Games

How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances

How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances

  • Downloads：2924
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-31 14:12:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jeremy Silman
  • ISBN：1890085138
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

How to Reassess Your Chess has long been considered a modern classic。 This 4th edition takes Silman's groundbreaking concept of imbalances to a whole new level。 Designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 rating range and for teachers looking for a ready-made chess curriculum， the author shares a mind-expanding journey that takes the reader through imbalance-basics， ensures that every detail of all the imbalances are mastered， and leaves the player/lover of chess with something he always wanted but never believed he could achieve: a master-level positional foundation。 Hundreds of games brought to life by instruction-rich prose， and stories that offer humor while highlighting various lessons， vividly illustrate all the book's topics in a manner that's both personal and fun。

Jeremy Silman is an International Master and a world-class teacher， writer， and player who has won the American Open， the National Open， and the U。S。 Open。

Download

Reviews

Joel ，

Silman's book does two things:1。 Introduces the major strategic elements that players should be looking for in every position （minor piece advantage， open lines， pawn structure， king safety， lead in development， etc。）2。 A systematic THOUGHT PROCESS。 Namely， look for all the strategic "imbalances" （Silman's term） in the position， formulate a PLAN， find candidate moves that advance that plan， and only then calculate。On the first matter， Silman's book is a decent introduction for beginners to these Silman's book does two things:1。 Introduces the major strategic elements that players should be looking for in every position （minor piece advantage， open lines， pawn structure， king safety， lead in development， etc。）2。 A systematic THOUGHT PROCESS。 Namely， look for all the strategic "imbalances" （Silman's term） in the position， formulate a PLAN， find candidate moves that advance that plan， and only then calculate。On the first matter， Silman's book is a decent introduction for beginners to these strategic concepts， but by no means the only one。 Euwe's Middlegame books are probably more comprehensive and Pachman's book is excellent too。 There are many other books that will talk about these concepts， some more "systematic" than others。 If Silman has any advantage over those other books it's in that he 1） is friendly for beginners， and 2） organizes the "imbalances" into a nice， concise "list"， so the beginner can think through each of them at a time like a checklist。 At higher levels， you probably have a better judgement to be able to see with one glance which are the most important elements of any given position。 But at a beginner level， he gives the player a "systematic" list to go through so they are sure they didn't miss anything。On the second matter， having a systematic thought process is a great thing for a beginner to learn， but in truth， there are problems with sticking to Silman's。 First， at beginner levels， there are other parts of the thought process that a player has to learn to become natural at。 For example， scanning for checks and hanging pieces。 So many authors over the ages have come up with countless systems of thought that they claim beginners should stick to and improve their rating。 Some focus on preventing blunders （gothamchess's "Danger Level"， or Dan Heisman's "Hope Chess" - virtually every coach has their own system with their own trademarked name）， others are about calculation （who remembers Kotov's Think Like a Grandmaster）， while others are focused on coming up with a strategy or positional plan。 Beginners can be led to believe that one system is the "right" one， and Silman certainly gives the impression that his is the best （naturally）。 But in truth， no one system works for everyone， and no system works in every position。 For some players， and in some positions， looking out for tactics is most important。 In others， formulating a plan is important （and then there's the question: when do I know it's the right time to stop and make a plan？）。 Silman's book is valuable because it gives beginners a process for thinking， but at a certain point， beginners learn that there isn't just one thought process。People who don't like Silman's book probably have a problem with either one of the two things I mentioned above。 Either they think it isn't the best way to introduce strategical concepts （maybe Silman's list isn't comprehensive enough， or they think it's too difficult for beginners）。 Or， they don't like Silman's system of thinking。I think Silman does a very good job on both accounts。 As I mentioned， although it probably isn't the BEST or most comprehensive book on strategy （I'm partial to Euwe's）， it is a pretty good one for intermediate players （maybe Winning Chess Strategies by Yasser Seirawan is best for lower-rated players， but I wouldn't know - I haven't looked at it， but it's just what I've heard）。 As far as giving beginners a "system"， I do think that most players should be learning how to look out for blunders and tactics first， and there should also be the disclaimer that there are many thought processes and Silman's is by no means the only one， but I still think it is very helpful for players to learn how to be disciplined and for that Silman's book is as good as any。 。。。more

Rouf ，

This book has completely changed the way I play chess。 I haven't read the details of this book。 I skim it。 Because I always repeat the chapter。 This book has completely changed the way I play chess。 I haven't read the details of this book。 I skim it。 Because I always repeat the chapter。 。。。more

Joeri ，

Very well written book for beginning and intermediate players。 Gave me a way better understanding about positioning。

Liquidlasagna ，

Probably Silman's best bookthe only possible minus to Silman is that his approach to game annotation is unusual。 He likes to focus on the big picture and strategic ideas， and will sometimes criticize a move as bad， more on reasons of planning and strategy， and nothing to do with it being tactically sound。 Probably Silman's best bookthe only possible minus to Silman is that his approach to game annotation is unusual。 He likes to focus on the big picture and strategic ideas， and will sometimes criticize a move as bad， more on reasons of planning and strategy， and nothing to do with it being tactically sound。 。。。more

Linda ，

。。。well I say read。。。。the theme of imbalances is intriguing and have been 'through' the book but think it will be a book I return to again and again as I improve my game。。。 。。。well I say read。。。。the theme of imbalances is intriguing and have been 'through' the book but think it will be a book I return to again and again as I improve my game。。。 。。。more

Ashok ，

very good reading for understanding chess concepts & strategic mastery

Guillaume ，

The 4th edition is on point。

Steven ，

The third edition was excellent， and this re written fourth addition was as good。

Blaze ，

It didn't contain endless analysis。 It was instructive and entertaining to read。 It didn't contain endless analysis。 It was instructive and entertaining to read。 。。。more

Veselin Nikolov ，

A very good read。 I can imagine a beginner player gaining 500-1000 ELO points by carefully reading this book。 Now I know weak squares， statics vs dynamics， and a few more concepts that may or may not make me a better chess player。 Looks like mastering chess requires a level of memory and dedication that's just not possible for adults。 A very good read。 I can imagine a beginner player gaining 500-1000 ELO points by carefully reading this book。 Now I know weak squares， statics vs dynamics， and a few more concepts that may or may not make me a better chess player。 Looks like mastering chess requires a level of memory and dedication that's just not possible for adults。 。。。more

Justin Tran ，

My chess has been reassessed。

Christian ，

took my a while to get through the book as I'd read it only each morning while having breakfast。 it really improved my chess and my breakfast experience。I'm still a total beginner and will read the book again to pick up on additional details and reinforce the concepts。The concept theme of imbalances is well explained and each chapter is filled with personal anecdotes and real life games to support a teaching。veryr enjoyable！ took my a while to get through the book as I'd read it only each morning while having breakfast。 it really improved my chess and my breakfast experience。I'm still a total beginner and will read the book again to pick up on additional details and reinforce the concepts。The concept theme of imbalances is well explained and each chapter is filled with personal anecdotes and real life games to support a teaching。veryr enjoyable！ 。。。more

P。E。 ，

The guy teaches you how to state the situation in any moment of a game。And he does so efficiently， by displaying general principles illustrated by games， analysed both by praxis and computer analysis， backed with exercises。 Whatever your mastery， you can nibble crumbs of know-how and insight useful in any level of competition。❖Opening， middle game， endgame❖Open game， semi-open game， closed game❖Pawn structures❖Piece coordination❖Quality sacrifice， positional sacrifice， tactics❖PlanningAll themes The guy teaches you how to state the situation in any moment of a game。And he does so efficiently， by displaying general principles illustrated by games， analysed both by praxis and computer analysis， backed with exercises。 Whatever your mastery， you can nibble crumbs of know-how and insight useful in any level of competition。❖Opening， middle game， endgame❖Open game， semi-open game， closed game❖Pawn structures❖Piece coordination❖Quality sacrifice， positional sacrifice， tactics❖PlanningAll themes epitomized in the keystone concept。。。❖Imbalances！Arguably the most user-friendly well-rounded one-volume chess textbook issued to this day！ 。。。more

Sam James ，

I must confess I haven't 'read' this book。 That is， it's not the sort you read from cover to cover （much like a lot of chess books）。 However， it's proven a very useful guide to understanding common themes of chess and why we think the we think over the board。。。 though the early chapters are， in my opinion， sometimes a little too obvious。 I must confess I haven't 'read' this book。 That is， it's not the sort you read from cover to cover （much like a lot of chess books）。 However， it's proven a very useful guide to understanding common themes of chess and why we think the we think over the board。。。 though the early chapters are， in my opinion， sometimes a little too obvious。 。。。more

Doug ，

Wow！ IM Silman is a world class teacher！ This book sat on my "to read" shelf for several years and I brought it out once I retired。 I now had the time to really study chess and this was going to be the start。 I am really glad I did as the journey took about 9 months。 I used a large chessboard and pen and began on page one and worked through every game and example in the book！ His organization， example games and great enthusiasm and humor was spread throughout the book！ It was a joy to work throu Wow！ IM Silman is a world class teacher！ This book sat on my "to read" shelf for several years and I brought it out once I retired。 I now had the time to really study chess and this was going to be the start。 I am really glad I did as the journey took about 9 months。 I used a large chessboard and pen and began on page one and worked through every game and example in the book！ His organization， example games and great enthusiasm and humor was spread throughout the book！ It was a joy to work through and I can now start his other books！ It has vastly improved my game but more importantly the enjoyment of the game！ Thank you IM Silman！ 。。。more

fourtriplezed ，

I am crap at chess。 I spent a lot of money on books that I thought would at least make me competitive。 Nothing worked。 I think these chess books will all sit in a box gathering dust and one day I might get the urge to rejoin the local club and get butchered by 12 year olds so then may have a further look。 （Generic review for all half finished chess books I will never finish

FranklinTV ，

Flick thru quickly confirms that this should be a good book。 My chess playing never got sufficiently serious， but if it ever does， Im sure I will refer to this。

William Schram ，

This is a great book， but not one that you should read， this is a book that should be studied。 Many of the ideas are in algebraic chess notation， and unless you are particularly good at visualizing the board， you should probably have one handy。 Personally， I suck at visualization of the board， but I digress。Silman has split this particular edition that I have into sixteen parts， each of which is thematically connected。 Most of these parts are further subdivided into chapters。 For instance， the f This is a great book， but not one that you should read， this is a book that should be studied。 Many of the ideas are in algebraic chess notation， and unless you are particularly good at visualizing the board， you should probably have one handy。 Personally， I suck at visualization of the board， but I digress。Silman has split this particular edition that I have into sixteen parts， each of which is thematically connected。 Most of these parts are further subdivided into chapters。 For instance， the first part is all about endgames。 The first chapter talks about the King， the idea of Opposition and Outflanking。 The second chapter of the first part is about King and Pawn endgames and the third chapter of the first part is about King and Rook endgames。 It isn't exhaustive by any means， but it does cover the basics。As I said， each part covers a theme。 The first part covers endgames， the second part covers Silman's Thinking Technique and the list of Imbalances， the third covers Calculation and Combinations， the Fourth covers Minor Pieces in the middle game and so on。 The fifteenth part covers solutions to problems in the book and the Sixteenth is a Recommended Reading List。Since this is a book that must be studied if you hope for improvement， it isn't something that you read cover to cover mindlessly。 It would probably be best to have some kind of board handy so you can play through the games， since all of the possible lines that are mentioned get confusing for me。 It has scenarios from actual games and attempts to peer into the mind of the master at crucial points， so it is also helpful in that regard。 。。。more

Frederick Tan ，

This is a brilliant chess book written by a well known chess author Jeremy Silman。

Aristo ，

OMG！！！ I only got this book from winning a tournament， but I must say that this is the best chess book that ever existed。 With crystal-clear concepts and a fair share of humor too， this is THE book that any chess player must have！！ An excellent work by Silman！

Todd Bryant ，

A great book indeed， although I slightly prefer brain-melting masterpiece THE AMATEUR'S MIND。 A great book indeed， although I slightly prefer brain-melting masterpiece THE AMATEUR'S MIND。 。。。more

Ali ，

A great book for the ambitious chess players who are looking forward to becoming a chess expert。 I enjoyed reading every page of it。

Butch Mosier ，

One of the best instructional books on chess I've ever read。 Silman is a teaching genius。 One of the best instructional books on chess I've ever read。 Silman is a teaching genius。 。。。more

Murilo Andrade ，

Amazing book。 This book fits perfectly someone in the ELO rang 1500-2000。 It continues Amateur's Mind ideas， going much further。 Once again， Silman describes incredibly well its imbalances framework。 After reading this book， you should be able to assess a big number of positions， by identifying all the described imbalances， which helps a lot when finding plans for the position。 This book is huge， but it is worthful to be read from cover to cover， specially with the very easy to read （ often humo Amazing book。 This book fits perfectly someone in the ELO rang 1500-2000。 It continues Amateur's Mind ideas， going much further。 Once again， Silman describes incredibly well its imbalances framework。 After reading this book， you should be able to assess a big number of positions， by identifying all the described imbalances， which helps a lot when finding plans for the position。 This book is huge， but it is worthful to be read from cover to cover， specially with the very easy to read （ often humourous） style。 Another great point is the number of exercises。 Silman took his time choosing the exercises that fit very well the material covered in the chapters。 One can solve even the highest graded problems， even being average rated。 Although I am a big fan of this book， I would say there is still a bit room for improvement （at least for my particular taste）。 First of all， in the middle of the imbalances talk， Silman includes a few chapters about psychology， which I found particularly unhelpful。 I think most people who read this book will share my opinion。 The great advances I've done after reading this book was a better understanding of middlegame strategies， and how to elaborate a plan。 The second point is that there are too many variations。 Once again， I think we get lost in tactics， when the focus of the book is strategy （ at least in my understanding）。 The third point is a shallow one。 I couldn't find any pgn's to help follow the book。 PGN's usually help a lot an average player like me。 I think such master piece should come with a pgn link to help follow the book。 --I will briefly describe the 9 parts here: 1。 The Concept of imbalances Describes the main imbalances。 Superior Minor Piece。 Pawn Structure。 Space。 Material。 Control of a key file。 Control of a hole/ weak square。 Lead in development。 Initiative。 King safety。 Statics vs Dynamics。 Throughout the book Silman describes them with greater detail。 2。 Minor Pieces。 Here comes the knight - bishop battle Knights like central， protected squares and closed positions。 Bishops like open diagonals and open position。 Tall Pawn， Active/Passive Bishops。 Bishops of opposite colours tend to be drawn positions， in which pawn structure and king safety are much more important than material （ one tends to sacrifice material in such positions）。 Knights。 Blockade passed pawns。 Go to any square in the board。 Like advanced support points。Bishops。 Can arrest a Knight。 When you move a pawn， check your bishops！ TO avoid Tall Pawns， put your bishop outside the pawn chain。 Exchange your bad pieces against the good ones of the opponent！ Two Bishops > Bishop + Knight。 Try to exchange the bishops in that case， and put your knight into an advanced support point （ or close the center）。3。 RooksProbably the easiest part。 Rooks like open files。 Like any other imbalance， don't wait them to magically happen！ Create （ or steal ） them！ Once that done， you can go to the preferred places of rooks : 7th and 8th ranks。 4。 Psychological Meanderings I am not a big fan of this part。 This is a big part of the book- So what the position tells you， not what it suits you best。 - Don't enter in the opponent's game。 Follow your plan。 Once again， do what the position tells。 - Pay attention， specially when winning - it is more common to fall in those cases。 5。 Target Consciousness Visualize the main weakness of your opponent （ and yours） position， and go for it！ Never lose track of these weaknesses， as it is probably how you will need to pursue your plan。 Pay attention to weak pawns （ isolated， backward， doubled， tripled）， and specially weak squares。 Most amateurs go always in the hunt of opponent's monarch， when in master's games much of the struggle involves important squares （usually weak， central ones） of the board。 Embrace the "inner" square。When you are developed and your opponent's king is still in the middle， this should raise a huge neon sign in front of you。 Search for ways to punish your opponent's vulnerable king。 Don't allow him to castle。 Open lines。 If you have an isolated pawn， without compensation， try to exchange all the rooks and queens。 If your opponent has a backward pawn， trade minor pieces， and/or put a piece in front of it， so it cannot advance。 6。 Static Vs Dynamics This is a very nice chapter。 Chess should be seen as a battle of two different ideologies。 And there is no better example than static vs dynamics。 Whereas material advantages （ tend to ） stay forever， imbalances like initiative and developed pieces are quite ephemeral， so they need to be used soon， otherwise you lose it。 In general you need to cash in your dynamic plus to a static （ and durable ） one。 7。 Space Space ， space space！ This is a very big advantage， specially in closed positions， where you can play cat and mouse， and "do in 20 what you can do in 2"。 To fight against space， use break pawns， and try to exchange a few pieces to liberate space。 See what your opponent leave behind。 As Fischer said， "to gain squares you need to leave squares"。Play where your pawn chain points。 Avoid exchanges if you have more space。 8。 Passed Pawns It can be a static powerhouse or a dynamic gane winner。 Blockade ！ PAwn Majority => Passed Pawn ！ Passed pawns are not always good: If the struggle is elsewhere/ pawn is bockaded/it is a weakness。 9。 Other Imbalances Imbalances in the openings: Try to study the main imbalances of each position。 --That's it。 I can't wait to do the exercises of the workbook companion book。 。。。more

John ，

A modern classic。

Ernest Cadorin ，

a little too advanced for me

Owen M ，

Jeremy Silman is arguably the best chess author in history。 I have never read a better chess book in my life， and I doubt that I ever will。 Silman gives a wonderful description of putting together imbalances to create a winning position。 I have used Silman's ideas in my own games very successfully。 I don't what I'd have done without this book。 Jeremy Silman is arguably the best chess author in history。 I have never read a better chess book in my life， and I doubt that I ever will。 Silman gives a wonderful description of putting together imbalances to create a winning position。 I have used Silman's ideas in my own games very successfully。 I don't what I'd have done without this book。 。。。more

Puneet Gurnani ，

I have only just completed the 2nd chapter。 My 2 cents: 1）A book on positional play/ strategy and planning。 2）if you are looking for tactics， openings or endgame you should look elsewhere 3）Silman recommends 1400-2100 rated players for this book。 I would say 1700 and above。 Players under 1700 I would say are more to gain by learning tactics as positional play/planning does not quite come into play when you tend to loose a pawn in a 2-3 move variation。 4）his theory of imbalances gives me a intuti I have only just completed the 2nd chapter。 My 2 cents: 1）A book on positional play/ strategy and planning。 2）if you are looking for tactics， openings or endgame you should look elsewhere 3）Silman recommends 1400-2100 rated players for this book。 I would say 1700 and above。 Players under 1700 I would say are more to gain by learning tactics as positional play/planning does not quite come into play when you tend to loose a pawn in a 2-3 move variation。 4）his theory of imbalances gives me a intutional view of why my game never went above the 1900-2000 mark。 5）Now i see the light beyond the horizon。 When after being stuck at a position you don't know what to do next。 And end up pushing wood （plastic） and waiting for an error on your opponents part。 6）know the position。 let the board talk to you and plans will develop accordingly。 nice book。 recommended for players above 1700。 ---- my opinion 。。。more

Luke ，

Good book。 Need to go back through it again to really get the full value。

Mark Cosslett ，

Pretty low on my currently reading list， but wading through it。 Chess is a life long pursuit so no rush。。。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0