Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but not near my system.
Review: I read this book about 6 months ago and didn't get much out of it. I still like the book though Silman did a good job in writing it. I just don't think it goes into any serious depth like my system and chess praxis, it is basically a reworking of that material.
Rating: 
Summary: It's even good for lousy players
Review: Most the people who've reviewed this book seem to be pretty good players. I'm not -- based on the ratings I got on Chessmaster and Yahoo Chess, I was about an 1100 rated player. Since I play most of my chess games against a friend just for fun, this was never a concern for me... until my friend got better than me, and I started losing consistently. Knowing that my knowledge of the game was lousy, I started looking for a good book to read, but had lots of problems finding one. It seemed to me that most books either assumed that the player was far more advanced than I was (e.g., opening repertoire books) or far less advanced (e.g., "How to Play Chess" type books). Finding something for the experienced, yet still pathetic, player was a challenge. Fortunately, Silman fits the bill nicely. One of my main problems in games was never knowing what to do in the middle; often, I was reduced to making random, time-killing moves. And the books I did glance at were no help: "Make a plan," they intoned. Yeah, great advice, but how? Silman explains how. He tells how to recognize imbalances in the game, and what to do to exploit those imbalances. This advice has proved invaluable to me. Now, I no longer make random moves; all of my moves have a purpose. Many of them still turn out to be deeply stupid moves, of course, but at least they're stupid moves with a purpose. I haven't even finished reading the book yet, but already my ranking on Yahoo has jumped to about 1300, and I'm able to win against my friend again. And I know, with a deep certainty, that I'm not using Silman's advice to the fullest -- a better player than I am could certainly pick up more from this book than I have. Recommended. And if you're wondering why I gave it only four stars, it's because the book is occasionally very dry. I paged through Silman's _The Amateur's Mind_ in a bookstore, and it appeared to be a more accessible reworking of much of the same material; someone in my position might want to consider buying that book instead.
Rating: 
Summary: How to Reassess Your Chess - A Complete Course to Chess Mast
Review: MY BACKGROUND: Rated high B (1760 -- performance rating in last 4 tournaments). I've read 14 books since I last played in a tournament, and am probably around "Expert" ("2100"). I also coach a high school chess team. The List of 51 books for continued study at the end will rudder you to "Master." For beginner to "B," the book will probably add 300 to 400 points. An "A" player or "Expert" will appreciate the nuances of knight and rook play, and the suggested reading list at the end. Even a master might appreciate "spying" on another master's suggested reading for the middle game and end game play. The book in general is a good overview, with insights better than other positional books. Don't be turned off by the phrase "positional" - "positional" means positions allowing for a successful attack - or to be attacked if you're not leary. Minor advantages over other positional books: 1) How to squash 2 knights (or knight & bishop) with 2 bishops; 2) Getting a rook to the 6th rank; 3) ways in which weak pawns can be used as an advantage. Topics: 1) Basic Endgames: A) King & Pawn; B) Rook & Pawn. 2) Thinking Techniques: A) What is a Plan? B) Imbalances 3) Calculation & Combinations: A) Calculation & training - Nowhere Near "The Inner Game of Chess" or "Think Like a Grandmaster," but a useful comment or 2; B) Rules of combination -- 1/20th of a combinations book, but a few useful comments. 4) Minor Pieces in the Middle Game: A) Using the Bishop; B) Understanding N's; C) B vs. N; D) The power of 2 B's; E) 2 N's 5) Space: A) Squeezing; B) Disadvantage of Space; C) Block Before You Punch 6) The Center: A) The Center under Sige; B) The Indestructible Center. 7) Weak Pawns & Strong Pawns: A) Doubled Pawns; B)Isolated Pawns; C) Bakward Pawns; D) Passed Pawns. 8) Weak Squares: A) The Creation of A Weakness; B) Making Use of a Weak Square. 9) Material Loss & Sacrifice: A) Exchangin Material for Other Imbalanaces; B) Making Use of Extra Material 10) Temporary Imbalances: A) Slow Play vs. Fast Play -- Static vs. Dynamic. B) A lead in development; C) Initiative. 11) Open Files: A) Penetration down an open file; B) Domination of Open Files. 12) 3 Keys to Success: A) Mastering Positon With Many Types of Imbalances; B) Preventing Counterplay; C) The Art of Fighting Back; 13) Using Imbalances in Every Phase of the Game: A) Opening; B) Ending; C) Imbalances That Last Until the end game. I strongly agree with his recommendation to read "The Art of the Middle Game" by Keres & Kotov. Kotov's section on the 5 considerations when castling on opposite sides is inidispensable. Kotov's section on how to form a plan depending on the center structure is also classic.
Rating:
Summary: A very useful but flawed book
Review: Some people are wild about this book; some of us aren't. The reason for the disagreement is that, on the one hand, Silman's understanding of the game is terrific, and Reassess Your Chess has many very valuable ideas in it. If you study the book, your chess will improve. On the other hand, the book is poorly written and edited. I don't mean that it's unclear; I just mean it's sloppy. If you don't care, you'll adore the book. If your love of chess books is a subset of a general love of *books*, it will drive you crazy. If only Silman would hire a first-rate editor and let him have his way with the book; alas, one sometimes gets the annoying (and sometimes embarrassing) impression that Silman has an awfully high opinion of his own abilities, and perhaps that hubris extends to an overestimation of his amateurish abilities as a writer. Let's hope for a future edition that does better.
Rating:
Summary: Delivers what it promises
Review: Let's critique this book via the Henry James method: "What is he trying to do? Does he do it? Was it worth doing?" What he's trying to do is clearly laid out in the title: "How to Reassess Your Chess." This book is to help players with flawed technique or bad habits understand and correct the inadequacies in their play. Does he do what he sets out to do? An emphatic "yes"! This book totally changed my way of thinking about chess. Was it worth doing? Another emphatic "yes." As someone who'd been playing chess for about 20 years without getting any better, this was exactly the book I needed, and it has paid off handsomely. I'd give it five stars, but as an editor myself, I do have to knock off a star for the sloppy editing and amateurish typesetting (you can see the dot resolution of the laser printer it was run off on, and on about one page out of every 20, the publisher never got around to updating the typeface to Garamond from Garamond Antiqua).
Rating:
Summary: Modern Classic
Review: having played chess for about 23 out of my 29 years (and at a fairly high level, 2250) i've come across several terrific chess books. but if there was just one book i could have to myself alone it would be this one. "imbalances." who knew what they were all about? now my whole game revolves around understanding them, using then, and exploiting them. if i had one criticism (and it's only a small one) i'd like to see more info on imbalances in the opening. apart from that, this really is the ONE book to have. silman recommends you reread it every six months, and i'd agree with that. the true value of this book reveals itself over time. but you will notice a dramatic impact on the quality of your THINKING almost immediately. over time this will translate into more won games and a deeper enjoyment of the game.
Rating:
Summary: His one important point.. Read "The Art of the Middlegame"!
Review: This book was extremely helpful in improving my chess game. I like the vehement style of writing that Jeremy uses, ("When I say you must, I mean you must."). I see many of my fellow reviewers lambast Jeremy for his Typos (and they should be corrected in a new edition [with two indices of players and openings, might I add]), but it is very helpful and useful that he expressed clarity and freshness in explaining the most important parts of the book. (There are a lot of dry chess readings througout history and I'm glad Jeremy, Bruce Pandolfini and Lev Alburt are aware to keep things fresh and lively). I was ready to tout this book as the best right along with some of my five-star yeilding cohorts until I follwed through with Jeremy's suggestion and read "The ART of the Middlegame" by Paul Keres and Alexander Kotov. This old book is MUCH MORE thorough than "How to Reassess Your Chess" in describing 1) planning in particular openings, 2)attacking in relation to the board's castled positions and 3)central pawn topography. But, it is an excellent idea to tie thoughts from these two books together; Jeremy's book does cover MANY OTHER planning issues that aren't in "The ART of the Middlegame." Bottom line: Ingest Jeremy's book and improve greatly. But, Ingest it along with "The ART of the Middlegame" and tell the world of chess to be very afraid of you. (Here's a tip... (read my Amazon review of Bruce Pandolfini's "Power Mates"). My review WILL give you some Ideas!
Rating:
Summary: great for beginners to intermediate players
Review: This book focuses on the middle game -- that time when many beginners ask themselves "now what? Do I attack, develop pieces for development's sake, or simply wait for my opponent to make a mistake?" This book teaches you how to analyze any position, determine the strengths and weaknesses of your position and, more importantly, those of your opponent. The book proceeds to discuss methods of attacking weaknesses and creating even more. This book gave me the ability to think through a game and make a plan instead of plodding along hoping to stumble across a clever or unexpected combination. It is written in very understandable English. I highly recommend this game to those who are seeking to advance beyond the beginning intermediate stage. Even better, Silman includes a bibliography and brief description of the chess books he believes will be the most helpful to develop certain parts of the game (e.g. openings, endgames, pawn structure etc.). With so many chess books on the market, it's nice to have a professional's opinion on the one's best suited to help someone of my ability.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of time
Review: This book is a waste of time just like every other chess book out there. After wasting my time with this game for a year I've found that chess is the biggest waste of time ever. After a while something in your head will just snap and you will realize that all this studying has been a waste of time. The chances of becoming a GM have to be in the millions. Lets see around 500 GMs and millions of chess players on the earth. Seems pretty slim to me. Anyway I'm just warning you not to waste your time on this game, there are much better things to do like well party and getting a social life. "I feel bad for people who don't drink, when they wake up in the morning that's as good as they're going to feel all day." -Frank Sinatra
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!
Review: There is so much about chess I didnt know, and thought I knew. This book changed all of that. It isnt like other chess books that give you puzzles and you have to solve them. They dont help you much unless your in that situation. This book gives you general rules and ideas on what to do in any situation. I was playing the best chess student in my school and I lost. After reading half of this book I beat him twice in a row. This is a good book for those situations were you just dont know what to do. (And your opponent beats you some how) read this and you will know what to do know matter what situation. It also talks a little about basic openings and endings exellent book!
| 
