Positional Chess Trainer • page 1/1 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

Hello Lichess Users, I was wondering if a positional chess trainer exists? One to study structures, pawn breaks, strategy, prophylaxis, and everything availabe online ?

tpr

My System - Nimzovich

Silent_Entity

Can agree with [@]tpr on this one. I read it, and it's a great book.

lizani

If you like puzzle solving then Woodpecker vol 2 is a set of positional chess positions. There are older books that are similar like The Best Move by Hort and Jansa.

kindaspongey

"... The complaints about My System fall into the following categories:
(1) The presentation is too dense. Many sections force the reader through too many words before getting to the chess. Lengthy verbal explanations of strategies without a visual aid (a chess game or position) are not appropriate for the computer age.
(2) Nimzovich spends a lot of time talking about the history of development of his own theory. All the arguments he had with Tarrasch might be intriguing for those interested in how chess has progressed through time, but they do nothing to help the student learn positional play.
(3) The author sometimes gets carried away with his novel ideas. Some of his own games in the book purport to illustrate the theme, but in fact are decided by a blunder by the opponent, rather than any grand strategy.
(4) While most strategic conceptions are valid, a few need to be revised. Overprotection is the best example of an idea that is viewed differently today.
(5) Opening theory has advanced dramatically since then. Most of the opening advice in the book should not be followed.
(6) Some allegories, analogies, and jokes are hard to understand today.
To my chagrin, I agree with all of these complaints. ..." - GM Alex Fishbein (2024)
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/8936.pdf
https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/who-should-read-my-system-chess-book
Maybe, you can find something useful at https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/i-need-advice?page=2 .

"... The complaints about My System fall into the following categories: (1) The presentation is too dense. Many sections force the reader through too many words before getting to the chess. Lengthy verbal explanations of strategies without a visual aid (a chess game or position) are not appropriate for the computer age. (2) Nimzovich spends a lot of time talking about the history of development of his own theory. All the arguments he had with Tarrasch might be intriguing for those interested in how chess has progressed through time, but they do nothing to help the student learn positional play. (3) The author sometimes gets carried away with his novel ideas. Some of his own games in the book purport to illustrate the theme, but in fact are decided by a blunder by the opponent, rather than any grand strategy. (4) While most strategic conceptions are valid, a few need to be revised. Overprotection is the best example of an idea that is viewed differently today. (5) Opening theory has advanced dramatically since then. Most of the opening advice in the book should not be followed. (6) Some allegories, analogies, and jokes are hard to understand today. To my chagrin, I agree with all of these complaints. ..." - GM Alex Fishbein (2024) https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/8936.pdf https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/who-should-read-my-system-chess-book Maybe, you can find something useful at https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/i-need-advice?page=2 .

Cezrun64

https://chesscanon.com/ may be useful in this regard...

ChessPriyome

@kindaspongey said ^

"... The complaints about My System fall into the following categories:
(1) The presentation is too dense. Many sections force the reader through too many words before getting to the chess. Lengthy verbal explanations of strategies without a visual aid (a chess game or position) are not appropriate for the computer age.
(2) Nimzovich spends a lot of time talking about the history of development of...

Excellent rewrites of this classic book already exist. Spend a few moments to find them and pick one up. There are at least two.

@kindaspongey said [^](/forum/redirect/post/G9abQX6z) > "... The complaints about My System fall into the following categories: > (1) The presentation is too dense. Many sections force the reader through too many words before getting to the chess. Lengthy verbal explanations of strategies without a visual aid (a chess game or position) are not appropriate for the computer age. > (2) Nimzovich spends a lot of time talking about the history of development of... Excellent rewrites of this classic book already exist. Spend a few moments to find them and pick one up. There are at least two.