Author of My System (1925), one of the most influential chess books ever written. Nimzowitsch taught that the centre can be controlled from a distance, and introduced ideas such as prophylaxis, blockade and overprotection.
In the early 1900s, Siegbert Tarrasch’s rules dominated chess teaching: occupy the centre with pawns, develop, attack. Nimzowitsch and the “hypermoderns” challenged this. They let the opponent build a big pawn centre, then attacked it with pieces and pawns from the side.
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My System
Nimzowitsch’s book My System gave players a vocabulary they still use: prophylaxis (preventing the opponent’s plans), blockade (stopping a passed pawn with a piece), overprotection of key points and play on open files. In the late 1920s he was one of the best players in the world, winning Carlsbad 1929.
Did you know?
♞Fact #1Tap to revealMy System is still in print almost a century later.
♝Fact #2Tap to revealThe Nimzo-Indian Defence is one of the most respected answers to 1.d4.
Three lessons from Nimzowitsch for your own games
1Blockade passed pawns with pieces
2Think about your opponent’s plans first
3The centre can be controlled from a distance
Aron Nimzowitsch’s games
Watch the featured game replay itself, or pick any game below. Every game opens move by move with engine analysis.