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Jeremy Silman (born August 28 1954) is an American International Master of chess. He has won the US Open, the American Open, and the National Open, and was the coach of the US junior national chess team. Silman has authored over 35 books, mostly on chess but also on casino gambling, and served as a chess consultant on the 2001 Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He has given lessons to many top players of the game and has contributed to chess magazines such as New in Chess. Silman is known for his empathy for the class player, and has written whole books targeted towards lower rated chess players.
In his books, Silman evaluates positions according to the "imbalances" which exist in the position, and advocates that players plan their play according to these. A good plan according to Silman is one which highlights the positive imbalances in the position. The imbalances are, in rough descending order of importance according to Dana Mackenzie:
- Initiative, Silman notes that this (along with superior development) is a dynamic imbalance which must be used quickly if the advantage is not to fade away.
- Material In his Chess Life series The Art of Planning, Silman called this the most important imbalance because it had a profound impact on every phase of the game.
- Pawn structure.
- Control of lines and squares.
- Superior minor piece. This refers to the relative activity and strength of the knights and bishops. Having a good and active bishop with plenty of scope as opposed to a bad bishop hemmed in by its own pawns is an expample of such an imbalance.
- Development.
Silman was a common contributor to Chess Life, writing educational columns for amateur players. In many cases he included games played by amateurs, pointing out the mistaken thought processes such players make. His annotations are known for the candor, and occasional harshness, for example The Amateur's Mind chastises a student with "This incoherent litany shows why he doesn't do well in tournaments". Silman has directed this harshness towards his own play as well, for example annotating the game Silman-Delaune, he wrote that having won material, he thought the game would win itself, and that "With this terrible mental attitude, White ceased to think, refused the draw offer, and coasted along mindlessly, making one awful move after another".
Books
- How to Reassess your Chess
- The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery
- The Complete Book of Chess Strategy:Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z, 1998, Siles Press, ISBN 978-1-890085-01-8
- The Reassess your Chess Workbook
- Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions, 2004, Siles Press. With Pal Benko and John L. Watson
- Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master, 2007, Siles Press, ISBN 1-890085-10-3.
- Accelerated Dragons, 1998, Everyman Chess. With John W. Donaldson.
References
- Harry Potter's Chess Teacher Robert Coontz, The Muse Fan Page, September 2002
- Jeremy Silman - Articles New in Chess
- Mackenzie, Dana (May 2008). "Don't Just Reassess Your Chess--IMPLODe It!". Chess Life.
- ^ Silman, Jeremy (October 1990). "The Art of Making Plans -- Part V: The Imbalance of Material)". Chess Life.
- Jeffreys, Michael (February 2002). "Interview with Author/Teacher Jeremy Silman". Chess Life. The quote is according to the interview from p.87 of The Amateur's Mind
External links
- Jeremy Silman player profile and games at Chessgames.com
- Personal web page
- Chess Position from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
- Interview with Jeremy Silman