Jacob Aagaard – författare

Brought together in one volume are two of Jacob Aagaard's great books- Excelling at Technical Chess and Excelling at Positional Chess. "And the rest is a matter of technique" is an annoyingly common phrase used in chess literature. The implication from the author is that the task of converting a typically winning position into a full point or converting a drawing position into half-a-point is relatively straightforward. However, as all of us practical players realise, it's not always a simple as this, and many hard-earned points are wasted through "a lack of technique" In Technical Chess Jacob Aagaard aims to solve this perennial problem. He arms the reader with several endgame weapons that every strong technical player has in his toolbox. These include important skills such as schematic thinking, domination, preventing counterplay, building fortresses and utilising zugzwang. These tools are illustrated in deeply analysed games containing numerous different themes. A serious study of this book will ensure that the reader need no longer need fear the word "technique"! Positional chess remains a mystery to many and yet an understanding of the finer points of the game so often makes the difference between two equally matched players. Improve your positional play and you will see chess in a totally new dimension! In Positional Chess, Aagaard selects many original examples of positional chess, the créme de la créme of those that he uses for training and study. Aagaard also delves deeply into the ideas of positional evaluation and analysis

In Volume 2 of Excelling at Chess ,we publish International Master Jacob Aagaard's Excelling at Combinational Play: Learn to Identify and Exploit Tactical Chances and Excelling at Chess Calculation: Capitalising on tactical chances. Being able to solve puzzles and combinations is one of the principal components of a successful chess player. But how can one improve on such an important skill? How can one acquire combinational vision? Aagaard explains how tactical intuition and ability develops and uses pattern recognition to improve the readers tactical ammunition. It is no secret that the continued practice of puzzles and combinations helps to sharpen the chess brain, and here there is a wealth of exercises and problems to solve accompanied by the full solutions and explanations. There are many differing opinions amongst the top players in the world of chess, but there is one thing upon which World Champions, Grandmasters and other experts all agree: the art of chess calculation is the absolute key to the success of a player. In Excelling at Chess Calculation, Aagaard tackles the subject matter head on, unravelling the many secrets behind chess calculation and arming the reader with the necessary tools to be able to calculate effectively at the chessboard. Aagaard pays particular attention to the searching practical questions like "when should you calculate?", "how can you discover candidate moves?" and "how long should you spend on critical moves?"

English Chess Federation 2015 Book of the Year!!Positional Decision Making in Chess offers a rare look into the mind of a top grandmaster.In his efforts to explain his way of thinking, Boris Gelfand focuses on such topics as the squeeze, space advantage, the transformation of pawn structures and the transformation of advantages.Based on examples from his own games and those of his hero, Akiba Rubinstein, Gelfand explains how he thinks during the game.

A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess provides an expert introduction to the main elements of good attacking chess. From the foundational concepts of Momentum and Include all the pieces in the attack, to more situational ideas such as Attacking the weakest square, Attacking the strongest square, Evolution/Revolution, the Killzone and much more. By breaking down attacking play into easily identifiable elements everyone can understand, we see that attacking play is not the result of a genius in action, but a consequence of positional factors at play. With this knowledge, and the chance to practise it with the sister volume Grandmaster Training Camp 2 – Attack! by GM Sam Shankland, true attacking greatness is within reach.

Brought together for the first time in one book Meeting 1d4 and 1e4 International Master Jacob Aagaard and Esben Lund provide an all-in-one solution to the popular opening move 1 d4 and other White systems that do not involve 1 e4. In Meeting 1e4 The reader is provided with a complete repertoire for Black against 1 e4, based on the ever-reliable Sicilian Defence.

Jacob Aagaard describes his chess improvement philosophy, developed over more than twenty years of thinking about one question: How do we make better decisions at the chess board?As the final volume in the award-winning Grandmaster Preparation series, this book unifies the concepts of the previous five books and delves into such topics as:Chess psychologyThe four types of decisions we take at the boardHow to play simple positionsWhat is calculation?How to analyse your gamesAnd many moreThinking Inside the Box is the ultimate self-improvement guide, written for amateurs as well as world-class players.

Have there been times during a game when you have calculated a position for half an hour, only to find out that most of what you were thinking about was of little use? If you have not, maybe the only way to improve your calculation is to upgrade your processor. But if you are human, then this book will offer you practical advice and an effective training plan to think differently and make decisions far more efficiently. In Calculation thinking methods such as Candidates, Combinations, Prophylaxis, Comparison, Elimination, Intermediate Moves, Imagination and Traps are explained to the reader, and ownership of them is offered through a carefully selected series of exercises."There is no shortcut to the grandmaster title, but there is a well-known route that many people have walked over the years. Jacob offers to guide you on part of this journey and I hope you will take him up on the offer." From the foreword by Boris GelfandThe Grandmaster Preparation series is aimed at ambitious players.The second edition includes a new chapter entitled "24 Brain Crushers".

In Decision Making in Major Piece Endings former World Championship Challenger Boris Gelfand discusses his path to decision making in endgames involving rooks or queens, as well as the often neglected "4th Phase." Countless games are decided by good or bad technique in such endgames, so readers are certain to benefit from the insights of a world-class Grandmaster on this vital topic.Shortlisted for FIDE Book of the Year 2021.

Endgame Labyrinths presents the reader with 1002 challenging studies selected and truncated, with their usefulness for the practical player in mind. It is common for studies to be extended by less interesting manoeuvres or by incomprehensible sequences, before the main themes come into play. The studies in this book have been pruned to leave the reader with 1002 clear and solvable challenges.A few years of extensive selection, analysis, reselection, reanalysis and refining have gone into putting together the study book for the practical player with the most value ever.

Endgame Labyrinths presents the reader with 1002 challenging studies selected and truncated, with their usefulness for the practical player in mind. It is common for studies to be extended by less interesting manoeuvres or by incomprehensible sequences, before the main themes come into play. The studies in this book have been pruned to leave the reader with 1002 clear and solvable challenges.A few years of extensive selection, analysis, reselection, reanalysis and refining have gone into putting together the study book for the practical player with the most value ever.

The most hated cliché in chess is: And the rest is a matter of technique. In A Matter of Endgame Technique Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard deals with one of the few things chessplayers hate even more – losing a winning position. No serious chessplayer is new to the misery of spoiling hours of hard work in a few minutes...A Matter of Endgame Technique offers the second-best happiness – the misfortune of others – as well as deep explanation of the underlying patterns of how and why we misplay winning endgames. At just under 900 pages, this hardcover book is actually six books in one, explaining the technical and practical areas of chess endgames plainly, simply and deeply. Endgame theory is well covered elsewhere; this book is all about technique and devoid of material to memorise.

Rook endgames are the most frequently recurring endgames and also one of the most exciting areas of chess, with mind bending tactical opportunities and dizzying nuances available. They have unsurprisingly been a big topic in endgame literature, with a heavy focus on the set theoretical positions and their logic and fixed conclusions (see the excellent Theoretical Rook Endgames by GM Sam Shankland, published as a sister volume to this book as the peak example of this).Conceptual Rook Endgames goes in a different direction. Focused on two dozen major concepts, the book explains the mechanisms of rook endgames in a novel way, by building foundations with simple examples, which can be seen in the most complicated examples as well. Rook endgames will remain rich and surprising, as they are for the greats, but armed with this book, your comprehension of them will skyrocket.

Rook endgames are the most frequently occurring endgames, as well as one of the most exciting and challenging areas of chess. In 2023, Quality Chess published Theoretical Rook Endgames by GM Sam Shankland and its sister volume Conceptual Rook Endgames by GM Jacob Aagaard – a dazzling dyad of domination in endgame literature.This book tops off the triumphant trio by presenting 208 instructive exercises of varying difficulty, testing and reinforcing the reader’s skill and understanding. Conceptual Rook Endgames Workbook will skyrocket your endgame abilities, whether used as a standalone workbook or as the last step in the Aagaard-Shankland Rook Endgames trilogy.

Few books have dealt with the topic of exchanges in chess, leaving this important part of chess strategy a mystery to most. In Mastering Chess Exchanges, grandmasters Jacob Aagaard and Renier Castellanos break down the topic into crystal-clear themes, including piece preferences, tension, weaknesses, colour complexes, king safety and endgames, illustrating the concepts with illuminating examples.Then the reader is given a chance to turn understanding into skill, with 365 instructive exercises, featuring a novel, multiple-choice format designed to focus the reader’s attention on possible exchanges.

A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess provides an expert introduction to the main elements of good attacking chess. From the foundational concepts of Momentum and Include all the pieces in the attack, to more situational ideas such as Attacking the weakest square, Attacking the strongest square, Evolution/Revolution, the Killzone and much more. By breaking down attacking play into easily identifiable elements everyone can understand, we see that attacking play is not the result of a genius in action, but a consequence of positional factors at play. With this knowledge, and the chance to practise it with the sister volume Grandmaster Training Camp 2 – Attack! by GM Sam Shankland, true attacking greatness is within reach.

International Master Jacob Aagaard provides an all-in-one solution to the popular opening move 1 d4 and other White systems that do not involve 1 e4. Throughout this work, Aagaard delves into the strategies, ideas and tactics for Black, while also showing the possible traps and pitfalls.

A chess book on the openings, aimed at a club audience.

This book identifies the key factors that separate the very strong players from the rest. Anyone who follows the advice in this book cannot fail to improve their feel for the game.

In this unique book, International Master Jacob Aagaard selects many original examples of positional chess, the creme de la creme of those that he uses for training and study.

Experienced chess writer Jacob Aagaard explains how tactical intuition and ability develops and uses pattern recognition to improve the reader's tactical ammunition.

These books are perfect for enthusiastic chess players who are starting out in the game, and who are seeking to understand the basic principles behind these important openings: the Pirc/Modern and the Grunfeld. These 2 books are written in a user-friendly style with an abundance of notes, tips and warnings scattered throughout, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. The authors of these books are very skilled and experienced chess writers, who are used to writing for players of all levels and are renowned for their ability to explain ideas in a lucid and straightforward manner. These books will be especially beneficial to those players who have previously sharpened their chess skills with the earlier books Starting Out in Chess, Tips for Young Players and Improve Your Opening Play. *User-friendly design to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the fundamental principles of the openings *Ideal for the improving player

There are many differing opinions among the top players in the world of chess, but there is one thing upon which World Champions, Grandmasters, and other experts all agree: the art of chess calculation is the absolute key to the success of a player. Master this discipline and chess players can surely expect their results to improve dramatically. And yet there have been very few serious attempts in the past by chess authors to delve into this delicate topic, perhaps not surprisingly given its complexity and difficulty. In Excelling at Chess Calculation, Jacob Aagaard tackles the subject matter head on, unravelling the many secrets behind chess calculation and arming readers with the necessary tools to be able to calculate effectively at the chessboard. Aagaard pays particular attention to the searching practical questions like "when should players calculate?", "how can players discover candidate moves?", and "how long should players spend on critical moves?". A thorough study of this book will enable them to calculate with confidence in future games.Highlights include: *A crucial guide to the skill of chess calculation *Ideal for both club and tournament players *Written by a renowned chess coach and author

"And the rest is a matter of technique" is an annoyingly common phrase used in chess literature. The implication from the author is that the task of converting a typically winning position into a full point or converting a drawing position into half-a-point is relatively straightforward. However, as all of us practical players realize, it's not always a simple as this, and many hard-earned points are wasted through "a lack of technique". In this valuable book Jacob Aagaard aims to solve this perennial problem. He arms readers with several endgame weapons that every strong technical player has in his toolbox. These include important skills such as schematic thinking, domination, preventing counterplay, building fortresses, and utilizing zugzwang. These tools are illustrated in deeply analyzed games containing numerous different themes. A serious study of this book will ensure that readers need no longer need fear the word "technique"! *Ideal for club and tournament players *Includes all the principal tools of technique *Written by an experienced endgames expert

Have there been times during a game when you have tried to calculate like mad, but can find no rhyme or reason to your lines? Have you ever felt that the computer’s suggestions in your post-mortem analysis make no sense to you? Ever felt like the man with a hammer, suspecting that the world may not be made up entirely of nails after all?In Positional Play Jacob Aagaard shares his simple three-step tool of positional analysis that he has used with club players and famous grandmasters to improve their positional decision-making. Working from the starting point that all players who aspire to play at international level have a certain amount of positional understanding, Aagaard lays out an easy-to-follow training plan that will improve everyone’s intuition and positional decision-making.The Grandmaster Preparation series is aimed at ambitious players.

In Strategic Play Jacob Aagaard digs deep into the most complex area of chess thinking. The games and exercises in this book transcend regular chess skills, such as pattern recognition, calculation and positional analysis. Building on the two previous books in the Grandmaster Preparation series, this book challenges the reader to explore the complexities of chess, offering clarity and understanding through Aagaard’s straightforward approach.The Grandmaster Preparation series is aimed at ambitious players.

Jacob Aagaard presents the reader with a few key concepts in the endgame and invites him to test his skills with a lot of examples from recent tournament practice. Where many endgame books are theoretical and emphasize memorization, Endgame Play is based entirely in the real world, where the ability to react precisely in technical positions is a life skill."Solve your endgame problems with Endgame Play!I strongly believe in training by solving exercises and Jacob Aagaard is a real master here. I often train my own students using the books from his Grandmaster Preparation series, and they really help on the way to becoming an International Master or hopefully even a Grandmaster.With Endgame Play Jacob Aagaard has again proved convincingly that he is indeed one of the best chess authors of modern times."From the Foreword by GM Karsten MüllerThe Grandmaster Preparation series is aimed at ambitious players.

The French Defence is one of the most solid and strategically rich responses to 1.e4. Many opening lines have been analysed to death by computer, but the French is relatively resistant to this growing trend, as the characteristic blocked pawn centre leads to situations where a player with superior understanding can overcome an opponent whose expertise lies in computer-assisted preparation.Acclaimed authors Ntirlis and Aagaard present a complete repertoire for Black based on 3.Nc3 Nf6 and 3.Nd2 c5. With many new discoveries and detailed explanations of positional and strategic motifs, this book is essential reading for those playing this complex opening with either colour.

In Attack & Defence, Jacob Aagaard presents the main properties of how to attack and defend in chess. By carving dynamic chess into separate areas of ability, he gives the reader a clear way to expand his understanding of this vital part of the game.

Have there been times during a chess game when you have calculated a position for half an hour, only to find out that most of what you were thinking about was of little use? If you have not, maybe the only way to improve your calculation is to upgrade your processor. But if you are human, then this book will offer you practical advice and an effective training plan to think differently and make decisions far more efficiently. In Calculation thinking methods such as Candidates, Combinations, Prophylaxis, Comparison, Elimination, Intermediate Moves, Imagination and Traps are explained to the reader, and ownership of them is offered through a carefully selected series of exercises.“There is no shortcut to the grandmaster title, but there is a well-known route that many people have walked over the years. Jacob offers to guide you on part of this journey and I hope you will take him up on the offer.” From the foreword by Boris Gelfand