My System: A Treatise on Chess

Still fantastic, especially at my level. Criticisms may be valid for masters but this book is clear and concise, systematic, and covers important basics that other strategic manuals overlook. ( )

Excellent book explaining the fundamental framework of positional chess, with many illustrative games. The text is a bit old-fashioned, to say the least. ( )

An excellent analytical approach to improving chess prowess. Rather than trying to memorize thousands of zaps and traps, this book deals with a few of the mechanics, and then some basic strategies. ( )

This book is a classic in chess planning and strategy. Originally published in English translation in 1930, it is still a cornerstone of chess literature and a jump into more 'modern' thinking of chess positional play. My copy is a 1964 reprint and, as such, still retains the older 'English descriptional' notation rather than the current algebraic notation which has become universal with computer chess engines and virtually all chess literature published today. I believe there are recent publications that have switched over to the algebraic. Most players will find it essential to set up a board and follow the moves, as the lines can be quite long at times.

At the end of the book is a collection of 50 games from master play that are used as examples of the author's explanations. Many of these are games the author played and won in international competition. The author takes credit for 'discovery' of many of the ideas put forth in this book. It is doubtful that he actually 'discovered' some of these ideas, but he get credit for exposing and teaching them to countless chess players over the decades.

In addition, those who use a UCI (Universal Chess Interface) on the computer to follow lines and games can find these games (not text) online in .PGN format which saves a lot of time setting up a board and resetting positions after following a variation.

I would call 'My System' an essential item for any chess library. It is a book well worth returning to from time to time as a refresher for aspiring chess players. ( )

The definitive work on postional play. every serious chess player should read this. Even if you do not follow his system, it gives you greater understanding of aspects of the game. This version is in algebraic notation. ( )