Artikelnummer
LXFISMSFTE
My System FastTrack Edition
100 Years Later, Nimzovich Is Still Good
208 Seiten, kartoniert, Russell Enterprises, 1. Auflage 2024
100 Years Later, Nimzovich Is Still Good for Your Chess!
Almost a century ago, a chess book about positional play and strategic concepts appeared on the chess scene. Written by a Latvian grandmaster residing in Denmark, it quickly took its place as one of the classics of chess literature. Since then, Aron Nimzovich’s magnum opus My System has been embraced by every generation of chessplayers.
However, there were some inherent flaws. For starters, it was quite “dense.” The reader had to plow through many subjective digressions and other literary detours before getting to the core concepts. Now American Grandmaster Alex Fishbein has adapted this classic for the modern chessplayer.
While remaining true to the original text – and with the same goals as his outstanding work with the FastTrack Edition of Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual – Fishbein has produced an eminently readable, modernized version of My System. The result is a book that not only retains the unique imagery of the original text, but a book that is also easy to understand by both club players and masters.
As the author stated in his preface: Nimzovich’s ideas have stood the test of time and, if anything, are more relevant today. In his famous foreword to the 1974 Russian edition, Mikhail Tal wrote: “This old book, sustaining many editions in different forms and different languages, is imbued with an elixir of eternal chess youth.” My aim was to retain that elixir in this new translation.
Alex brings you the best of Nimzovich’s My System, erasing all misconceptions. As a newcomer to the game, you will feel blessed to learn pure, unmistakable strategies, while if you are an old chap like me, you will appreciate the fresh clarity, helping you re-evaluate your personal chess philosophy… Nimzovich is good for your chess, and a more coherent Nimzovich even better. – From the Foreword by GM Vassilios Kotronias
About the Editor
American Grandmaster Alex Fishbein is one of the world’s renown endgame experts. He was co-editor of the fifth edition of the best-selling Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual and he also collaborated with German GM Karsten Müller on the Fasttrack Edition of DEM5. He writes a popular endgame column for the American Chess Magazine.
His books for Russell Enterprises include The Scotch Gambit, The French Exchange Comes to Life, and the recently released Endgame Corner, with Karsten Müller.
Almost a century ago, a chess book about positional play and strategic concepts appeared on the chess scene. Written by a Latvian grandmaster residing in Denmark, it quickly took its place as one of the classics of chess literature. Since then, Aron Nimzovich’s magnum opus My System has been embraced by every generation of chessplayers.
However, there were some inherent flaws. For starters, it was quite “dense.” The reader had to plow through many subjective digressions and other literary detours before getting to the core concepts. Now American Grandmaster Alex Fishbein has adapted this classic for the modern chessplayer.
While remaining true to the original text – and with the same goals as his outstanding work with the FastTrack Edition of Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual – Fishbein has produced an eminently readable, modernized version of My System. The result is a book that not only retains the unique imagery of the original text, but a book that is also easy to understand by both club players and masters.
As the author stated in his preface: Nimzovich’s ideas have stood the test of time and, if anything, are more relevant today. In his famous foreword to the 1974 Russian edition, Mikhail Tal wrote: “This old book, sustaining many editions in different forms and different languages, is imbued with an elixir of eternal chess youth.” My aim was to retain that elixir in this new translation.
Alex brings you the best of Nimzovich’s My System, erasing all misconceptions. As a newcomer to the game, you will feel blessed to learn pure, unmistakable strategies, while if you are an old chap like me, you will appreciate the fresh clarity, helping you re-evaluate your personal chess philosophy… Nimzovich is good for your chess, and a more coherent Nimzovich even better. – From the Foreword by GM Vassilios Kotronias
About the Editor
American Grandmaster Alex Fishbein is one of the world’s renown endgame experts. He was co-editor of the fifth edition of the best-selling Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual and he also collaborated with German GM Karsten Müller on the Fasttrack Edition of DEM5. He writes a popular endgame column for the American Chess Magazine.
His books for Russell Enterprises include The Scotch Gambit, The French Exchange Comes to Life, and the recently released Endgame Corner, with Karsten Müller.
| EAN | 9781949859898 |
|---|---|
| Gewicht | 290 g |
| Hersteller | Russell Enterprises |
| Breite | 15 cm |
| Höhe | 22,5 cm |
| Medium | Buch |
| Erscheinungsjahr | 2024 |
| Autor | Aaron NimzowitschAlex Fishbein |
| Sprache | Englisch |
| Auflage | 1 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-949859-89-8 |
| Seiten | 208 |
| Einband | kartoniert |
| Name | Russell Enterprises |
|---|---|
| Adresse | 234 Depot Road Milford, CT 06460 USA |
| Internet | www.Russell-Enterprises.com |
| hwr@russell-enterprises.com |
Verantwortlicher Importeuer:
| Name | Schachversand Niggemann |
|---|---|
| Adresse | Schadowstraße 5 48163 Münster Deutschland |
| info@schachversand.de | |
| Internet | www.schachversand.de |
005 Acknowledgments
006 Preface to the FastTrack Edition
012 Nimzovich’s Foreword to My System
014 Foreword to the FastTrack Edition by Vassilios Kotronias
016 Part I The Elements
017 Chapter 1 – The Center and Development
029 Chapter 2 – The Open File for the Rook
054 Chapter 3 – The Seventh and Eighth Ranks
071 Chapter 4 – The Passed Pawn and the Blockade
100 Chapter 5 – The Elements of Endgame Strategy
111 Chapter 6 – Tactics That Serve the Strategy Pins, Discovered Checks, Desperados
123 Part II Positional Play
124 Chapter 7 – Prophylaxis
130 Chapter 8 – The Pawn Chain
150 Chapter 9 – The Center
158 Chapter 10 – Doubled Pawns
168 Chapter 11 – Restraint
181 Chapter 12 – The Isolated Queen Pawn and Its Descendants
193 Chapter 13 – The Two Bishops
198 Chapter 14 – Playing against Two Weaknesses
203 Appendix
206 Index of Strategic Themes in Games
208 Bibliography
006 Preface to the FastTrack Edition
012 Nimzovich’s Foreword to My System
014 Foreword to the FastTrack Edition by Vassilios Kotronias
016 Part I The Elements
017 Chapter 1 – The Center and Development
029 Chapter 2 – The Open File for the Rook
054 Chapter 3 – The Seventh and Eighth Ranks
071 Chapter 4 – The Passed Pawn and the Blockade
100 Chapter 5 – The Elements of Endgame Strategy
111 Chapter 6 – Tactics That Serve the Strategy Pins, Discovered Checks, Desperados
123 Part II Positional Play
124 Chapter 7 – Prophylaxis
130 Chapter 8 – The Pawn Chain
150 Chapter 9 – The Center
158 Chapter 10 – Doubled Pawns
168 Chapter 11 – Restraint
181 Chapter 12 – The Isolated Queen Pawn and Its Descendants
193 Chapter 13 – The Two Bishops
198 Chapter 14 – Playing against Two Weaknesses
203 Appendix
206 Index of Strategic Themes in Games
208 Bibliography
Less is more.
I have several editions of My System residing on my bookshelf, the oldest being a Bell hardback of about 265 pages first published in 1929. In his preface to that edition the translator, Philip Hereford, writes as follows:
"In this English edition several additional games have been inserted, a few passages have, with the concurrence of the author, been omitted, and the arrangement has been slightly altered, e.g. for convenience of reference the illustrative games have been collected into one section instead of being scattered throughout the book."
It is clear I think, from this sentence alone, that my Bell hardback is significantly different to Aron Nimzovich’s original German work. To be fair, though, Bell (and the translator) are quite upfront about this and the title page describes the book as an ‘English Version’ rather than claiming it as a faithfully rendered translation.
Later English editions of My System were more accurate and you could think of one or two of these as ‘full fat’ versions of the book (the Bell edition is definitely ‘added fat’), while Alex Fishbein’s My System: FastTrack Edition, the book under review, which clocks in at just under 210 pages, is a sort of ‘reduced fat’ version of Nimzovich’s work.
Fishbein aims to present the essence of My System in a way that is more easily accessible to today’s young chess student. His approach is very clearly set out in the preface: the writing is more focussed and pertinent, while still being recognisably Nimzovich in style; and the chess content has been sharply curtailed and, in some cases, cut back entirely. One measure to illustrate the general point: the Bell edition contains 50 complete games, whereas My System: FastTrack Edition has 36 only; so about a quarter less. Finally, a sizable amount of material, even when not omitted, has been reorganised and rearranged. For example, there are no chapters on exchanging and overprotection, or separate chapters on the pin and discovered attack (as in the Bell edition), but key information from these chapters has been placed elsewhere: in Chapter 6 (Tactics That Serve the Strategy) and Chapter 7 (Prophylaxis) of My System: FastTrack Edition.
Rather than embarking on an extended ‘compare and contrast’ exercise between different editions of My System, where I might meanderingly quibble about this or that change, let me cut to the chase (‘fast-track’, as it were) and say two things in conclusion. First, Fishbein is admirably frank about the changes he has made and why he has made the changes that he has. I certainly agree that there’s a lot of excess historical baggage (the debate with Tarrasch, etc.) which is distracting, and can be safely jettisoned. Second, surely the key question to ask, indeed the only question, is whether My System: FastTrack Edition is at heart a coherent book. Does it make sense on its own terms? If the answer is Yes, then Fishbein’s enterprise is well worthwhile and fully justified.
And my answer is Yes, it is absolutely coherent, and in quite a surprising way. I approached My System: FastTrack Edition as an opportunity to reread and revisit Nimzovich’s classic work, and was struck at how this streamlined version had a luminous, Euclidian quality that I’d not quite been aware of before. It’s apparent in the way the prose moves smoothly from first principles to propositions of profound strategic insight. On reflection, this underlying structure is there in the original work (it is hardly an accident that Part 1 is entitled The Elements) but it is somewhat obscured by other factors. Perhaps less really is more?
Other than that, My System remains as provocative, challenging and instructive as ever, full of a deep understanding and love of chess. Alex Fishbein has enshrined Nimzovich’s teachings in a perspicacious prose that expounds their continuing pertinence and relevance, even in the computer age.
Paul Kane
https://thecaissakid.wordpress.com/2025/01/15/my-system/
I have several editions of My System residing on my bookshelf, the oldest being a Bell hardback of about 265 pages first published in 1929. In his preface to that edition the translator, Philip Hereford, writes as follows:
"In this English edition several additional games have been inserted, a few passages have, with the concurrence of the author, been omitted, and the arrangement has been slightly altered, e.g. for convenience of reference the illustrative games have been collected into one section instead of being scattered throughout the book."
It is clear I think, from this sentence alone, that my Bell hardback is significantly different to Aron Nimzovich’s original German work. To be fair, though, Bell (and the translator) are quite upfront about this and the title page describes the book as an ‘English Version’ rather than claiming it as a faithfully rendered translation.
Later English editions of My System were more accurate and you could think of one or two of these as ‘full fat’ versions of the book (the Bell edition is definitely ‘added fat’), while Alex Fishbein’s My System: FastTrack Edition, the book under review, which clocks in at just under 210 pages, is a sort of ‘reduced fat’ version of Nimzovich’s work.
Fishbein aims to present the essence of My System in a way that is more easily accessible to today’s young chess student. His approach is very clearly set out in the preface: the writing is more focussed and pertinent, while still being recognisably Nimzovich in style; and the chess content has been sharply curtailed and, in some cases, cut back entirely. One measure to illustrate the general point: the Bell edition contains 50 complete games, whereas My System: FastTrack Edition has 36 only; so about a quarter less. Finally, a sizable amount of material, even when not omitted, has been reorganised and rearranged. For example, there are no chapters on exchanging and overprotection, or separate chapters on the pin and discovered attack (as in the Bell edition), but key information from these chapters has been placed elsewhere: in Chapter 6 (Tactics That Serve the Strategy) and Chapter 7 (Prophylaxis) of My System: FastTrack Edition.
Rather than embarking on an extended ‘compare and contrast’ exercise between different editions of My System, where I might meanderingly quibble about this or that change, let me cut to the chase (‘fast-track’, as it were) and say two things in conclusion. First, Fishbein is admirably frank about the changes he has made and why he has made the changes that he has. I certainly agree that there’s a lot of excess historical baggage (the debate with Tarrasch, etc.) which is distracting, and can be safely jettisoned. Second, surely the key question to ask, indeed the only question, is whether My System: FastTrack Edition is at heart a coherent book. Does it make sense on its own terms? If the answer is Yes, then Fishbein’s enterprise is well worthwhile and fully justified.
And my answer is Yes, it is absolutely coherent, and in quite a surprising way. I approached My System: FastTrack Edition as an opportunity to reread and revisit Nimzovich’s classic work, and was struck at how this streamlined version had a luminous, Euclidian quality that I’d not quite been aware of before. It’s apparent in the way the prose moves smoothly from first principles to propositions of profound strategic insight. On reflection, this underlying structure is there in the original work (it is hardly an accident that Part 1 is entitled The Elements) but it is somewhat obscured by other factors. Perhaps less really is more?
Other than that, My System remains as provocative, challenging and instructive as ever, full of a deep understanding and love of chess. Alex Fishbein has enshrined Nimzovich’s teachings in a perspicacious prose that expounds their continuing pertinence and relevance, even in the computer age.
Paul Kane
https://thecaissakid.wordpress.com/2025/01/15/my-system/
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