Note from Jeremy Silman: Several people requested that I review this book, but ego and the need to illustrate one's self-serving tendencies can only be allowed to go so far! Nevertheless, I realized that a fair review was possible if I could find a person who would not accept my bribes. My first thought was to reprint an old review by the world famous "Mrs. Subliminal". This review went as follows:

"I am (it's a 10) delighted to be given the chance (it's a 10) to be heard in (it's a 10) a public chess forum. The opportunity (it's a 10) to critique chess books (it's a 10) is not given to females very often. However (it's a 10), I feel that any kind of feedback (it's a 10) or rating for this book (it's a 10, buy it now) would be inappropriate since this column is under the (it's a 10, buy it now) auspices of Mr. Silman. Therefore, I will abstain from offering any opinion (it's a 10, buy more than one copy) and hope that I will be given a second chance to be heard (it's a 10, buy one for all your friends) in the future (it's a 10)."

As you can see, Mrs. Subliminal really didn't have much to say. Now I was getting a bit desperate; who could I turn to? Then it struck me! Grandmaster Joel Benjamin had printed a review of How to Reassess Your Chess in the Jan.-Feb. 1994 issue of the now defunct Chess Chow magazine. Jumping on the phone and pulling him away from his ongoing work with Deep Blue, he gave me permission to reprint his words of wisdom. Now, on to our Guest Review!

REVIEW BY GRANDMASTER JOEL BENJAMIN:

Although I've heard good things about How to Reassess Your Chess, I never read the first edition of this book. The author told me that a great deal of new material is included in the third edition. That's refreshing, considering how many books are passed off as new editions with only the slightest changes made.

Writing a book of instruction is a lot harder than many people think. The author must identify and explain a number of concepts that often come naturally to him. Silman rises to that challenge, offering the most comprehensive and logically presented instructional book I have ever seen. He goes beyond presenting examples of bad bishops, weak pawns, open files, etc. Silman teaches the reader to think like a master.

The highlight of the Silman method comes in Part Two, "Thinking techniques and a list of Imbalances." The author explains a system of proper planning which involves (in a nutshell) identifying existing imbalances in a position and imagining ways to use those imbalances to achieve objectives. The so-called "Silman thinking technique," revolving around the magic concept of "imbalances," is a rather original approach to planning in chess. The Silman technique, from the listing of seven classes of imbalances, to the five-step thought process (calculation doesn't come into play until the fifth step!) is so convincing that many readers will feel stronger by the time they get to page 35. From there the logical continuation is an examination of calculation and combination followed by several chapters explaining the finer points of the various imbalances. Parts Twelve and Thirteen, "Three Keys to Success" and "Using Imbalances in Every Phase of the Game," respectively, give further tips for understanding and applying the material of the earlier chapters.

The remainder of the book is comprised of a glossary of chess terms, solutions to the problems sprinkled throughout the book, and a list of recommended further reading. The last chapter is highly detailed and includes a large number of books not written by Jeremy Silman. How to Reassess Your Chess is targeted mostly for players from 1000-2000 (in other words, most of you). However, stronger players, who are often quite talented but improperly educated, may benefit from this work as well.

At 402 pages of clear type with little white space, this book is extremely dense. Design and layout are of very high quality (the cover pictures Silman with a beard; another Benjamin copycat?). $17.95 is a steal for a book of this size and quality. Buy it before they raise the price in the next printing!

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