Chess Book Classic: My System A Chess Treatise by Aron Nimzovich 1964 First English Edition Hardcover G. Bell & Sons
FOR SALE IS A FAMOUS CHESS CLASSIC MY SYSTEM A CHESS TREATISE WRITTEN BY ARON NIMZOVICH. IT IS A FIRST ENGLISH EDITION HARDCOVER PUBLISHED BY G BELL AND SONS IN 1964. IT STILL HAS ITS DUST JACKET.
My System: A Treatise on Chess, written by Aron Nimzowitsch, is a seminal work in chess theory, particularly influential in the development of positional chess. It was first published in German in 1925 and has been translated into many languages, including this 1964 English version (8th Edition) by Philip Hereford. This 1964 edition, in particular, is a commonly cited and respected version.
Nimzowitsch's ideas were revolutionary and challenged the traditional views of chess. He championed the idea of influencing the center, rather than solely occupying it, a cornerstone of hypermodernism.
The book extensively explores positional principles, including the importance of piece activity, pawn structure, and strategic weaknesses and strengths.
Nimzowitsch emphasized the importance of controlling the center, not through direct occupation, but through piece activity and pawn structure.
"My System" is widely considered one of the most influential chess books ever written, and its ideas are still relevant and studied by chess players of all levels.
While the original publication was in German in 1925, the 1964 edition is often cited as a key English translation, particularly this version by Philip Hereford.
For many years, Nimzovich was known as the "Stormy Petrel" of the chess world. Today, his profound theories of positional chess are accepted as a matter of course, and a knowledge of them is essential to every player who wants to improve his game.
THIS BOOK IS IN DESCRIPTIVE NOTATION:
The old chess notation system is called Descriptive Notation. It was commonly used in English, Spanish, and French chess literature until about 1980, but has been largely replaced by Algebraic Notation. Descriptive Notation refers to files by the piece that occupies the back rank square in the starting position and describes each square from both White and Black's perspectives.
WHERE I GOT IT: I bought this book about twenty years ago from a friend of mine who had a collection of some old chess books.
SIZE: 14.5CM WIDE 22CM HIGH
CONDITION: DUST JACKET HAS A TEAR. TOP RIGHT CORNER OF COVER AND DUST JACKET HAS SOME MINOR DAMAGE. ALL INSIDE PAGES IN TACT. MINOR YELLOWING OF PAGES. SOME PEN UNDERLINING AND ANNOTATIONS ON A FEW PAGES.
ARON NIMZOVICH (1886-1935):
Aron Nimzowitsch (7 November 1886 16 March 1935) was a Latvian-born Danish chess player and writer. In the late 1920s, Nimzowitsch was one of the best chess players in the world. While not a world champion, he was ranked as the third-best player in the world by Chessmetrics from 1927 to 1931, behind Alexander Alekhine and José Capablanca. He briefly attempted to challenge José Capablanca for the world championship in 1925, but the match fell through due to lack of funding. Nimzowitsch is famous for his "Immortal Zugzwang Game" against Sämisch at Copenhagen 1923 and a win over Paul Johner at Dresden 1926.
Nimzowitsch is considered foremost as one of chess's most important writers. His works influenced numerous other players, including Savielly Tartakower, Richard Réti, Akiba Rubinstein, Mikhail Botvinnik, Bent Larsen, Viktor Korchnoi and Tigran Petrosian, and his influence is still felt today.
G BELL & SONS (1839-1986): George Bell & Sons was a prominent British publishing house in London that operated from 1839 to 1986. It was initially founded as an educational bookseller by George Bell and later became known for publishing classics, children's books, and the output of London university presses.
THIS BOOK SELLS FOR BETWEEN $20 OR R400 TO $100 (R2 000) ONLINE DEPENDING ON THE EDITION AND CONDITION. PLEASE HAVE A LOOK.
ASKING R250.
