The Stonewall is an ideal choice for those players who are keen to avoid the reams of theory that surround more popular openings such as the Kings Indian and Nimzo-Indian Defences. With the Stonewall Black stakes an immediate claim in the centre and lays the foundations for a potentially dangerous kingside attack. The route to success with the Stonewall is very much based on an understanding of themes and ideas and these are clearly elucidated by experienced author Jacob Aagaard.

The Kalashnikov Variation is one of the most modern variations of the Sicilian Defence. As early as move four, Black lashes out in the centre and sets the tone for the rest of the game. Play can often become quite sharp and as is normal with many Sicilian lines, the best prepared player is usually the successful one. In this handy battle manual Jacob Aagaard and Jan Pinski take a deep look at all the critical ideas and variation of an opening which has received little coverage in chess publishing until now. *Coverage of all the hottest theory * An ideal new weapon for club and tournament...

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...

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...

"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...

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 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. Aagaard also delves deeply into the ideas of positional evaluation and analysis. * Teaches how to mix calculation with evaluation * Contains many original exercises * Written...

Unhappy that you're reaching passive or difficult positions with Black? Fed up with having to learn many different defences to all of White's attacks? Then this book is the answer to your problems 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. The lines suggested are based around the Tarrasch Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5) and are easy to learn, fun to play and promise the black player dynamic counterplay. This book is especially useful for players who have neither the...

A multinational array of top chess grandmasters has assembled to explore the differences in thinking between professional and amateur chess players, and how the amateur can bridge the gap. It usually takes at least a decade of sustained effort for even the most talented player to reach the grandmaster level and though this book cannot guarantee to make the reader a grandmaster, it is certainly a healthy nudge in the right direction.

The chess opening known as the Tarrasch Defense arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 and leads to wildly complex and dynamic play. With deep analysis and countless novelties, Ntirlis and Aagaard have revived the coolest classical opening for use by grandmasters and amateurs in the 21st century.