Aron Nimzowitsch, 1928-1935: Annotated Games & Essays

Aron Nimzowitsch, 1928-1935: Annotated Games & Essays

Edited by Rudolf Reinhardt

New In Chess, 2013

ISBN: 9789056914165

A significant contribution to our understanding of Nimzowitsch’s chess thought.

Great gratitude must go to the late Rudolf Reinhardt, a chess historian who has diligently researched, compiled, and edited Nimzowitsch’s writings from the latter period of his life.

It was a period that saw what was probably his greatest sporting achievement, outright victory in the tournament played at Carlsbad in 1929, coming out ahead of Capablanca, Spielmann and Rubinstein. Nimzowitsch was clearly Capablanca’s equal at this time (they drew four times) but Alekhine posed a considerable problem for both him (he suffered four losses here) and his contemporaries. Alekhine was in a different class altogether.

The book contains pretty much all the games Nimzowitsch played in the principal tournaments of the period (Bad Kissingen 1928, Carlsbad 1929, San Remo 1930, Bled1931, Zurich 1934), some games from minor tournaments and from Nimzowitsch’s matches with Stahlberg and Stoltz and, finally, some training games and games played in simultaneous displays. Most games are annotated by Nimzowitsch himself.

Amongst the essays and articles are tributes to Chigorin and Lasker. Other articles touch on topics that are still of great general interest: strategy, psychology, aesthetics, playing style, practical play and preparation for competition. There is a comparison of amateur and professional approaches to chess, not always to the benefit of the latter.

One could regard this book as a sequel to My System and Chess Praxis, as the cover blurb asserts, and as a companion volume to Per Skjoldager and Jorn Erik Nielsen’s Aron Nimzowitsch: On the Road to Chess Mastery, 1886-1924, which covered his early life and career. Either way, it is chockfull of wonderful chess and is a significant contribution to our understanding of Nimzowitsch’s thought. His personality shines through in both the articles and the annotations, and his profundity is everywhere apparent.

Aron Nimzowitsch, 1928-1935: Annotated Games & Essays

Aron Nimzowitsch, 1928-1935: Annotated Games & Essays

Edited by Rudolf Reinhardt

New In Chess, 2013

ISBN: 9789056914165

A significant contribution to our understanding of Nimzowitsch’s chess thought.

Great gratitude must go to the late Rudolf Reinhardt, a chess historian who has diligently researched, compiled, and edited Nimzowitsch’s writings from the latter period of his life.

It was a period that saw what was probably his greatest sporting achievement, outright victory in the tournament played at Carlsbad in 1929, coming out ahead of Capablanca, Spielmann and Rubinstein. Nimzowitsch was clearly Capablanca’s equal at this time (they drew four times) but Alekhine posed a considerable problem for both him (he suffered four losses here) and his contemporaries. Alekhine was in a different class altogether.

The book contains pretty much all the games Nimzowitsch played in the principal tournaments of the period (Bad Kissingen 1928, Carlsbad 1929, San Remo 1930, Bled1931, Zurich 1934), some games from minor tournaments and from Nimzowitsch’s matches with Stahlberg and Stoltz and, finally, some training games and games played in simultaneous displays. Most games are annotated by Nimzowitsch himself.

Amongst the essays and articles are tributes to Chigorin and Lasker. Other articles touch on topics that are still of great general interest: strategy, psychology, aesthetics, playing style, practical play and preparation for competition. There is a comparison of amateur and professional approaches to chess, not always to the benefit of the latter.

One could regard this book as a sequel to My System and Chess Praxis, as the cover blurb asserts, and as a companion volume to Per Skjoldager and Jorn Erik Nielsen’s Aron Nimzowitsch: On the Road to Chess Mastery, 1886-1924, which covered his early life and career. Either way, it is chockfull of wonderful chess and is a significant contribution to our understanding of Nimzowitsch’s thought. His personality shines through in both the articles and the annotations, and his profundity is everywhere apparent.

The Spanish Exchange Variation

The Spanish Exchange Variation: A Fischer Favourite

By Stefan Kindermann

Translated by Phil Adams

Edition Olms, 2005

ISBN: 9783283004798

This is a fine book on an opening line that was a favourite of two world champions, Lasker and Fischer.

Following 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 (Timothy Taylor in Slay the Spanish! makes the case that the move 4…bxc6 deserves serious consideration), Lasker would usually play 5.d4 or 5.Nc3, whereas it was Fischer who gave his stamp of approval to the now universally played 5.0-0 (a move that should probably be attributed to Johan Barendregt), playing it successfully at the 17th Olympiad held in Havana in 1966. It netted him three wins there and Fischer continued to play the Exchange Variation throughout his fractured career. It featured, for example, in his matches with Spassky in 1972 (the 16th game, a draw in 60 moves) and in 1992 (one of them, game 9, being a win in 21 moves).

As Stefan Kindermann points out, the Exchange Variation is not for everyone. If you’re an aggressive tactician or a gung-ho attacking player, it is probably best to look elsewhere. However, if you enjoy endgames (for the queens usually come off early) and are content with nursing a small yet durable positional advantage, confident in the knowledge that there are few risks of actually losing, then this is an opening that’s right up your street. You can also learn a lot about endgame strategy by playing this particular opening line, paradoxical though that might sound. And Kindermann’s second chapter, ‘Typical Positions’, is especially helpful in this respect.

The detailed theoretical information is set out in several illustrative games and it may need to be updated slightly. But it is robust enough to form the basis of a more detailed study of the line. Most attention is devoted to Black’s main choices of 5…f6, 5…Qd6, 5…Bd6 and 5…Bg4 but offbeat and unusual fifth moves (such as Smyslov’s 5…Qe7) are adequately covered too.

If you want a speedy, effective and relatively painless way of familiarising yourself with the various intricacies of the Exchange Variation, this book provides the ideal solution. There’s some superb study material here and Kindermann is a fine writer who clearly knows his stuff. The English prose is perspicacious and even elegant in places, for which we must also thank the translator, Phil Adams.

The publisher’s description of the book is here.