Practical Chess Defence, 2006 - download book

   Extract from the first chapter


   Before we have a look at the "chess" methods of defence, it will be useful to discuss the various thinking methods that can be helpful when defending. I find that the most positive changes to my own play, and that of my students, has come about when we look at the chessboard and see something that was not there before. A sensation not too different from what you get when you are reading a text in a foreign language, which before was a random selection of letters. The same can happen when we see pins, forks and weaknesses for the first time. Previously we did simply not have the vocabulary. In my jollier moods I refer to this experience as the blind man exclaiming: "I was blind and now I can see," right before he walks out in front of a truck.

   What we need in chess is not just the ability to see, but also the perseverance to use it. With this emphasis I will in this chapter convey the following ideas: unforcing thinking, the method of elimination, prophylaxis, an eye for detail (including the importance of not taking anything for granted) and winners just don't know how to quit. Together these ideas create what could be called the defensive thinking frame. But we all read the cover, so instead of spinning complex terminology to sound cool, I will limit myself to advice that will help you to defend successfully.

Author: Aagaard Jacob
Title: "Practical Chess Defence"
Released: 2006
Format: djvu
Quality: good
Number of pages: 300
Size: 5 Mb