john-watson-book-review-103-challenging-conventional-wisdom
@Leavenfish
Yes, I was that, though I did not have the time to read it yet. I want to state again (and again) that I have great respect for people getting to different conclusions than I, but that I will argue for my take on things as strongly as I can at all times. But before I can write about Hendrix, I need to finish Strategic Play.
@Jacob Aagaard
Silman has also reviewed Hendricks book on his website.