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| Chess Books: Jacob Aagaard (Wikipedia) |
Full name: Jacob Aagaard
Country: Scotland
Born: 31 July 1973 (age 45) Denmark
Title: Grandmaster (2007)
FIDE rating: 2470 (September 2018)
Peak rating: 2538 (July 2009)
Jacob Aagaard (born 31 July 1973) is a Danish-born Scottish chess grandmaster and the 2007 British Chess Champion. He is Scotland's third highest rated player as of February 2018, with an Elo rating of 2481. In 2004, he took second place in the Scottish Chess Championship. In 2005, he took first place in the Scottish Championship but was not a British citizen, so the title went to Craig Pritchett. In 2012 he won the title, the first time he played and was eligible to win it. He is also a chess author and co-owner of Quality Chess, a chess publishing house.
In 2011 Aagaard was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.
In 2012 Jacob won the Scottish Chess Championships with a score of 7/9
Aagaard is the only chess writer in the world to win all four major Book of the Year awards: English Chess Federation (2010), ChessCafe.com (2001), Association of Chess Professionals (2013) and the Boleslavsky Medal from FIDE's trainer committee (2012).
Chess books written by Jacob Aagaard:
Jacob Aagaard (1998). Easy Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack. Everyman Chess.
The Panov-Botvinnik Attack is a strong, classical attacking system for White against the Caro-Kann: White develops quickly and attacks the centre, putting immediate pressure on the black position.By stressing the key themes, the author prepares players not just to put their pieces on the right squares in the opening, but to know the typical plans in each of the structures that can arise.Cadogan's new Easy Guide series represents a new approach to chess openings books: just enough detail and just enough explanation to enable readers to play an opening with confidence, without months of memorising theory - the easy way to master a chess opening.BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2000). Easy Guide to the Sveshnikov Sicilian. Everyman Chess.
This work describes and analyzes a defence to 1 e4 which is fun to play and provides real winning chances. The Sveshnikov Sicilian requires a good understanding or the themes and a moderate amount of concrete knowledge, which is provided by this guide. BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2001). Dutch Stonewall. Everyman Chess.
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 King's 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.BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2001). Excelling at Chess. Everyman Chess.
Some players become good at chess, some very good, while others excel at the game. In this book Jacob Aagaard identifies the key factors that separate the very strong players from the rest. In Excelling at Chess, he includes chapters on when to calculate, how to evaluate positions, how to study theory, how to study the endgame and when to force the position. Anyone who follows the advice in this book cannot fail to improve their feel for the game. * Ideal for players who are serious about improving
* Discusses all phases and aspects of the game
* Packed with useful practical tips
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Jacob Aagaard (2002). Queen's Indian Defence. Everyman Chess.
The Queen's Indian Defence is one of Black's toughest and most respectable choices against queen's pawn openings and is a favorite of world class players such as Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Michael Adams and Judit Polgar. From the outset Black employs the dynamic principle of controlling the center with pieces rather than pawns, and this can lead to rich and complex chess. The Queen's Indian is a multi-dimensional opening which appeals to aggressive and positional players alike. In this treatise, openings expert Jacob Aagaard delves into the many strategic and tactical ideas available to both sides.
Using illustrative games, Aagaard guides the reader through both the fashionable main lines as well as the tricky offbeat variations. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 144 pages, diagrams)
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Jacob Aagaard and Esben Land (2002). Meeting 1.d4. Everyman Chess.
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 time nor inclination to learn reams of the latest opening theory. Throughout this work, Aagaard & Lund delve into the strategies, ideas and tactics for Black, while also showing the possible traps and pitfalls.BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2003). Excelling at Positional Chess. Everyman Chess.
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. This guide teaches how to mix calculation with evaluation, contains many original exercises, and is written by a battle-hardened expert BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2004). Excelling at Chess Calculation. Everyman Chess.
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
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
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Jacob Aagaard (2004). Excelling at Combinational Play. Everyman Chess.
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? The answer lies within the pages of this book! Experienced chess writer Jacob Aagaard explains how tactical intuition and ability develops and uses pattern recognition to improve the reader's tactical ammunition. It's also 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.
This book is a must for the serious competitive player.
*Improves tactical vision
*Ideal for club and tournament players
*Written by a battle-hardened expert
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Jacob Aagaard (2004). Excelling at Technical Chess. Everyman 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 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
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Jacob Aagaard (2004). Starting Out: The Grunfeld. Everyman Chess.
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
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Recommended course:
Go to the course
Jacob Aagaard (2004). Inside the Chess Mind. Everyman Chess.
Inside the Chess Mind enters fresh territory in chess literature by providing a thought-provoking insight as to how the chess brains of the great, the good, and the improver operate. Renowned chess writer Jacob Aagaard supplies numerous challenges to a group of chess players of a very wide range of ages and playing strengths. BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2006). Practical Chess Defence. Quality Chess.
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 defense. This attitude has changed, and today's top players are not afraid of walking a very fine line in defense.
This book gives practical advice on various methods of defense, 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.
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Jacob Aagaard (2008). The Attacking Manual: Basic Principles. Quality Chess.
Attacking Manuals 1 & 2 comprise the first thorough examination of the nature of dynamics in chess, and the principles explained in this book are relevant to every chess game played. In lively no-nonsense language, Aagaard explains how the best players in the world attack. The rules of attack (the exploitation of a dynamic advantage) are explained in an accessible and entertaining style. This groundbreaking work is well balanced between easily understandable examples, exercises and deep analysis.
Volume 1 deals with bringing all the pieces into the action, momentum, color schemes, strongest and weakest points, and evolution/revolution.
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Jacob Aagaard (2008). The Attacking Manual 2: Technique and Praxis. Quality Chess.
volume 2 covers what to do once the attack is up and running, and deals with weak kings, intuitive sacrifices, opposite castling, king hunts, and enduring initiative. BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2012). Grandmaster Preparation – Calculation. Quality Chess.
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. BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2012). Grandmaster Preparation – Positional Play. Quality Chess.
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.
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Jacob Aagaard (2013). Grandmaster Preparation – Strategic Play. Quality Chess.
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. BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2013). Grandmaster Preparation – Attack & Defence. Quality Chess.
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. BUY NOW FROM:
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Jacob Aagaard (2014). Grandmaster Preparation – Endgame Play. Quality Chess.
Jacob Aagaard presents the reader with a few key concepts in the endgame in chess 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.Review
“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.”
From the Foreword by GM Karsten Müller
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Jacob Aagaard (2017). Grandmaster Preparation – Thinking Inside the Box. Quality Chess.
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 psychology
The four types of decisions we take at the board
How to play simple positions
What is calculation?
How to analyse your games
And many more
Thinking Inside the Box is the ultimate self-improvement guide, written for amateurs as well as world-class players.
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Notable games
Jacob Aagaard vs Per Arnt Rasmussen, 1996, King's Gambit: Accepted, Kieseritsky Gambit Kolisch Defense (C39), 1-0
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Download Chess Games of Jacob Aagaard PNG
Glenn Flear vs Jacob Aagaard
British Championship (2007), Great Yarmouth ENG, rd 11, Aug-10
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation. Keres Defense (E32) · 0-1
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Glenn Flear v Jacob Aagaard
British Championship 2007 (round 11)
Queen's Indian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 0-0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 b6 7 Bg5 Bb7 8 e3 d6 9 Ne2 Nbd7 10 Qd3 Re8 11 Nc3 Qe7 12 Be2 White has the two bishops but finds it a little hard to complete development due to the pressure along the long white diagonal. This move effectively issues a challenge to Black: "Take the pawn and allow an attack or accept that you're worse."
12..h6 13 Bh4 Bxg2!? It makes sense to take the pawn in a last round game which you're trying to win as Black though it is rather dangerous.
14 Rg1 Bb7 15 0-0-0 Nf8 16 f4 e5?! This gives White something to bite on in the centre - 16...Ng6 looks safer.
17 fxe5 dxe5 18 Rdf1 N8h7 19 d5 e4 To get some play but weakening the black squares.
20 Qd4 Kh8 21 Nb5 Rad8 22 Bg3 c5 If something like 22...c6 23 d6 Qd7 24 Nc7 c5 25 Qc3 Rg8 White has a very strong initiative so Aagaard decided on immediate action.
23 Qc3
Jacob Aagaard (Black to play)
Glenn Flear (White)
Diagram above right
23...Bxd5 A good practical decision though perhaps not sound theoretically.
24 Nc7!? When somebody offers you material there's a big temptation to try to be clever and take it on your terms. Here the simple 24 cxd5 Nxd5 25 Qb3 looks pretty strong since if 25...c4 - the move "your hand wants to play" 26 Bxc4 Rc8 is completely refuted by 27 Nd6.
24...Bc6 25 Nxe8 Nxe8 26 Rd1 Ra8? In principle when you're the exchange down you want to keep a pair of rooks on the board but had Flear now found 27 Rd6! then he would have won quickly since if 27...Nxd6 28 Bxd6 then g7 collapses while if Black defends or moves the bishop then there is 28 Rxh6.
27 Bf4 f6 28 Bh5 Nf8 29 Bxe8? This gains control of d6 but weakens the white squares. Over the next few moves, Flear starts to go backwards.
29...Bxe8 30 Rd6 Ne6 31 Bg3 Ng5 32 h4 Nf7 To keep control though 32...Nf3 was also quite possible.
33 Rd2 Bd7 34 Bf4 h5! Seizing a square for the bishop. Black's game is now at least as easy to play as White's though if Flear had just waited then it wouldn't have been easy for Aagaard to achieve anything positive himself.
35 Rd5 Bg4 36 Rg2 Kg8 37 b4? Playing to win. This is to some extent positionally well motivated but gives the dormant black rook a target for the first time in the game.
37...cxb4 38 axb4 Qe8 39 Kb2 Rc8 40 c5? Another bad move after which the king's cover is totally blown.
40...a5! 41 Qd4 If 41 bxa5 Qb5+ can't be met by 42 Qb3 in view of 42...Qxb3+ 43 Kxb3 Be6.
42...bxc5 42 bxc5 Qb5+ 43 Kc3 Qf1 44 Rb2 Be6 45 Qxe4 There's nothing better since if 45 Rxh5 Rd8 46 Bd6 Nxd6 47 cxd6 Rc8+ wins. The rest is really just mopping up though in a game as crucial as this that isn't as easy as it would be otherwise.
45...Qc1+ 46 Rc2 Qa3+ 47 Kd2 Bxd5 48 Qxd5 Rd8 49 Bd6 Qb4+ 50 Kd3 a4 51 Rc3 Qxh4 52 e4 Qg4 53 Kd4 h4 54 Ra3 h3 55 Qa2 Re8 56 Qd5 Qg1+ 57 Kc4 h2 58 Bxh2 Qxh2 59 Rxa4 Qc2+ 60 Kb5 Rb8+ and Flear resigned (Source: The Guardian)
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