GM KEENE REVIEWS THE REVIEWER

Before the Duras-Teichmann fracas I dimly felt that I had
heard of Taylor Kingston somewhere. Then it occurred to me where he has
swum into my ken.

He reviewed the algebraic version of my book "Aron Nimzowitsch a
Reappraisal" published by Batsford in 1999 after two earlier editions
of 1974 and 1991. I had forgotten this but then it popped back into my
mind.The review is to be found in the archives of Chess Cafe and I am
sure that in the interest of historical veracity Taylor Kingston will
not object if I quote it in full with my annotations. Readers should be
aware that the 1974 edition of my book was described as "splendid" by
his master, the infallible Edward Winter.

So let us begin our journey through the Reappraisal of Taylor Kingston.
My comments are interspersed in double brackets.

Taylor Kingston

Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal, by Raymond Keene, 1999
Batsford, Softcover, English Algebraic Notation, 256pp., $17.95.

Along with Morphy, Steinitz, Tarrasch, and a very few others, the
Latvian master Aron Nimzowitsch (1886-1935) is considered a
major contributor to the theoretical foundation of chess. His
writings, such as My System and Chess Praxis, are considered
essential to a full understanding of the game. At his peak (circa
1926-31) he was one of the top four or five players in the world,
and was always one of the game's more colorful and controversial
personalities. It is a measure of his impact that books continue to
be written about him.

Excellent start. I like it. Concisely written, to the point and well
done.

This one is making its third appearance. Earlier editions were
published in 1974 and 1991, both in descriptive notation. This
edition has algebraic notation and some additional games, some as
recent as 1995, that show Nimzowitsch's influence. British
grandmaster Raymond Keene, an extremely prolific but often
careless author (he admits to having written entire books in a few
days) this time appears to have some genuine passion and respect
for his subject, and has taken more than usual care (though perhaps
still not enough). Though this is a third edition, your reviewer will
approach it as he would a new work.

Hang on a moment. What are these generalisations about being
careless?
I imagine he will soon be trying to produce some evidence for this
libellous assertion. His evidence so far is that I admit to having
written a book in a few days. This is true, but it was not by choice.
Also I had been thinking and writing notes for weeks in advance. It was
the actual writing which took two days. In 1987 I organised and
commented on a six game speed match for Channel 4 TV held at London's
Hippodrome. We invited the chess public on the strict understanding
that nobody would reveal moves or results before the programmes were
aired. This was written as a contractually binding statement on every
ticket of admission. The players were Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov. I
also interviewed them both in depth after each game. We planned to
produce a book to go with the TV show.

Annoyingly on the night of the final game an eccentric London based
Egyptian, the late Ali Amin, announced that he was going to issue his
own book on the match and reveal all results and games well before the
shows were screened. He had apparently used two spies in the audience.
Had his book gone ahead we would have had to scrap both the TV show and
the book we were planning.

The TV station took Amin to court for breach of contract and we won.
However, this now left only a very brief window of time to write the
book and I had just one weekend to pull it all together. My wife
Annette stayed at the typewriter for 24 hours while I dictated. We only
had short breaks for coffee, but we made the deadline. It's called
Kasparov vs. Short Speed Chess Challenge and a second edition later
appeared under Kasparov vs. Short, The First Challenge. Under the
circumstances the book is remarkably good and I am very proud of it!

In his first chapter, Keene notes that Nimzowitsch's own major
written works stopped before the most successful phase of his
career (ca. 1929-31). Keene intends Reappraisal as "a continuation
of his Chess Praxis covering the years 1928-1934." Even for
someone of Keene's pretensions this is a tall order, but he does
have some success. The result is an interesting though uneven
work, part biography, part games collection, part historical and
theoretical survey.

Damning with faint praise. Okay. Let's see what else he has to say.

Chapter 2 is of historical interest, consisting of excerpts from
Nimzowitsch's hard-to-find autobiography How I Became a
Grandmaster. It introduces us to his somewhat grandiose writing
style and conception of himself, and goes far to explain the
antipathy, both professional and personal, that developed between
him and German grandmaster Siegbert Tarrasch. Chapter 3
includes a discussion of positional themes in Nimzowitsch's
games, and a conversation with Danish GM Bent Larsen (logical,
since Nimzowitsch lived in Denmark for years, and Larsen is
considered something of a spiritual descendant).

Very good. Remember that point about Nimzo living in Denmark. It's
relevant to what follows.

Chapter 4, "The Influence of Nimzowitsch on Modern Opening
Play", discusses lines he either originated or enhanced, among
them the Philidor-Hanham (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Nc3
Nbd7); the Nimzowitsch Defence (1 e4 Nc6); various lines, for
both colors, in the French; the Caro-Kann, especially (after 1 e4 c6
2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4) the lines 4...Nf6 and 4...Nd7; some
lines of the Sicilian, e.g. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6; the Queen's Indian (1
d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf6 b6); the Nimzo-Indian (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3
Nc3 Bb4); and the Nimzowitsch Attack (1 b3, or 1 Nf3 and 2 b3).
Keene makes some interesting points along the way, e.g. "many of
the original strategic ideas stem from Nimzowitsch himself while
.... the actual variations we still employ were elaborated by the
arch-realist Alekhine." However, as we will see, Keene's factual
support for such points is spotty.

Spotty? We shall see!

Like some other writers, notably Fred Reinfeld in The Human Side
of Chess or Reuben Fine in various works, Keene occasionally
purports to psychoanalyze or even peer into "the very heart" of his
subject and relate the insights thus gained to chess style. Chapter 5,
"The Duality of Nimzowitsch" does this in a somewhat overblown
manner, quoting Goethe (Zwei Seelen wohnen, ach! in meiner
Brust / Die eine will sich von der andern trennen) and trying to
illustrate how these 'two souls living within his breast'
("Prophylaxis" and "Heroic Defence") manifested themselves in
Nimzowitsch's games. Such armchair insights are not always
valid, but if handled with sufficient style they make for interesting
reading. Whether one agrees that "with Nimzowitsch, we see a
powerful awareness of the presence of the opponent as someone
who must be restrained or provoked," or one associates "the direct,
positive action of an Alekhine, or a Fischer, with a homogeneous,
harmonious unity of chess style as opposed to the duality and
indirection which pervade Nimzowitsch," one can at least enjoy
Keene's polysyllabic prose. And an occasionally overblown style
is perhaps appropriate when discussing Nimzowitsch.

Yes. Fair enough. TK even picks up my stylistic homage to Nimzo. So
are we back on track?

Chapters 6 through 11 are (along with chapter 4) the best sections
of the book: about 70 games, most of them deeply annotated, from
different phases of Nimzowitsch's career: First Steps 1904-06,
Established Master 1907-14, Disaster and Recovery 1920-24,
World Championship Candidate 1925-28, The Crown Prince 1929-
31, and The Final Years 1932-35. They are accompanied by
tournament crosstables. The games often feature Nimzowitsch's
own notes, which are among the most stylized, idiosyncratic,
hyperbolic, and least humble ever written; as Keene's Danish
translators put it, "each game [is] turned into a drama more than
that, into a morality play in which Nimzowitsch becomes a very
special character: an almost invincible crusader, an embodiment of
all sapient virtues." For example, of this position (See Diagram).

Good. Well quoted! TK really seems to be getting into the spirit of
things now! Now he discusses a position from Nimzo-Romih, San Remo 1930
after 22 Bd5-c6.

While grandmasters tend to be an egotistical lot, it's hard to think
of many who would, with a straight face, describe their own moves
as "awe-inspiring." Elsewhere Nimzowitsch rejoices in the "thorn-
infested path to victory" that the complexity of his style forced
upon him, masochistically regarding the "renunciation of lunch" as
"a thoroughly welcome intensification of the pleasure". Not
without reason was he considered a bit strange.

Still, the instructive value of Nimzowitsch's games and the
complex intelligence behind them cannot be denied. Keene
perceptively points out many features of Nimzowitsch's play, such
as the concept of "ambush." This means more than just a trap or
combination, rather it is "a deep refutation of a course of action
which the opponent is under no compulsion to adopt," yet one
toward which Nimzowitsch's play strongly leads him. A prime
example is Rubinstein-Nimzowitsch, Marienbad 1925 (See
Diagram) where the key was the unusual and not at all obvious
18...Rfe8!!.
....The games section, the bulk of the book, features many such
instructive, perhaps even "awe-inspiring" moments.

In other areas Reappraisal comes off less well. While emulating
Reinfeld in the "psychological insight" department, Keene
criticizes Reinfeld's book on Nimzowitsch (Hypermodern Chess,
a/k/a Nimzovich the Hypermodern, 1948). For example, discussing
the game Nimzowitsch-Salwe, Carlsbad 1911 (See Diagram),

Reinfeld wrote that for playing 7 dxc5, "one of the deepest
[moves] ever played, Nimzowitsch was roundly damned by the
chess world." Keene cites Vidmar to show that "Unfortunately, the
facts contradict this pleasantly romantic view."

However, Keene has often been shown by Edward Winter and
others to be one of chessdom's worst offenders against historical
accuracy. Though in the above matter he may be right, for him to
criticize Reinfeld is rather like Jackie Gleason admonishing
someone to lose weight.

Hang on. What's this? I'm one of the worst offenders against
historical accuracy!
I trust he's going to produce some evidence for this libel. And what's
this about being right but now allowed to correct Reinfeld, a gifted
player who had a plus score against Reshevsky, beat Fine and drew with
Alekhine? Reinfeld wrote some potboilers but also some very good books
including his studies of Nimzo and Tarrasch. TK's remarks are a crude
slur which utterly fails to produce any worthwhile reason why I should
not criticise anyone or anything I find to be in error. I also find
this kind of criticism by innuendo highly distasteful and unworthy of
any decent reviewer who is supposed to be objective. Ah, but is
objectivity TK's real goal? Now we come to his so-called evidence of my
offenses against historical accuracy. This will be interesting. Winter
has decreed that Keene is a bad writer (let's try to forget or spin the
old Winter description of my book on Nimzo as "splendid"). Now TK must
fine something wrong with my book to justify the new dictates of his
stern lord and master.