Jeremy Silman's books
Sort:
checkmatemark04
Jul 12, 2019
0
#1
This is a forum dedicated to the discussion of IM Jeremy Silman's books. Both criticism and praise are welcomed here, BTW.
Jul 12, 2019
0
#2
I have his endgame book, and Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition, both if which I like.
Jul 12, 2019
0
#5
I drew a player who drew him.
I have his books, I use his books, and I have learned from his books. But, I think Silman’s own sense of how useful his books are is inflated a bit. I think some of his fans have an even more inflated sense of the value of his books.
I have his books, I use his books, and I have learned from his books. But, I think Silman’s own sense of how useful his books are is inflated a bit. I think some of his fans have an even more inflated sense of the value of his books.
"... [IM Jeremy Silman] vividly understands the typical mental struggles of the average chess player. ... In the opinion of this reviewer, How to Reassess Your Chess deserves serious consideration for book of the year honors. ..."
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708095832/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review769.pdf
"How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition was designed for players in the 1400 to 2100 range." - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/how-to-reassess-your-chess-4th-edition/
Reassess Your Chess should be on everybody's list of books to go through and learn from.
I do critisize his Workbook for Reassess Your Chess. It doesn't really do much outside of what the first book does. Going through the main book twice, I think, is better. Wait perhaps 6 months before going through the first book a 2nd time. (That's what Jeremy suggests in the book anyway.)
"... I'm convinced that Silman's [Complete Endgame Course] will take its place in history as one of the most popular endgame books ever. It has already caught on with the average player in a big way, confirming Silman's status as the king of instructional writers. He writes in a clear and casual style, and time and again has shown the ability to reach those who feel intimidated by the lofty approach that a grandmaster will often take. ... Silman ... defines what he thinks is necessary to know at specific rating levels. For example, the beginner or unrated player needs to know ... Silman's idea is to wait until you climb in strength before you worry about more advanced material. Then, as a Class 'E' player (that's 1000-1199), one must learn ... Silman's book emphasizes to the student that the important thing is to master the strictly limited material at hand, rather than get confused by endings that won't help your results at that level. Perhaps even more importantly, Silman is able to use his teaching experience and talk to his readers in a way that they can handle, in a friendly manner and without condescension. ... I'll also repeat the point that David Ellinger in ChessCafe makes: '[This ...] demonstrates who this book will truly serve best: anybody who coaches chess. For me, as a perpetually near-2000 player who does part-time coaching, I’ve got in my hands a great resource that will have something for every student, no matter the rating.' ..." - IM John Watson (2007)
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/silmans-complete-endgame-course/
For those that haven't gone through Reassess Your Chess, it does improve your game, but by explaining how to read a chess board. After properly digesting the book, and it might take a couple runs through it for everything to stick in your head, you'll understand WHY you move a piece and how it affects the board.
Although it's aimed primarily in the middle game, you'll really be able to understand your opening moves, and your opponent's opening moves, much... MUCH... better.
Most opening books expect you to memorize, with no explaination, the first few moves of a book line.
So after going through Reassess Your Chess, you'll understand why the first few moves of various book lines are so good.
You'll start to think if the chess board as lines of attack, weak and strong squares, and a bunch of other stuff every good chessplayer knows, and every aspiring chessplayer needs to know.
Jul 12, 2019
0
#11
Michael Stean, Simple Chess will teach at far less expense and time most of what you can gain from a stack of Silman’s books.
"... [Silman] would go on to write a series of excellent books on chess strategy. …" - GM Joel Benjamin (2018), writing about a 1979 encounter with Silman
Jul 15, 2019
0
#14
Fiby1709 wrote:
His endgame book is a decent beginning for the casual player who is too lazy for serious study!
Fixed.
Jul 15, 2019
0
#15
He is a good author. I have read all his books. I like the 3rd Ed of HTRYC better than the 4th. TAM is great!
There are other really good chess teachers that wrote or write steller books on chess, so Jeremy isn't the best chess teacher since sliced bread, but I think he well deserves his status as one of the best chess in the world.
I think he cemented his status with Reassess Your Chess because it does one singular thing: distills the essence of how to read a chess board. It certainly targets the ratings window of who can get the most out of the book with a laser focus. But it's not the only book out there. I think it's readability, easy going narration of the book, and pacing has a lot to do with it's popularity. I personally used the 3rd edition.
I can't say much about Jermey's other books other than I got very little out of the workbook for Reassess Your Chess, so I wouldn't reccommend buying it. Going over the main book twice or more is better. But that's just my opinion.
Silman's first book was revolutionary. It gave the impression that all one had to do is memorize this list of imbalances and voila you understood chess. Wish it were that simple. His premise, in the first book, that players stagnate because they get used to their own same old way of thinking is revealing. But his doesn't get the person out of his rut, just creates a new rut that the student will have to unlearn. His workbook is too basic for 1800-2000. He claims it is for 2100's. The last part of the book about annotating games is the most useful. But Botvinnik gave that advice long ago: annotate your games and then publish the annnotations. So what does Silman give us? Just his idea of imbalance. The problem with a lot of chess books is that because they explain one idea so clearly, one gets the mistaken impression that he now understands that idea. But when he tries that idea in an actual game , it fails. Playing is not the same as explaining chess.
Nwap111 wrote:
Silman's first book was revolutionary. It gave the impression that all one had to do is memorize this list of imbalances and voila you understood chess. Wish it were that simple. His premise, in the first book, that players stagnate because they get used to their own same old way of thinking is revealing. But his doesn't get the person out of his rut, just creates a new rut that the student will have to unlearn. His workbook is too basic for 1800-2000. He claims it is for 2100's. The last part of the book about annotating games is the most useful. But Botvinnik gave that advice long ago: annotate your games and then publish the annnotations. So what does Silman give us? Just his idea of imbalance. The problem with a lot of chess books is that because they explain one idea so clearly, one gets the mistaken impression that he now understands that idea. But when he tries that idea in an actual game , it fails. Playing is not the same as explaining chess.
I agree that his claim of 2100 is pushing it.. a LOT
But 1300 to 1800 seems more likely, but anybody pushing 1800+ will only get a refresher out of it, or at best fill in a gap or two in their knowlege. I'd even say anybody 1800+ going through it is probably prepping to help teach or coarch a student. I'm not saying that someone 1800+ can't glean a few tidbits out of it, but it would only be a few tidbits. I'm using 1800+ FIDE as a reference.
I also agree you can't just memorize the imbalances. But to be able to properly read a chess board, you have to have your hand held, metephorically, to what what chess imbalances are, before those imbalances become ingrained in your head.
You will get something out of it, ad you would from chess books. But as Zirab mentoinrd, one would learn---and zI would argue---understand more from Simple Chess than Silman's books. He has a great premise but does not fulfill it.
Ziryab wrote:
His endgame book is a decent beginning for the casual player who is too lazy for serious study!
A person has absolutely no obligation to do any particular amount of chess study, and no obligation to seek to be considered "serious" by you. Under such circumstances, does it say anything about anyone other than you if you start making judgments about who is "lazy"?