Attacking Manual 2 by Jacob Aagaard - Hardcover

Attacking Manual 2 - Technique and Praxis

by GM Jacob Aagaard

The old masters dealt only with the static features of positional rules.

But, these are insufficient to explain the basics of chess. The problem is that chess, like other sciences, has undergone a dynamic revolution, but chess literature does not yet reflect this. In this major work Aagaard explains the rules of attack (the exploitation of a dynamic advantage), balanced between understandable examples, and deep analysis.

Five years in the making, this book deals with weak kings, sacrifices, various minor attacking themes, intuitive sacrifices, opposite castling, modern king hunts, and enduring initiative.

English Chess Federation's Book of the Year, 2010.

ISBN:
 978-9197600415 - 464 pages - Published 27 January 2010

Reviews

"At first glance these books are no different from other serious manuals on the middlegame: instructive games are analysed and explained. But if you get into the books, it becomes apparent and revelatory how the examples not only explain 'how' the games are won, but also 'why' this was possible. The reader will find very clear explanations for even the most complicated connections. The fluid change between deep analysis and sharp observations will create Aha! experiences for club players and grandmasters alike."

Skakbladet

"Published in Quality Chess's usual excellent format... full of lengthy analysis and instructive explanations... a highly nuanced book, full of thoughtful considerations."

Arne Moll, ChessVibes (full review)

"Aagaard delivers opinionated and sometimes biting judgments, and more importantly, he has found some remarkable and original ideas that enrich our understanding of attacking play. This is a case where computer software has been put to good use to bring out the beauty in a game, but he is not a slave to the machine, going his own way when necessary. So congratulations to Aagaard and Quality Chess."

GM Daniel King and Ronan Bennett, awarding Attacking Manual 2 the Guardian Book of the Year prize

"An extremely impressive collection of attacking power at the chess board... the prose is of such quality that the truth doesn't have to be buried in endless thickets of moves... This is an excellent two-volume set - and that's not just my opinion; they have recently been the joint recipients of the 'ECF Book of the Year' award. They can be rightly considered as the flagships of the Quality Chess productions."

Sean Marsh, Marsh Towers

"With the publication of Volume 2 the author completes a project which has taken him 7 years to complete and as he writes, ‘fulfilled a personal ambition'. These comprehensive volumes are one of the few that can compare favourably with Dvoretsky's manuals. This is a volume which is intended for the serious student.  An excellent innovation is the provision of study positions before the main body of the text discusses them so the reader obtains maximum benefit from his efforts.  But the book can also be enjoyed as a wonderful collection of attacking games and positions. The layout and presentation is excellent."

Ray Edwards,  Julian Farrand,  David Friedgood, ECF judges who selected the Attacking Manual 1 and 2 as their Book of the Year

"Attacking Manual 2 includes a lot of good exercises, but it is much more than just this...  The book can be used as excellent, although complex, entertainment. Aagaard is good at finding new material, so there is almost no overlap with older books on the same theme. But the greatest value of this book is to those who want a deeper understanding of those situations in chess where an attack becomes unstoppable and dynamics is the over-shadowing factor.

I find it hard to come up with any points of criticism. Maybe it would be that many of the exercises are so complex that I cannot solve them! But it is exactly for this reason the book is also great for elite training.

Aagaard's best book to date."

GM Peter Heine Nielsen, Skakbladet

"The number of different books published on the game of chess is huge ... Unfortunately few of these are devoted to attacking the king which seems sort of strange. The most ambitious approach to the subject is the two volume series by GM Jacob Aagaard, Attacking Manual 1 and Attacking Manual 2.

Aagaard draws on a wide variety of sources for his model games. Most were played in the last decade but lesser known older examples are featured as well... A large number are likely to be unfamiliar to the reader with even the ones that are, like the cult-classic Serper- Nikolaidis, St. Petersburg 1993, subjected to a fresh look... Attacking Manual 1 and Attacking Manual 2 can be warmly recommended to players from 2000 to 2500."

IM John Donaldson

"Aagaard is very good in explaining chess with concepts and his choice of instructive games in this book is more than impressive!

Conclusion: A master piece of explanation!"

John Elburg (full review)