How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

[Dan Scoones]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

Later, as a collector, I learned of his two tournament books, Bad Kissingen 1928 and Karlsbad 1929, and bought them.

A small correction: the Bad Kissingen 1928 tournament book was by Savielly Tartakower, not Aron Nimzowitsch.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

You have the German edition - S. G. Tartakower, Das grosse international Schachmeisterturnier in Bad Kissingen vom 11-25, August 1928. Bad Kissingen, 1928, van der Linde/Niemeijer 5424

I have a copy of A.I. Nimzowitsch i S. G. Tartakower, Bol’shoy mezhdunarodnyy shakhmatnyy turnir v. Kissingene 1928 g. (Leningrad), 1929 which is van der Linde/Niejeijer 5425

A picture of the cover can be found at:

http://www.chesslund.com/detail.asp?...nd-Nimzowitsch

[Dan Scoones]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

I have a copy of A.I. Nimzowitsch i S. G. Tartakower, Bol’shoy mezhdunarodnyy shakhmatnyy turnir v. Kissingene 1928 g. (Leningrad), 1929 which is van der Linde/Niejeijer 5425

My apologies...

I suspect the Russian edition consists of Tartakower's book with some supplemental game annotations by Nimzowitsch. This is what happened, for example, with the second edition of Paul Keres's book on the 1948 World Championship. A number of games annotated by Mikhail Botvinnik were rolled in and both grandmasters were credited as authors.

Too many chess books, not enough $$ :(

[Dan Scoones]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

Bobby browsed and shopped at the Four Continents for years, and nothing attracted him more than a book he’d heard spoken about in almost reverential whispers: Isaac Lipnitsky’s Questions of Modern Chess Theory. For chess players, the book became an instant classic the moment it was published in 1956, and copies were scarce.
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He pored over the pages, as if he were a philosophy student attempting to understand Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. He struggled with the Russian and continually asked his mother to translate some of the prose passages that accompanied the annotations of the moves. She didn’t mind at all and was, in fact, delighted that he was learning some Russian. For his part, Bobby was astonished at how much insight he absorbed from the book.

I've never seen anyone else comment on this, but I've always found it amusing that Fischer opened his 1972 title match against Spassky with the Ragozin Defence, an opening variation that was thoroughly analysed in the Lipnitsky book. Perhaps this would have attracted more attention if Fischer had drawn or even won the game, but of course he famously overlooked a tactic and eventually lost...

[Dan Scoones]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

Did Fischer know Russian? Did he do so so he could read the Soviet chess books?

I have put up a photo of Fischer looking through a Russian chess book on the Facebook page Chess in BC. Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/284279694928005/

There is no doubt that Fischer had a reading knowledge of "chess Russian" but given his total dedication to the game I would find hard to believe that he did much reading in other subject areas.

[Dan Scoones]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

I have confirmed that in the 1929 Russian book of the Bad Kissingen 1928 tournament, Nimzowitsch is cited as the main annotator for rounds 1 through 5, and Tartakower the main annotator for rounds 6 through 11.

Besides the tournament books of Bad Kissingen 1928 and Karlsbad 1929, Nimzowitsch also contributed to the tournament book of Kecskemet 1927, along with Alexander Alekhine, Geza Maroczy, and Hans Kmoch.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

Too many chess books, not enough $$ :(

Very true. Much of what I have I've bought from the CCCA in the form of used books. Mostly the condition has been good. Lately I've got rid of the majority of my chess magazine but still have some books around. Mostly I give them away.

There seemed to be a lot of used books for sale about the time the CFC was closing down their office. Probably coincidence.

Old books and a dust allergy aren't compatible.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

The reprint of Nimzowitsch and Tartakower’s Bad Kissingen 1928 is a lovely production.

Unlike Soviet books of the past, it is printed on good quality glossy paper, large format (21.5 by 29.2 cm pages), lies flat and has an average of seven diagrams per page. There are player bios and some thirty photos and adverts from the original edition.
It was produced by the Turtle Press (Тартл Пресс), Moscow, in 1993. If they have a catalogue of other chess works, I would like to get it.

First prize was taken by Bogolubov and second by Capablanca. Number nine on the crosstable, in Cyrillic, was ЕТС. Puzzled, I looked at this for some time before sounding it out as Yates!

[Emil Smilovici]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

Aron Nimzowitsch
On the Road to Chess Mastery, 1886 - 1924
by Per Skjoldager, Jørn Erik Nielsen

is one of the three finalists for the Book of The Year at New in Chess.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

The Skjoldager and Nielsen work is one great book.

The first part describes the life, family and cultural background of Aron Nimzowitsch. Fully annotated games are given, starting with an off-hand game in 1896 and ending with ones from the Nordic Tournament, Copenhagen 1924. There are appendices with puzzles and his studies and, as well, games and problems of his father, Schaie.

The book has photos and drawings, a comprehensive bibliography and indices. Above all, it is well-researched, well-written and well-produced. One simply cannot wait for the second volume, 1925-1935.

[Emil Smilovici]

Re: How Nimzowitsch Became Grandmaster

One simply cannot wait for the second volume, 1925-1935.

Yes, indeed!

New In Chess announces the publishing in March/April this year of:
Aron Nimzowitsch 1928-1935: Annotated Games & Essays
Edited by Rudolf Reinhardt
(published in German in 2010)