Excelling at Chess (Everyman Chess)

By the author of the most legitimate of all the "think like a grandmaster" type series, this volume delivers on a prerequisite - what an average player actually needs to do to first actually reach FM!

I like the author's perspective about chess, particularly his focus on the concept of non-forcing moves. This concept was an eye opener for me as I am used to always searching for moves that are immediately threatening as opposed to focus on finding good squares for your pieces. I also thought the chapter on end games was strong and I believe his advice on how to study for openings was good as well. The author finishes the book with some exercises for the reader to practice and apply the theory. Overall, I was satisfied with the book.

Anything by Aagard is recommended, but not for beginners. This series of books are great, however Everyman now offers them combined into two volumes instead of 4 individuals books. Their ISBNs are 1781944466 and 1781944474 . In fact, a lot of their older books end up in combined volumes, so it's good to check this beforehand.

I just finished the book. I have to say, I am very disappointed in the author. His books on various openings in the past have been beyond exceptional. In this book he spends the first few chapters criticizing Watson's SOMCS. He goes on to say what anyone that has played at even a laughable level would know, that all "rules" in chess are not set in stone and that chess is a dynamic game. He does talk about how he helps his students determine their positional plans...by having them ask themselves what they want for Xmas. This is the same thing that Silman describes in his books as the "dream" position. But, unlike silman, he does not go into how various ways to break down the positions in order to organize ones thoughts in order to determine that "dream" position. Planning for all class and amatuer players is the hardest thing to come up with....after reading this book, I cannot say that I am any better. The book is well written and easy to read. It is worth having if you simply enjoy chess books, but if you are seriously looking to improve, I would consider it after Silman's books.

This book sets itself apart from others of its ilk for a few reasons. First of all, Mr. Aagard has an engaging voice that comes across in the pages. He comes across as a real human being who has had ups and downs with chess. He has a lot of wit and warmth interspersed with very forthright analysis. A rare combination! This does not mean, however, that the book is somehow not serious. Far from it; he has a thesis regarding positional play and he defends it with rigor. He's not "my way or the highway" but at the same time makes a convincing case regarding what it takes to take a quantum leap in playing skill. But wait, there's more: Mr. Aagard's background in neuropsychology takes this book to a new level. He integrates fascinating info about cognition and perception and how it relates to chess. This is stuff that is compelling in its own right. Ultimately, I wouldn't have changed much with this book. It accomplishes exactly what it wants to, and points towards a "humanist" perspective on chess: train hard, but also realize that (a) it's a game between 2 human beings who must respect each other during the course of play, and (b) it's important to have fun. I really think this book will have a long shelf life--it certainly had a deep impact on how I approach the game.

This book is a true inspiration to all chess players that are serious about the game. The book is written in a very personal way and without question will help the tournament player (the ideal reader should be a tournament player). It talks about many topics from chess strategy, psychology of chess, and good training methods and advice. Are you a real chess player?

I'd say the book is great, but as the title shows, that's a matter of taste. Some people like their books full of analysis, all filled with moves, and moves and... moves. Others like the books better when the moves are explained by letters, not by moves. That's what this book is about, it explains the moves in a nice way by telling what the thoughts are, and why some moves are so 'natural' to play. It makes you want to think that you can play just like the GM's in the book. Most of the time you're like 'I would have played all those moves as well, cos I understand the meaning of it, this must be a beginners-game', then you look at the names of the players and you see 'Karpov - Kasparov'. For me this is a book which really helped. I think it is a good book for 1700 - 2100 rated players.

As usual I found this a very worthwhile read for those who are interested in chess improvement. I guess I never finish the books that I don’t find useful. If there is a weakness in this book, it is only a quibble. English is not Aagaard’s first language and on occasion this is noticeable but don’t be put off by this minor thing. This book aims at helping you improve and I believe that it succeeds. Think like a human and excel at chess. Aagaard warns against depending on computers to do your analysing for you. He suggests that people who leave such analysis to their computers tend to decline in playing strength and become frustrated. He suggests that it takes time and discipline to learn how to calculate better. He suggests that you should worry about tactics AFTER you have positional understanding. “But before you spend a thousand hours on calculation exercises you should sort out your personal style, your endgame and your openings. I believe that calculation will take you the last step up the ladder but it will not help your first step. In other words it is easier to improve on positional style with calculation than it is to improve on calculation with positional style. First things first, as they say.” Chess is based on rules and Aagard takes on Watson and his efforts promoting the idea that there are no rules. Though I don’t believe that Watson is saying that at all. I believe his point is that the concrete analysis of the position over-rides specific rules which are after all guidelines and rules of thumb and not set in stone tablets. Aagaard seems to accept this idea. He is generally quite positive on Watson as a writer (as am I). Talk Exercises Aagaard suggests that you can talk about a position in generic terms to help find the correct course of action. "I am convinced that every time we make spoken verbal conclusions, these are stored in our cognitive framework for future processing. In other words, they form the foundation of our intuition." NLP One very interesting aspect of this book is that Aagaard talks about using NLP techniques to improve his chess but he doesn’t really go into specifics that a novice could understand. You already have to be aware of NLP principles in order to understand how what Aagaard discusses relates to NLP. "Real" Chess Players Aagaard talks about serious chess players and Kasparov’s concept of “real” chess players. Kasparov seems to have a hierarchy of “real” chess players, “serious” chess players and “tourists”. Aagaard suggests that “real” chess players know where to put their pieces and will not move them to awkward squares. They will find a way to play which finds the optimal squares for all of their pieces to work together harmoniously. “A Real Chess Player is someone who knows where the pieces belong.” Some random thoughts from the book: Risk winning! See yourself as a winner in the present.. Draw a picture of yourself in the situation you are aiming for. Be on the outside what you want to be on the inside. When people ask you about your ambitions, tell them the truth. Use positive language. Confront your fear of losing and acknowledge it. Make a list of your future qualities. Learn three things from every game. Subconscious intelligence. Listen to your Inner Voice. Pose questions in places we previously did not. Meditation and Hypnosis. You can use them to improve your results. Maintain your sleep patterns during a tournament and get adequate sleep always. Exercise can have a beneficial effect on your chess. Be practical. You lose because you did not play well. You win because you played better than your opponent did. Chess is a struggle between two people and not an mathematical exercise. When you have a drawn endgame against a weaker player do nothing. To unbalance the position trade knight for bishop or bishop for knight. Bore your opponent before jumping to action. Don’t exchange pieces if you like pressure situations. Make decisions at home. The positions [Edit: Decisions not positions oops!] that you make in your personal, calm environment will most likely be correct. Positional understanding rather than memory. Good database and a less ambitious opening style. Study endgames arising from the opening you are studying. Then study the middle games and finally look at the opening theory after you already understand the positions arising from the opening. There is a tendency to overlook your opponent’s defenses. End your analysis on a move from your opponent. Understand why you make the mistakes that you do. “The struggle for perfection is the only thing that will develop your chess.” This is a very good book. Highly recommended.

Jacob Aagaard ist bereits durch mehrere recht gute Eröffnungsbücher, z. B. zu Sizilianisch Sweschnikov und Holländisch Stonewall aufgefallen und legt mit dem vorliegenden Titel das erste seiner "Excelling at"-Reihe vor (das übrigens als "Book of the Year" ausgezeichnet wurde!). Dieses recht persönlich geschriebene Buch setzt sich mit der Frage auseinander, wie der durchschnittliche Vereinsspieler sein schachliches Potential voll ausnutzen und somit seine eigenen momentanen Leistungen bei weitem übertreffen (excel) kann. Dies ist natürlich nicht von heute auf morgen zu erreichen, es gibt hier nicht das "Wunderrezept" und die Möglichkeiten eines jeden sind natürlich auch durch zur Verfügung stehende Zeit und Talent beschränkt. Zudem ist dies natürlich bei weitem nicht das erste Buch, das verspricht, die Spielstärke des Lesers bei genügend Studium zu verbessern. Was also kann uns Aagaard bieten? Wie in allen von Aagaards Büchern und DVDs ist das Buch sehr unterhaltsam geschrieben, ja, es gleicht einem Gespräch zwischen Schüler und Lehrer. Und der "Lehrer" kommt dabei stets als guter Freund 'rüber! Die Musterpartien sind wunderbar instruktiv ausgewählt und Aagaard vermittelt auch sehr viel allgemeines Schachwissen, gibt Ratschläge rund ums Schach und das Leben (!), zur Vorbereitung auf Turniere, der richtigen Ernährung für Sportler, stellt seinen Trainingsplan bzw. sein Schach-Fitnessprogramm vor und geht auch ausgiebig auf psychologische Aspekte ein. Die Tipps und Empfehlungen ziehen sich dabei wie ein roter Faden durch das Buch, es "hagelt" sie fast! Ferner gibt er Antworten auf Fragen wie "Warum sind die Russen so gute Schachspieler?", "Was kennzeichnet wirkliche Schachspieler/Siegertypen?", "Warum sollte man das Endspiel studieren?", "Was unterscheidet einen Kasparov von einem Shirov?", "Warum gewinnen Salov und Andersson scheinbar gleichstehende Endspiele auch gegen gleichstarke Gegner?", "Welche innere Einstellung braucht man, um sein Elo-Ziel zu erreichen?" und vieles mehr. Aagaard liefert zu allen Fragen interessante und originelle Antworten. Deshalb habe ich das Buch ziemlich schnell durchgearbeitet, es ist kurzweilig und einfach gut. Kaum eine Seite blieb dabei ohne Textmarkierungen und ich denke schon, dass das Buch meinen schachlichen Horizont erweitert hat und dass ich mir die Textmarkierungen in unregelmässigen Abständen mal wieder durchlesen werde. Übrigens kann ich auch die Fortsetzung "Excelling at technical chess" nur überaus empfehlen! Stellt sich nur die Frage, ob Yermolinsky vielleicht doch Recht hat mit seiner Behauptung, durch Bücher könne man sich nicht verbessern - durch die ausführliche Analyse seiner eigenen Partien jedoch schon, und zwar allein dadurch. Aber das ist ein anderes Thema! Lässige vier Punkte für Jacob Aagaard, mit einem klaren Potential für fünf!

An excellent book written by a future GM. Chapter on unforced play is pure gold. He also discusses edgames and intuition