Modern Ideas in Chess

by Richard Réti and John Reti Richard ; Hart

Book Overview

Modern Ideas in Chess is a series of 45 essays dealing with the evolution of game, its leading players, their ideas and contributions to their respective periods. The chronology starts in the Romantic... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486206386
• ISBN13: 9780486206387
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 183 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Dynamic Modern Ideas in Chess +++

This little book has been my "official guide to modern chess" for a long time. It seemed [and seems] very approachable -- especially as compared to "My System" by Aron Nimovich. Richard Reti is renowned as a co-developer of Hypermodern Chess. But, as with "My System", "Modern Ideas in Chess" is more than just an apology for and summary of Hypermodern Chess. Like "My System", this work, "Modern Ideas in Chess", is more balanced than one may expect -- offering very perceptive style commentary -- fleshed-out with many actual player and game examples. Hypermodern Chess is presented mixed-in with the other main styles and players and their actual game-play. This makes more for a work with samples and examples of "Dynamic Modern Ideas in Chess" [my quotes]. In fact, this little book is a great way to enhance study of "My System" -- being with a similar balance of similar styles featuring Hypermodern. But Richard Reti's work is even more streamlined than that of Aron Nimzovich -- yet both authors and their works go into primary and further Chess Style +++

Synopsis

Richard Reti - one of the leaders of the hypermodern school of chess which rose to prominence in the 1920's - was a formidable over the board grandmaster as shown by his victories at the splendid tournaments of Kaschau 1918, Gothenburg 1920 and Teplitz Schonau 1922. His victims included Capablanca, Alekhine and Nimzowitsch, while his elegant destruction of Bogolyubov deservedly won the beauty prize at New York 1924. Reti was an adept at blindfold chess in which he rivalled Alekhine in the number and strength of his opposition,a lucidly brilliant composer of endgame studies but above all an artist fascinated by the creative forces and energies lying beneath the surface of the chessboard battle. Golombek wrote " Reti became a great and vital writer on the game --for the first time in the history of books on chess a writer capable of a genuine historical survey of the evolution of chess ideas and also of a colourful and poetic picture of the state of contemporary chess had made his appearance." As Reti himself wrote "in the idea of chess and the development of the chess mind we have a picture of the intellectual struggle of mankind."

Pure classic

"Modern ideas in Chess" is a very short book - too short, I think, but I include it in my "Best Chess books" list. Far from being just a technical or tactical book (you have hundreds like these), it demonstrates the changing concepts of chess. As I see it, it's one of the most important books for advanced players (only!!) who want to understand the development of the game from the mid. 19th century to the early 20th. century. Why did Capablanca ignored Morphy's move in a certain position? How did Dr. Lasker (probably the best chess player ever) succeed to hold the world champion title for more than 20 years? What ideas came with the "Hyper modern" masters, like Nimzovich, Alekhine, Breyer and Reti himself? What was the typical American style, that Reti observed? These questions and much more are answered in the book. I repeat myself and warn that the book is only for advanced, who's libraries are full of theory and technical books of the game, and want to learn more about the history of the chess thought.

concise explanation of chess concepts.

reti explains the evolution of concepts in paying chess( from 19th century to early 21st century).a player of cnsiderable repute,he is as excellent in explaining chess concepts.some of these are:combinations,open positions,positional play,close positions etc.,

Essential reading for the chess player

This small book is essential reading for any chess player. Reti's understanding of the game and his ability to explain the concepts of it are unsurpassed. There's nothing else I can say. Get it.