June 2008 - Book of the Month

A Monumental Classic

This month I would like to commend to you the great work of Aron Nimzowitsch, "My System".

Nimzowitsch was one of the gretest "chess thinkers" of all time and belongs to that select group of players who were good enough to win the World Championship, but for whom circumstances conspired to prevent them the opportunity.

Order your copy of "My System" and see other books by Nimzowitsch here:

In actual fact Nimzowitsch was a far better Tournament player than he was a match player, partly I suspect due to his temprament, so it is likely that he would not have won the ultimate crown, but certainly his play and his level of artistry at his peak warrants his place among the chess greats.

Much has already been said about "My System" - it is a classic - and the method used by Nimzowitsch, in the way that it "chunks down" key elements of the game and analyses them systematically is for me reminicent of the approach used in NLP - when you cnsider this was written in the 1930s, it is clear just how radical and ahead of it's time both the book and Nimzowitsch's thinking really were.

My System has also been acknowledged by many players as a critical work in their understanding of the game, certainly at a high level Nimzo has his converts, GM Bent Larsen being one, and English GM Ray Keene, who wrote the masterpiece "Nimzowitsch - A Reappraisal" was also clearly highly influenced by his theories. However, even at less exalted levels, among club players, time and again you will hear "My System" held up as the seminal work and one which has influenced more than any other.

Theories move with the times and it is very differrent for a book written many decades ago to stay relevant - however, more than any other chess book from a former age, "My System" manages to stay relevant and influence new generations of players long after it's publication, a great testament to a unique chess talent and a formidable chess intellect who has helped shape the direction of modern chess.

Order My System today!