Grandmaster Preparation: Positional Play

312 Pages·2012·45.56 MB·English

by  Jacob Aagaard

POSITIONAL
PLAY

Jacob Aagaard
Grandmaster Preparation

POSITIONAL PLAY

By

Jacob Aagaard

é §

Quality Chess

www.qualitychess.co.uk
First edition 2012 by Quality Chass LK cd

Copyright @ 2012 Jacob Aagaard

Grandmaster Preparation — POSITIONAL PLAY

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Contents

Key te Symbols used: 4
Toreword by Artur Yusupoy 5
Series Introduction 6
My Incentions with this Hook 7
Visnalfaing che Three Questions 7
The Mirer Questians in Practice 15

1 nesses 2

2 Pieces 71

3 Propliylaxis ng

4 Frercises 153
Name Index 308
Key to symbols used

‘White ix slighily- beuer
Black is lightly beter

Black: ishower
‘White has a decisive advaneae

Blade Rasa decisive advantage
equality
swith compen

‘with conncorplay
‘inelear

weak move
a blunder
d

an exeelens awe

se wort conetaering

Black se move
Foreword

Fie of al} would Hike wr congeueulane dhe reulers of this book: ow waking a very goad choiee!

carefully selected onaterial, inly (rom very recent yarnes, whieb you wodt find in other books
Ava chess wines, Fknow low dificult tye tind good positional exercises, (On dhe vancrary
seems relatively easy task to look for tactical posicions—campucers area big help in showing us

Tile bir easior and the life of thle students and readers much mote inceresting!

Tecause yout are holding this book: ic means thar yourwane to inrove sour pasirional skills and

play if you ae a giandmaster aheady), Then you may be incerested to learn che answer co che
popular question: “What is the dillerence berweew an antarcur phyor and a grancderascer”
Mang mighe think char ifs mainly the abilicyco-caleulgre thar helps gramdmasrers Fathom the

bener opening knessledge; they know more eypieal plans and pawn srmccutes as well. Perhaps
shay are beerer (ar lease samsc of chem) Tn cadgames roa. Sill, would pur cern acher qualicies
ie-irseplace- By working wid amarcar players, Phave noriced char very often, ever: they have

somake decisions and have mich mare practical silk.
“The second Ficror that struck re wa Secing haw mich energy amareue players wasre analysing,
realelaring-meves thar stronger player would simply ignore

player may-spend roa much rime on weak mavacand ideas; meanhilea grandmasrer concentrates
fn the hearr ef the position and Togks for much herr soltians.

tomerafaveng plates ancepoy spec acon other caganons Althea aly
Aint ne Gi ay poe epee your colar a ne ae ae

Alrhoogh- Aagaard’s “approach wirl-this hogle is nor to-teack-posirional understanding: but to

Sree for At ett hace aeethes pater
Talis oad war teeta rent heequeton nis
he ane et elle dec eden ep los thc wetter sk

the pnsicion, which will help you co find che salutions of che exercives. Working with cbis bulk
will rain your posicional judgement and develop your chess intuition. You wll improve your
Uecision-making procescand learn some new practical skills, ind maybe you will beable wo rake

Artur Yasuo
Uisice Candidates Hinatise
Series Introduction

Fiver since Lwaca janior Lhave been a chess rrainer.Arrimes my'dissrisfaction with che candisions for
ers has eamsed me ca he a player as wel, and noe withom same.guccess, Boyar he end of che day |

have ad so accep thar my destiny is nor ea feel comfarable on the stage. hur eather in he anonyigy
oF the
always had lonsof pasion For eaining others. hur none fr raining myself

(Over the years Lhave developed some af che sas necesary to besomea decenc tainer, not lest of

ier com have always cared! more forthe resules of my stadents than my own, juseas Lave

all che ailiry co enm a. ving hy other means’ Among cher chingy rhis means | have become « cess
\wcices. Fram che enomene 1 started taking pride in-my work, | have develaped ino a not entizey bad
nner the degree there Lam Rally comformble enough te.publsh cis series of hooks, which Lhave
been dreaming about for years.

he series ile ¢inandvaaser Prparation ia eens lie joe, asthe five hooks originally planned diy
nor include any coverage of the apening. Buc is also a serious point ac rhe same time. Grandmaster
play-does nor occur in-a vacuum, and it ennsists nf mich more than opening prepararion, random.

amtuition and even more candom callation. ‘here are rules and methods chat have been succesful
for enany decades an! will cancinu to hes inthe facuce Cine of my main objectives wih this pewjece
Jaa: been co. merge this cls understanding of chess with my own ideas and create a serious training,
plan for ambirians players

hiss the-mnose ambtinus penjece | have undertaken in-my professional ie. and there issu escaping,
the unavoidable imperfection af the execution. Lhupe the reader wil forgive me in alvance for aay
misckes, but ar the same time off me che vunfidence co helieve in mose uf whe 1 elsim divughout

these bouks. ‘Shey are henvily researched and, haved on my experience oF working with elise to a
thousand individual over the years from my-own eaughters, wbo-cevzntly dissovered the joy of
capeuring a piece. ra friends who have heen involved in World Championship matches. Sa, please
develop your owe understanding of chess by questioning evervthing Isay, bot at de sume Lint, plese

vuever disregacd anything] say a unfoundes

‘Wea Fwaea young man had ne acces: 2 classical chess education. and mony osher granenaseers
Ihave had she sone experience. Ie ix my hape that chs series will help ao change this picure in. the
same vay thar Mask Dyoretsky's books have, and the way that Arcur Yosupov's series of ane books

Undamenta, Saynd she Bever aruk Maser) have given juniors and amateurs 2 deady-steuctural
rethod wf improvement.

‘The ukiraae youl fr thi series ist show a path towards playing chess at yeandnuster level (se those

why do aoe have acces us a good trainer [have wurked with some geanlansters whu bat dhe kinds
co holes in their cess understanding that would baile the average stat onthe sereet, Obviously they
coucled iu oder aspects of the game sinullemscously, but aver tine their weakness becaine obsious
twaheir opponeuc and their evuls duly suffer. This series is saeane to help thw players wel

Jdcob Aaya, Glasgow 2012
My Intentions with this Book

Ihere are a lor of good huoks on the market thar will help you so impeove yous wudetstanding
oF positional and techaical chess. Mainly | would eevamavend ganues eollectious for ihe person

will all che Gane ta the wud, bul there ae alu orlier books Wat ew positional PRY Thro «all
pieces aul explsin ern well, Sars, this has Loca done in ditlercan ways, bur all of thom in ways
Ural wales setse tnd stick in the ialad, J absolutely belicee that ehis sa never-ending pracess and
‘Gar more books with bette explanations are always ncoded and will cherofare always be wriren,

BU This Book i nat one of The,

My appiuach with chis bouk is not t teach positional understanding, but 1 teach postional
junlgemieat and dovision snaking, Me goal is aot tu make gou understand chess Berrer ~ albengh

Tacit (bar might comeag # se-elleer sane Uie Tes BUC co ake ths artensive nage Fou
will no douibr alteady have of chess if you are reading a book in dhe Grandmaser Preparation

Tae Tan” Swing” you WER AMAR GAIT RAI SAME Ta yaa Rave area BERT
supplid with plenry af those and rhae what you need are the righ queséions. Acrually, | woul
0.50 far as ro cay that in order ra texin your pasitional pudgemenc

‘All you need are three questionst

Ins probably a decade aga char [sae down and ried ro make a lst of all che relevane questions |
nul ask my seudenes rer make chem pay arcention to nutaness in che raining pesicions | prosidest

them with. I chink Vad abour ane, Bur same of them I Fale were oat eeally relevant to aloe oF
rhe posmans } laoked ag: sa | dyjched them. Onhers tended rc have very similar answers to each
ther i otherwise quire diferenr pasicions: menging them seems reasonable, And hum! LL was
lefe wich were throe questions

1 Where are the sabres?
2. Which t she wmnacplared plore?
‘3. What is your opponent idea?

I have since used cheve quessions in ecainings wich club players af average level Cand below and
strony grandmasters, Shey are eqyally seal Ear all levels feo siraple reason:

The purpose of the three questions is fo direct your facus

Wherher we are taking ahonr a strong grandmaster wah a geeae meeroational repucatien os a
dangerous aeracker 9c 4 junior with no repurmtion ac all. hoch need ro Focus on rhe sane thioys

am onder to make berter decisions on the board. After all, the acess move in che same way For
im to the contrary),

everyhedy. even Kasparow idespice Bareer
8 Grandmaster Preparation —Postrional Play

We will lnok.at che three questions one hy one and loak at posicionsin each section. Bur as always
‘ary books, hae Jam looking, for is nor chat yon undersand che theory, but thar you can drive
the sehicle.‘Uheuretical comprebensian is noe enongh you need ta be able to do ir. before you.
san filly understand i

‘The difference between theory and practice is chat
in theory there is no difference, but in practice there inevitably is

Live kneledge is skill =a ach fknorsdedge afl eL sell
zead in nutrition, hue my severe addiction mo choealare meant thar pa ane wonld over have paid
ay attention ro-whar Laxid, had I decided ro leerure ahourit-{Nov: thar Fhave rid rigs of eis
adcherian and lnak mare like a man than a balloon again, I na longer eal any pressure a lec.
LLunny chat. bu th hor smary ofcourse.

So sthae I wish for you ro ger fiom this hook is che practical abiliy 40 make bereer decisinns ar che
board, so chat you can play hetter moves. This on irs own does nor separate my approach frorn

hs

‘What makes this book a bit different from most of the other
oaks on the market is that the emphasis is on the decision,

nore charron the understanding behind it

“The prevailing view in Anglo-Sasui chess lvvarans ie thar good chess cous ieom calculation,
‘pening preparacion and good! Taruition; the ler cleaely bcing che Factor dealing with positional
Wkdgamen This ter mite rar sts Up the praetor of already trample WCU,

Those of us whe Focus mare op general principles ai a mode! Jor eaplining chess and what
going an. are searching fora model chat car replicate good play consistent. By breaking wie at

store town vera high mraber of sll skis Or pearls, we RET ENAL Ce CUTIES
and replica che process that feads to strung, aioves atthe beard with a higher icquem

While the frst model haga Western bhi, Hie sovond used vo havean Tat Barapa blag, Twa
the idea of a “elasical chess edecarion” wich lors of general principles and division of chess ski
hunks ehac ean easily be explained. Mocrn eraniples af this are the books by Mark
grand ArTar Yosmp:

Bur yout da nar have co agree wich this stance in orcs 49 got the full bencfie liom this book

This hook is not sacking 0 cheariag chess, but ro ntakec ie practical, And Yor chose tneorested in

the argiisanr far ganesal principles, Frecammend reading Tinting Jide ae Max, which ie che
tx Isp
My Intentions with this Book. 9

‘To make chess practical we need to make it simple

This is my_number one reaching principle. This dees nor moan thar the exercises cannor be
painstakingly difficule For some people. Chess is like shat — itis ditficule eo find lve various
famnctions in & posicion when we isk at i, tctical poicional and a
Two site the best nave by we carnoe crn ic ofT and sametiow ics ey to uaiestand, This is
cettainly one of my goals with Ube solutions written inthis buck: ta gise you exactly wha yout
need co know to understand che posision ajier you have siraggled co ste te

wise, But once we

‘Another goal isco make rhe process ap simple as possible, Vou would chink thac ie woul he easy

ra nsmomber chtce small questions. but experience ells me ocherwise. And even ifa pupil ahle

ra remember she chrse gucsrions, he is alten unable co remember the bigger quesnan. which

should spark these chree questions in his mind: Whee apn Flonbing for iu thic portion? Instead,
pa a!

Tost players and seucents will just star calculating,

Calcul is a very important skill, buc still,
__ir’s only one of the analysis tools available

The porprse sch rhe ehece questions i for you 16 look ar che pesitians in frome af yon diterendy
wane you en stare Taoking ac the paven and picces diferenrly. Iris 3 process and there are a fe
things hout chs chat might he obvious. hi less ane pd 10 ks n
thecause have yan noticed how often we do nar pay arcentian co obvious ehinys. despite being
highly meelligenr crearares)

In onder 1o get che most ous of this book, Larould Like ya to fi ssl sd Ph

take the time ta sik youre the three questions, answer chem out loud (or maybe even better, out

paper! ere yau start applyims the knivwledy hy Soaking foe the hese mee 1 you do hiss your

‘will soon see bow focusing your nim. on the three important parce of chess Uae chese questions
Late sme a big ith

Doing it right is more important than getting it right

Bh er shar although we want c solve the postions. sh doing her is building
your intuition, hy repeating these questions cu your subeunscious so frequently cat ic will pay
"steentivar to these three aspects of chess and their ousnces

_________ What level is this book supposed to be aiming at?

thishook isa parcaf the ttasdmarrer Prppanation sens and therefore simsat developing: the skills
needed Hor grandmactee performance. However, rhe level of he chess nor extensively difficule in
this book Th nis Jahorace and will probably: df

players over 2390. Iaving ssid this. sore af the positions m this book do offer granulmasuets 3
hiv of resemnce. One inreresring experiment I did with 2 GM who at the tine way rated 2625 oF
thexeabours,wae 0 give him-|2-of chase poisons and wse half an hour oo tera He scoted S12