The Reassess Your Chess Workbook

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Summary: Don't Let the Stars Fool You
Review: I'm a novice player and have an intrest in chess. I rate the book with 3 stars because it's a work book. This is a good book if you are willing to WORK. As I play more I find myself going to this book, sitting in front of my set and working thru some of the problems. Good book if you are serious. If you r unsure buy the book set it on the shelf. Play chess, get beat, and find yourself reaching for The Reassess Your Chess Workbook. If you want a quick fix to Chess this is NOT your book. If you want a real understanding of Chess by all means grab a copy!
As I continue to learn this book will continue to gain STARS!

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Summary: The art of teaching is to make the complex simple
Review: In his new book "The How To Reasses Your Chess Workbook",Silman achieves that goal.He edifies or makes digestable all one must learn to be a top player.This book is a perfect follow up to " The Amateur Mind,How To Reasses Your Chess along with Complete Strategy". An appropriate metaphor for this book might be ,How does one teach Einstein's theory of realitivity to the layman. Naturally this is an arduous endeavor.On ocassion some thought might be lost in the translation.In essence his tome epitomizes the toa or zen of teaching.The techtonic aspects of his book , the large print,the numerious diagrams.the photographs provide a comfortable non threatening learning situation for almost anyone interested in learning the nuances of chess planning and strategy.A must read.

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Summary: It's a great workbook for Reassess your Chess
Review: It's a great workbook for Reassess your Chess

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Summary: Pretty good, but no Amateur's Mind
Review: Silman could crank these out every few years and a lot of us would buy everyone of them. Notwithstanding that it is not fair perhaps to compare this to The Amateur's Mind, which to me is perhaps the greatest chess book I have ever read (and honestly, the only long chess book that I have ever gotten through completely from cover to cover), this one is not as good as that one. It is still good, but not as good.

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Summary: Overhyped
Review: Silman's series reminds me of the "chess the easy way" books that American chess authors like Chernev and Reinfeld used to churn out decades ago, superficial beginners books designed to make the weak American player think that hes as strong as some 10-year old Russian kid who reads real chess books.

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Summary: Very much like lessons
Review: Silman's workbook, is unique I think. He has attemped to provide the reader/chess student with the type of problems that will enhance over the board play. While some of the writing is culled from his monthly column in Chess Life, it stands well above other books of this type. The pacing and presentation of the workbook, is very like lessons with a master. I enjoyed it's challenges and insights and look forward to Mr. Silman's future efforts.

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Summary: great book...
Review: Some highlights:

1) The introduction where he explains various methods of devising a "plan". I especially think Purdy's method is very good, and can be meshed with Silman's Imbalance method.

2) The Crash course on the various imbalances. For some reason, I find this section much better and easier to follow than what was in the original Reassess book. Maybe because it is more conscise.

3) The Problems: these are great for me..as I learn from example. Don't get discouraged if you don't get alot of them correct. I don't..but on every problem I learn **why** I didn't see the correct answer. And I am improving...it's almost becoming automatic for me when I see any position and start ticking off the imbalances in my head.

4) Simple yet profound statements..that just never clicked for me before. For example, in the openings section he states that the purpose of the opening is to create imbalances, and each player tries to improve whatever imblances there are. Take the Nimzo Indian for example He had an example where he explains what is going on (ie. Black is closing the center to reduce the power of the white's 2 bishops..etc).

It's been very helpful to me.

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Summary: Love it!
Review: This along with the author's Reassess your Chess go hand in hand. Two great books for the Intermediate Chess Player!

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Summary: great collection of problems
Review: this book contains 131 complex problems. As i have stated i am not impressed with the main book, but i enjoyed the positions.
This book is excellent cos it has so many problems to solve, or rather develop an openion on. The solutions is in my openinon though, not complete at all. The author leaves out many variations and " roads not taken ". In the variations he does discuss his analysis is also incomplete, and sometime not entirely accurate. I`d give it 5/5 for the problems, but i have to give it 3 cos of the solutions. All in all however, i reccoment it highly to good players who enjoy problems.

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Summary: This book is a magnificent learning tool
Review: This book is in effect a "chess problem" book. The book offers 131 "problems" and their solutions. These problems are actually really more like tests by which means you can test yourself. The solutions part of the book offers actual instruction. Therefore, when you fail to solve the problem or fail to come up with the best move, you'll know where (and why) you went wrong (in the assesment of the position and/or why the plan and corresponding move chosen by you is not the best in the given position). This way you will quickly discover what you're doing wrong. The solutions part of the book is very well written and very clear. It does not contain endless variations, but a lot of words, thus written text. Therefore the solutions to the tests make a lot of sense and even seem obvious. This book is a logical follow up to Mr Silman's excellent "How to reasses your chess", but is perfectly readable separate of the aforementioned book. This book will ask you to think a lot, just like you have to do during an actual game. That is the difference between this book and other instructional chess books where everything is laid out for you. This book assumes some positional understanding on the part of the reader, but in fairness also offers a crash course in the front of the book. The bottom line is that this book is a magnificent learning tool and can't help but improve your game. This book is fun, but also a lot of work. I like it.