Some books don't really need an introduction. And this is one of them. But a blog post needs one, so here we are, in the middle of an introduction. How to reassess your chess was one of the first books in my collection. I first read it around 2014, and decided to reread it this year. And now I am finally ready share my thoughts on it with you. I hope you enjoy my review!
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In terms of progression, How to reassess your chess could be seen as a continuation of The amateur's mind. Here, Silman gives a more detailed explanation of his system of imbalances and more advanced examples. Silman "defines" an imbalance as "any significant difference in the two respective positions" (p. 4). These differences can be categorized according to one or more of the following points:
A close study of its contents will imbue the serious student with a rock solid positional chess foundation, an appreciation of planning plus an understanding of how to make logical plans based on the needs of the position, and surprising insights into previously ignored areas of chess psychology. By employing new ways of presenting concepts and games, and by making the book feel both personal and fun to read, I've done everything possible to ensure that studying becomes a joy and that the material presented - often viewed as too complex for the masses - will suddenly make sense and, as a reasult, be remarkably easy to retain. (p. xiii)
Normally, I read chess books on the train to and from work. In this case, that simply isn't an option. This book is huge. It has just over 650 pages and weighs in at 1150 g (or roughly 2.5 lb). Bringing it in my bag would be a pain, so I decided to read it at home between various day-to-day battles. Therefore, reading it took longer than expected.
There is a reason why the book is so large. Let me explain by going through the structure. The book has two major sections. The first section is divided into nine parts, each consisting of a number of subchapters, and at the end of each part ends there are a few puzzles related to its content. In all, there are 117 puzzles. This first section of the book gives detailed instructions and numerous examples of how the system of imbalances, and the second section gives "answers" to the puzzles. However, these are not the usual solutions that you would find in a puzzle book. Instead, these are complete annotated games, that give the context of the puzzle along with detailed analyses of the various imbalances. Silman also describes what is difficult (or not) about each puzzle, and how it can be solved by applying his method. The solutions to the puzzles span over more than 200 pages, which makes it equivalent to many complete (?) chess books. So this section could actually be read as a collection of annotated games. So How to reassess your chess is like three books in one: Instruction, puzzles and games collection.
How to reassess your chess is not only big in a literal sense, it also has a huge reputation and has been formative for many aspiring chess players. In a post on chess.com several prominent players list it among their favorite chess books (Danny Rensch, Cyrus Lakdawala and John Watson). It has also been recommended on the Perpetual Chess podcast by several guests. One of them is IM Sagar Shah, who has also posted a youtube video where he gives an overview of the book and explains how the book has influenced his chess understanding. He also provides a couple of examples of how the system of imbalances can be put to practical use. So if you are curious about the book, the video will give you a good introduction.
In his video, Sagar tells a story about how he was about 2100 and working on chess and not finding a way to improve. He was playing the opening well, but often got stuck in the middlegame. His coach recommended this book to him, and after reading it, he realized that had a lot of gaps in his chess understanding. So he said to his coach "Sir, this is the best book you have ever given me." Having worked systematically with Silman's system of imbalances for an extended period of time, Sagar explains that the principles have become a part of him and that he does the analysis subconsciously. And this is really the point of the whole system. Kudos to you, Sagar!
One thing that I realized while working through the puzzles is that I tend to aim for tactical solutions, even when there aren't any to be found. I think this is due to the way I learned to play chess - which was purely based on tactics. The tactical approach is therefore something that is deeply embedded in my approach to the game, and hard to get rid off. In other words, I need to work more with books like this one. (Good thing that I decided to do a review series on strategy books!)
This point was touched upon when the book was featured on the "chess books recaptured". Guest host Todd Kennedy was asked how useful it is for chess improvement, and he gave the following response:
For me personally, what is appealing about Silman's writing is that I feel that he really understands the struggles of the amateur player. A lot of masters seem to write for other masters, but this is not the case here. Silman repeatedly points out which positional aspects are more difficult to grasp for lower rated players, and how that understanding can be improved. Just the kind of support that we patzers need in order to become stronger.
I know that I don't share my positive sentiments on this book with everyone. Many people are critical towards Silman's ideas. The different opinions are well represented in a thread in the Lichess discussion forum. One of the main critics is Willy Hendriks in his book Move first, think later. In my opinion, Hendriks and many other critics miss the point by pointing out that strong players don't apply Silman's method. However, Silman's advice is geared at weaker players who lack positional understanding and the skills to form a logical plan. They need some kind of framework to guide them. Stronger players do this subconciously and do not need the same guidance. So How to reassess your chess is certainly not for everyone, but if you are reading this post, you are likely within the target range of the book.
If you like these reviews, please consider supporting my work. Visit my patreon page for details.
Become a Patron!
What can you expect from this book?
In the beginning of my chess studies, I read The Amateur's Mind and saw a tremendous increase of my chess understanding. My playing strength increased dramatically and I felt more confident than ever. I also enjoyed Silman's writing style, so I felt that it was a good idea to take a deeper look at what he had to offer. Considering the amount of praise that can be found (basically everywhere) of How to reassess your chess, I felt that this was a no-brainer: I just had to get the book.In terms of progression, How to reassess your chess could be seen as a continuation of The amateur's mind. Here, Silman gives a more detailed explanation of his system of imbalances and more advanced examples. Silman "defines" an imbalance as "any significant difference in the two respective positions" (p. 4). These differences can be categorized according to one or more of the following points:
- Superior minor piece
- Pawn structure
- Space
- Material
- Control of a key file
- Control of a weak square
- Lead in development
- Initiative
- King safety
- Statics vs. dynamics
A close study of its contents will imbue the serious student with a rock solid positional chess foundation, an appreciation of planning plus an understanding of how to make logical plans based on the needs of the position, and surprising insights into previously ignored areas of chess psychology. By employing new ways of presenting concepts and games, and by making the book feel both personal and fun to read, I've done everything possible to ensure that studying becomes a joy and that the material presented - often viewed as too complex for the masses - will suddenly make sense and, as a reasult, be remarkably easy to retain. (p. xiii)
Normally, I read chess books on the train to and from work. In this case, that simply isn't an option. This book is huge. It has just over 650 pages and weighs in at 1150 g (or roughly 2.5 lb). Bringing it in my bag would be a pain, so I decided to read it at home between various day-to-day battles. Therefore, reading it took longer than expected.
There is a reason why the book is so large. Let me explain by going through the structure. The book has two major sections. The first section is divided into nine parts, each consisting of a number of subchapters, and at the end of each part ends there are a few puzzles related to its content. In all, there are 117 puzzles. This first section of the book gives detailed instructions and numerous examples of how the system of imbalances, and the second section gives "answers" to the puzzles. However, these are not the usual solutions that you would find in a puzzle book. Instead, these are complete annotated games, that give the context of the puzzle along with detailed analyses of the various imbalances. Silman also describes what is difficult (or not) about each puzzle, and how it can be solved by applying his method. The solutions to the puzzles span over more than 200 pages, which makes it equivalent to many complete (?) chess books. So this section could actually be read as a collection of annotated games. So How to reassess your chess is like three books in one: Instruction, puzzles and games collection.
How to reassess your chess is not only big in a literal sense, it also has a huge reputation and has been formative for many aspiring chess players. In a post on chess.com several prominent players list it among their favorite chess books (Danny Rensch, Cyrus Lakdawala and John Watson). It has also been recommended on the Perpetual Chess podcast by several guests. One of them is IM Sagar Shah, who has also posted a youtube video where he gives an overview of the book and explains how the book has influenced his chess understanding. He also provides a couple of examples of how the system of imbalances can be put to practical use. So if you are curious about the book, the video will give you a good introduction.
In his video, Sagar tells a story about how he was about 2100 and working on chess and not finding a way to improve. He was playing the opening well, but often got stuck in the middlegame. His coach recommended this book to him, and after reading it, he realized that had a lot of gaps in his chess understanding. So he said to his coach "Sir, this is the best book you have ever given me." Having worked systematically with Silman's system of imbalances for an extended period of time, Sagar explains that the principles have become a part of him and that he does the analysis subconsciously. And this is really the point of the whole system. Kudos to you, Sagar!
One thing that I realized while working through the puzzles is that I tend to aim for tactical solutions, even when there aren't any to be found. I think this is due to the way I learned to play chess - which was purely based on tactics. The tactical approach is therefore something that is deeply embedded in my approach to the game, and hard to get rid off. In other words, I need to work more with books like this one. (Good thing that I decided to do a review series on strategy books!)
This point was touched upon when the book was featured on the "chess books recaptured". Guest host Todd Kennedy was asked how useful it is for chess improvement, and he gave the following response:
Very. Extremely! I was gonna say up to 2000. Sagar [Shah] mentioned even 2100 to 2300. I think perhaps especially for the younger players [I'm flattered, Todd! =)] these days, a lot of them are very tactically advanced and might get to a high level just based on tactics. But having the fundamentals, understanding positions, can help you improve even more.Podcast host Ben Johnson summarized his impression like this:
Positional chess books for under 2000 are somewhat rare, and that puts this in its own category. Definitely can't recommend it any higher for chess improvement.Those are rather positive words, wouldn't you say?
For me personally, what is appealing about Silman's writing is that I feel that he really understands the struggles of the amateur player. A lot of masters seem to write for other masters, but this is not the case here. Silman repeatedly points out which positional aspects are more difficult to grasp for lower rated players, and how that understanding can be improved. Just the kind of support that we patzers need in order to become stronger.
I know that I don't share my positive sentiments on this book with everyone. Many people are critical towards Silman's ideas. The different opinions are well represented in a thread in the Lichess discussion forum. One of the main critics is Willy Hendriks in his book Move first, think later. In my opinion, Hendriks and many other critics miss the point by pointing out that strong players don't apply Silman's method. However, Silman's advice is geared at weaker players who lack positional understanding and the skills to form a logical plan. They need some kind of framework to guide them. Stronger players do this subconciously and do not need the same guidance. So How to reassess your chess is certainly not for everyone, but if you are reading this post, you are likely within the target range of the book.
Who should read this book?
How to reassess your chess has many qualities that sets it aside from other books. Several of these are mentioned above. Yet another is that the author has defined its target audience, which is players in the 1400 to 2100 range. Lower rated players may also enjoy the book, but the puzzles will most likely be too hard. As mentioned above, many players have a one-sided skill set; strong at tactics but weak at strategy. Raise your hand if this is you. My hand is up, and if yours is too, this is probably a good book for you.About this book
| Author: | Jeremy Silman |
| Title: | How to reassess your chess |
| Type of book: | Middlegame |
| Level: | Intermediate, advanced |
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