In the wake of IM Jeremy Silman’s recent passing, Chess Books Recaptured returns to review one of his classic books, The Amateur’s Mind. The Amateur’s Mind sold over 90,000 copies, and IM Jeremy Silman said that he thought it was his best instructional book. What made this book, and Silman’s writing so unique? We dive into that topic, share many memorable (and amusing) quotes from the book, and briefly discuss some of the other works from IM Jeremy Silman’s illustrious canon. Joining me for this discussion, is David Hamm. As a 1000 (ish) rated, relatively recent chess devotee, who is also an attorney with 3 kids, David is just the type of reader that Silman likely had in mind when writing this book. While The Amateur’s Mind might not be my #1 recommendation if your goal is to improve your game, it was a ton of fun to read it and to discuss it, and reflecting on IM Jeremy Silman's legacy has left me more impressed with his work than ever. Timestamps of topics discussed and links of articles referred to are below.
IM Jeremy Silman’s How to Reassess Your Chess is now on Chessable, and The Amateur’s Mind will be coming in 2024! Use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and and/or make a Chessable purchase, and it will help support Perpetual Chess.
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
0:00- Thanks to Fred Wilson of Fred Wilson Books for allowing me to share Fred’s old interviews with IM Jeremy Silman. They will be posted soon to the Perpetual Chess YouTube Channel, so make sure you are subbed.
0:03- David Hamm joins me to discuss the book. We begin by discussing how David got into chess, and to IM Jeremy Silman.
0:07- We briefly go over IM Jeremy SIlman’s bio, and discuss some of Silman’s works.
Mentioned: NY Times obit by Dylan Loeb McLain, Chess.com obit by Tarjei Svensen
John Donaldson’s obit for US Chess
12:30- What makes SIlman’s writing stand out?
Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess, Nick Visel’s Review of Amateur’s Mind
19:00- If chess improvement is your primary focus, what books could one consider as alternatives to Amateur’s Mind?
Mentioned: Simple Chess, Winning Chess Strategies, Mastering Chess Strategies, Techniques of Positional Play
22:00- We read the first few paragraphs and discuss Silman’s meticulous approach to writing.
Mentioned: Dojo Talks Episode 92: Remembering IM Jeremy Silman, Zen in the Art of Archery
29:00- We read our favorite quotes from the book!
Mentioned: Alekhine-Maroczy 1923 , IM Willy Hendriks, Silman response to Hendriks ADD LINK
52:00- Closing thoughts and our favorite Silman’s books ranked!
Mentioned: Autobiography of a Goat, Make it Stick, How to Reassess Your Chess, Silman's Complete Endgame Course, Silman's Chess Odyssey
Form: Volunteer to co-host a book Review
Thanks to David for doing a great job co-hosting! Here is how you can reach him:
LiChess Chessdad1979
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hamm-1a3a325?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here;
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess
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Bonus Pod- Three Amateurs on Chess Lessons Learned and Adventures Had at the National Open in Las Vegas
Bonus pod- Law Professor David Franklin returns to Discuss the Dismissal of the Hans NIemann/Chess.com Lawsuit
EP 336- GM Jan Timman: The Legendary Author and Dutch Champion discusses his new book on Max Euwe, How his Generation Compares to the Current One, and Magnus and the Modern Chess Landscape
EP 335- Adult Improvers and Chessable co-Authors, WIM Natasha Regan and Matthew Ball on Improving at Chess in Your 50s, Tips for Playing against Kids and The Similarities between Shogi and Chess
EP 334- GM Ben Finegold on the Possible Decline of Magnus, his New 1. d4 Chessable Course, and more Stories from his Years of Chess Travels
EP 333: IM James Sherwin- A US Chess Hall of Famer Looks Back on his Chess Career and Shares Stories about Fischer, Reshevsky, Seirawan and Many More!
EP 332- GM Vinay Bhat: A Former Child Prodigy Turned Data Scientist Shares Lessons Learned and Memorable Stories from his Chess Career
EP 331- Adult Improver John Neely (aka Benedictine) on lessons learned and recommendations from a long journey to 1800.
EP 330- Chess Improvement Q and A with Top Trainer and Author, GM Wojciech Moranda Topics Include: Annotating Games, Improving Positional Chess, and Learning from Playing vs. Learning from Studying
EP 329- GM Sam Shankland: One of the the top Players in the U.S. on How he Improved His Rapid Game and his Endgame Play, His 2023 Tournament Plans and his Advice for Overcoming Setbacks in Chess
EP 328- Ding delivers in dramatic fashion! World Championship wrapup with Dutch National Champion and Top Trainer, GM Erwin L’Ami.
Bonus Pod- Tied with just one classical game to go! GM Alex Lenderman helps break down the Blunders and the Bouncebacks of this Fascinating FIDE World Championship
EP 327- Geert van der Velde, CEO of Chessable, on the Chess.com Merger, “Chessable 3.0,” Including the Courses and Improvements Chessable Users Can Expect this Year
Bonus Pod - World Championship Round 9 Update- Dramatic Games, Leaked Prep and Chess Improvement Takeaways for Amateur Players with IM Andras Toth
EP 326- Popular YouTuber and Streamer WGM Dina Belenkaya on Lessons Learned from Recent Tournaments, Twitch Streaming OTB Games and her Content and Chess Goals for 2023
Bonus Pod- Ding Deadlocks the World Championship Match after 4 games, with FM Mike Klein of Chess.com
EP 325- Adult Improver Chris Duncan on the Popularity of Chess in the Military and the Connective Power of the Game to bring Cultures Together
EP 324- IM Levy Rozman/Gotham Chess on Surpassing 3 Million YouTube Subs, Retiring from OTB, his DMs with Magnus, and his Future Plans
EP 323- Ding-Nepo World Championship Match Preview Double Episode- GM Daniel King on the Players and Historical Context, NM Matt Jensen on the Match Analytics. Also Discussed: Rating Deflation, The S
EP 322- IM Willy Hendriks- The Groundbreaking Author and Trainer on Chess Improvement, Chess History, and The Books that Most Influenced Him
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