Jeremy Silman writes chess improvement books geared toward the average player who wants to improve, and he is probably as successful at this task as any writer. This book will buttress his reputation. It is a serious effort that will serve the average player better than most books on this or other chess topics.

In this book, Silman shares the actual thought processes of his students as they worked on typical chess positions. Silman provides running commentary and explanation about how errors in chess thinking arise and how they can be corrected. This is a practical approach that offers the average player more insight into the types of issues he or she has to deal with than more conventional how to improve your chess books.

This is a revised edition of Silman's 1995 book of the same title. While many revisions are little more than reprints, this is a distinct exception. Silman has increased the page size and ballooned the book from 274 to a hefty 445 pages. This has not been done with smoke and mirrors Silman has greatly expanded his coverage and presentation.

One of the better additions to the book is a group of 26 test positions and solutions. This is not an after thought as these tests often tend to be. Rather, Silman chooses some great examples that emphasize key points discussed earlier in the book. Silman then goes to great lengths to explain the answers to these tests, generally drawing upon the solutions (good and bad) provided by his own students when given these test positions. 

These solutions cover about 100 pages, and it is space well spent. In many books the amateur player is confronted by super high levels of play that bears little relationship to their own play or those of their opponents'. To use a sports analogy, it is hard for many players to learn to make a lay-up by watching videos of Micheal Jordan dunk from the free throw line. Silman deals with this problem by examining not only how the greats play (he does a fair amount of this) but also how average players, when confronted with these same types of positions, deal with these situations. As a result the player learns from trial and error with Silman right alongside to explain what's going on.

Silman also provides plenty of tips and summaries to highlight key points from the lessons provided. This helps to underscore the practical nature of the book. 

Of course, no book is perfect. This book is definitely geared toward a specific audience.  While I found some challenging exercises in the book, there is a lot that was too basic for me (I doubt I would suggest it to a player over 2200, for example). 

I think that this book is a wonderful complement to Silman's classic, HOW TO REASSESS YOUR CHESS (click to see Joel Benjamin's review of this book). This book reminds me of Nimzovitch's CHESS PRAXIS, which includes illustrative examples to support his classic MY SYSTEM.

In summary, if you are a player who is tired of improvement books that fly over your head or end up resting under your feet, this may be the book for you. It is geared toward the problems presented to the average player, and it is likely to shed some light on the questions that trouble you on a regular basis. Give this book a try it's written for you by somebody who truly cares about you.