Practical Chess Defence by Jacob Aagaard

Chess is developing faster now than ever before in history, and the appearance of strong chess computers has changed the way players think. In the past many positions would have been rejected on principle as impossible to defend, and even the best players would shy away from capturing material if it meant that they would have to face a difficult defence. This attitude has changed, and today’s top players are not afraid of walking a very fine line in defence. This book gives practical advice on various methods of defence, offering readers the chance to test and train with 200 challenging examples. While not for the faint-hearted, this book will help the reader greatly improve in this vital part of the game.

Jacob Aagaardis one of the most respected chess authors in the world. He won the 2007 British Championship and, at the same time, obtained the grandmaster title.

ISBN: 91-975244-4-1 - 302 pages - published 31 July 2006

"I went through Practical Chess Defence before Dortmund [2012] and found it very useful." - GM Ruslan Ponomariov

Reviews

"Throughout my whole career, I have considered that solving exercises is the most effective method of preparation before a tournament. I have played hundreds of tournaments in my life, but, unfortunately, the number of really good exercise books is much smaller. Jacob Aagaard's Practical Chess Defence is one of the best of this kind I have come across. The ambitious reader should not be put off by the word 'Defence' in the title, since anticipating the opponent's defensive resources is essential for the attacking player. By solving the 200 carefully selected exercises (including those from the 'Warming Up' section, which are not trivial at all!) the reader will be helped to increase his calculating powers. The short introductory comments (sometimes amusing, sometimes instructive) placed below each diagram add colour to this excellent book." GM Mihail Marin

"An excellent collection of exercises. Useful for everybody, even the absolute best." Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen, second of World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the world’s highest rated player, Magnus Carlsen.

"Highly recommended!" John Elburg (full review)