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Product Description
One of the most important chess books ever written, reissued in celebration of a chess genius, Bobby Fischer. "The American" takes the reader through 60 of his games, describing his thoughts, the intricacies behind his and his opponent's strategies, the tactical justification of moves and the psychological battle in each one. You'll find beautifully simple positional play next to out-of-this-world combinations that are just breathtaking, for example "The Game of the Century", played by a 15-year-old Fischer against Byrne. Fischer played nearly all of these games as a grandmaster so they are at the very highest level, but his lucid commentary makes every move and idea both accessible and understandable. Every player will learn huge amounts from this book. It is essential for each chess enthusiast, competitor and professional.The controversial alterations that were made to Bobby Fischer's words in the last edition have been omitted in this book, so only the author's own words are expressed, giving a true insight into one of the most gifted, troubled and controversial minds of the 20th century. This is one of the most important chess books ever written re-issued. It features lucid writing from a chess genius on 60 of his best games. His thoughts on the chess strategies, tactics and psychological battles are presented. It features Bobby Fischer in his own words with no controversial changes.
About the Author
The American-born chess Grandmaster, who became famous as a teenager for his chess-playing ability. In 1972 he became the first, and so far the only, American to win the official World Chess Championship, defeating defending champion Boris Spassky. The match was widely publicized as a Cold War battle. He is often referred to as one of the greatest chess players of all time. His controversial life after chess has been well documented but he is still considered a chess genius.
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First Sentence
This used to be my favorite. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This used to be my favorite. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I remember picking up this book when I first became interested in chess in the late 80s. Chess books were dull and dusty and there was a lot of focus on classical players from the romantic era. This read like a breath of fresh air with verve and Fischer's emotion evident in the narrative. Of course there were probably anthologies of the Soviet greats but these were hard to come by, and in Russian of course. I thought for a while in the 90s that I should have stole that book from the library because it became out of print...
These games show Fischer at his best from weak opponents to the strongest in the world at the time all at various stages of his "professional" career. Fisher managed to create "classics" and textbook examples used in chess instruction books since and it is valuable to hear his own insights as well as the peers who were commentating on the game at the time. This is the thrust of the selling point, and it is well justified.
Here are my other thoughts.
1) Up until Fisher, opening theory and strategy was not as well developed so pre-Fischer you are much more liable to get games with opening errors and strategic misjudgement. Tal secured many a victory with unsound sacrifices, Petrosian secured equality from bad positions with depth of thought and prophylaxis. Spassky was an accomplished attacker but tended to be self optimistic to the point of disregarding certain aspects of position. Fischer at his peak was the cold hard calculator that the best foundered upon. I also will mention his analysis without computers for me was easier to grasp and something to aspire to. Compare this to the reams of sidelines of latter day books.
2) Fischer 2-3 years pre Championship had the reputation of finding the most practical "correct moves" from opening to endgame. He was the ultimate complete player of his time: able to sacrifice for the attack or prosecute positional nuances to their conclusion. The modern grandmaster has his forerunner in Fischer.
3) While the theory of the Spanish, Sicilian and KID have moved on, it is worthwhile revisiting the basic plans that Fischer used to fashion these openings into weapons of choice.
I would recommend that this is a logical starting point for any student of the game, or someone who wants to build their anthology of games. Pritchett's Heroes of Classical Chess and of course Kasparov's My Great Predecessors vol 4 are present to flesh out Fischer's body of work. The theory may be a bit stale and many books have provided a more entertaining method of conveying their ideas but "My 60 Memomarable Games" was what started it all for me.
These games show Fischer at his best from weak opponents to the strongest in the world at the time all at various stages of his "professional" career. Fisher managed to create "classics" and textbook examples used in chess instruction books since and it is valuable to hear his own insights as well as the peers who were commentating on the game at the time. This is the thrust of the selling point, and it is well justified.
Here are my other thoughts.
1) Up until Fisher, opening theory and strategy was not as well developed so pre-Fischer you are much more liable to get games with opening errors and strategic misjudgement. Tal secured many a victory with unsound sacrifices, Petrosian secured equality from bad positions with depth of thought and prophylaxis. Spassky was an accomplished attacker but tended to be self optimistic to the point of disregarding certain aspects of position. Fischer at his peak was the cold hard calculator that the best foundered upon. I also will mention his analysis without computers for me was easier to grasp and something to aspire to. Compare this to the reams of sidelines of latter day books.
2) Fischer 2-3 years pre Championship had the reputation of finding the most practical "correct moves" from opening to endgame. He was the ultimate complete player of his time: able to sacrifice for the attack or prosecute positional nuances to their conclusion. The modern grandmaster has his forerunner in Fischer.
3) While the theory of the Spanish, Sicilian and KID have moved on, it is worthwhile revisiting the basic plans that Fischer used to fashion these openings into weapons of choice.
I would recommend that this is a logical starting point for any student of the game, or someone who wants to build their anthology of games. Pritchett's Heroes of Classical Chess and of course Kasparov's My Great Predecessors vol 4 are present to flesh out Fischer's body of work. The theory may be a bit stale and many books have provided a more entertaining method of conveying their ideas but "My 60 Memomarable Games" was what started it all for me.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Wow. Somebody needs to put up a five-star review of this book: so here goes.
This is a great book, one of the greatest chess books ever written. I devoured this book as a kid (in the old descriptive notation), and highly commend this to any one today.
It's not just that Fischer was a great player, arguably the greatest of all time. He was also a great chess writer: interesting, clear, simple, and instructive.
This is one of a handful of books that is simply a must-read for any player hoping to improve their chess. If you want to learn how to launch an attack, you need to study Fischer closely: one of the all-time great masters of attack. A careful reading of this book will probably teach you more about modern chess strategy than Nimzovich's classic "My System." It will probably teach you more about endgames than most modern endgame manuals.
As with most game collections, you need to go through it line by line, and ask yourself at each point: what is the best move?--and then see what Fischer actually played. When you get to a move that Fischer analyzes in detail, you need to set aside the book, write out your analysis, and then compare your analysis with his. This book is the perfect follow-up book for anyone who has read Silman's "How to Reassess Your Chess" or Kotov's "Think Like A Grandmaster".
This is a great book, one of the greatest chess books ever written. I devoured this book as a kid (in the old descriptive notation), and highly commend this to any one today.
It's not just that Fischer was a great player, arguably the greatest of all time. He was also a great chess writer: interesting, clear, simple, and instructive.
This is one of a handful of books that is simply a must-read for any player hoping to improve their chess. If you want to learn how to launch an attack, you need to study Fischer closely: one of the all-time great masters of attack. A careful reading of this book will probably teach you more about modern chess strategy than Nimzovich's classic "My System." It will probably teach you more about endgames than most modern endgame manuals.
As with most game collections, you need to go through it line by line, and ask yourself at each point: what is the best move?--and then see what Fischer actually played. When you get to a move that Fischer analyzes in detail, you need to set aside the book, write out your analysis, and then compare your analysis with his. This book is the perfect follow-up book for anyone who has read Silman's "How to Reassess Your Chess" or Kotov's "Think Like A Grandmaster".
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I wouldn't say that this is a better book than _My System_ or _Masters of the Chessboard_. I wouldn't
even say that it's better than Fine's _Basic Chess Endgames_. But whether or not you decide that this
is the book for you, at this stage of your climb up the ladder, it is still the greatest book ever
written about chess, and you should know that. The annotations don't overwhelm the reader with forests
of variations, and they don't try to pass off platitudes as profundities. Somehow, between Scylla and Charybdis,
they tell the reader just what is needed to go to the next level in understanding what
was at issue, in the concrete position on the board, at that moment. (Also, their assessments are generally
confirmed by modern day engines.) Fischer was a person of intense honesty and integrity -- later this was more
than he himself could endure -- but there is nothing emotionally disjointed in this book. There has never been
a more direct and insightful rendering of the mentality of a top grandmaster.
even say that it's better than Fine's _Basic Chess Endgames_. But whether or not you decide that this
is the book for you, at this stage of your climb up the ladder, it is still the greatest book ever
written about chess, and you should know that. The annotations don't overwhelm the reader with forests
of variations, and they don't try to pass off platitudes as profundities. Somehow, between Scylla and Charybdis,
they tell the reader just what is needed to go to the next level in understanding what
was at issue, in the concrete position on the board, at that moment. (Also, their assessments are generally
confirmed by modern day engines.) Fischer was a person of intense honesty and integrity -- later this was more
than he himself could endure -- but there is nothing emotionally disjointed in this book. There has never been
a more direct and insightful rendering of the mentality of a top grandmaster.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Early Fischer - collectable
The book has a larger than life reputaion. It should have been in print all along the years, especially without the added editor comments found in other versions. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by R. Trinkwon
For any chess enthusiast
Anyone with an interest in chess will know the name of Bobby Fischer, one of the most innovative and exciting players that this world has ever known, and this book show's his... Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2009 by G. R. Dennis
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