How to reassess your chess - GM Silman

Found a copy of this book today. I did read the first few pages and stopped. I realized Reading it that I need to give it my undivided attention. So I'm gonna bust out my board and start over tomorrow. I may not understand it all or absorb it all but I can already tell it's gonna make difference.

"How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition was designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 range." - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf

Might want to consider Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/amateurs-mind-the-2nd-edition/

If you have the time and money for it Silman himself recommends to read the first 52 pages of How to reassess your chess, then read The Amateur`s Mind before read the rest of HTRYC. 

I have both, the TAM in paperback and the HTRYC as a e-book. I am confident the TAM is the better choice at your level. I like it better too. But I have read most in the TAM book. 

I am just relying on foggy memory here, but wasn't that suggestion in connection with the 3rd edition of HTRYC? Not sure if the advice would be the same for someone working with the 4th edition.

I googled it more, and I guess you are right. My statement was from 2001, before the 4. th edition. After 2012 some claim that HTRYC should be read first. The TAM book is anyway easier and recommended level is lower. 1000-1900 vs 1400-2100 for HTRYC.

I am working on TAM as we speak, just took a break. I have downloaded the games and/or preset all the positions with the computer so it's easier to read and just click through the moves with my PC. Makes it so much faster than wooden board and pieces. You can make such "Study" on that other chessite which is not allowed to mention. I have only done it like this for two chapters so far, but I will do the whole book like this.

I was actually considering it but the place I got it didn't have it on hand at the moment so I went with this. I might get a copy of the amateurs mind off eBay and read both. It wouldn't hurt. I'm actually have a 1000+ rating on another site. A lot of my loses came early as I've only been playing chess since late June. I'm sure if I don't understand something they'll be someone generous enough to explain it to me. Solman did say in my copy to read Reassess every six months. Something out the more you read it the better you'll get and the clearer things in the book will become in the next reading.

Thanks fellas for the replies.

Just remember. Tactics is by far the best way to rise your skills.

Yeah i m on the tactics. I actually have a high rating on another site compared to what my ratings are here.

Footnote... (And no I'm not a traitor. This is still my favorite site. I'm new to chess. I've only been playing a month and half and I'm using all the resources I have available to me. I don't care what it is or where it is, if it can positively impact my game I'm using it.)

What I'm actually doing is learning various parts of the game at once. I'm working on tactics and strategy. I have my openings already. I have a fair working knowledge of endgames, so I need to shore that up. My biggest flaw is I love playing as black. Love it. So when I play as white its like imtill using black. I Ned to learn to be  more aggressive by studying attacks.

I want to be able to come out and have an advantage against those who study the classic cookie cutter style. I'm not ripping on that style but I just don't fit that mold.

I know I won't be a grandmaster. I just want to get to that 1000-1500 range where games get good. Sometimes I feel like I'm still playing checkers with some of these low ratings people.

It's a difficult book. First chapter is on fairly basic endgames and understandable, but when it goes into strategy the difficulty goes way up.

Might be an idea to check out the winning chess series of books which Silman co-wrote with Yasser Seirewan that is aimed at the player in the 800 to 1500 range. Really great books.

Seems like Silman is the go to guy on Chess literature. I'll check into those books as well. Thanks. I hope reassess your chess is tough. I do love a challenge. I know if I take my time and pay attention that it'll teach me something that's give me an edge over my opponent. There's people in my ratings group who don't take it seriously.

I'm ready to pile up the bodies and climb out of the basement.

Just ordered me a copy of Silmans The Amateurs Mind off the internet. Yeah!

Tanks for all the replies.

You will like it 😊

Seems an interesting book. Tell us how you get on with it.

I read the beginning of 'how to reassess' and you definitely did the right thing not getting that. It's for experience players to break bad habits. 'Amateurs mind' seems very different, although based on some of the same ideas.

I think the endgame material was eliminated in the 4th edition.

"... I've removed the extraneous elements from previous editions since I wanted to stay 'on point' as much as possible, In fact, I tossed out anything and everything that I felt distracted from the book's real purpose: mastering the imbalances and allowing them to guide you to the correct plans and moves in most positions. …"

https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/how-to-reassess-your-chess-4th-edition/

http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner

http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf

4th edition sounds like a quite different book. I've heard somewhere that he makes a lot of changes to it.

Amateur's mind seems like a book of annotated games with his students. Probably an enjoyable read.