Excelling at Chess Calculation

by Jacob Aagaard

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 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
*A crucial guide to the skill of chess calculation
*Ideal for both club and tournament players
*Written by a renowned chess coach and author

Genres: Chess

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ryzecx · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure it isn't the best book about calculation, although it illustrates some important concepts. But it uses so many truisms, like: "When must you calculate?" "When the position requires it." "How can you recognize when you have to calculate?" "You have to develop a feeling for critical moments."


The only things I got from this book are some crazy candidate exercises (which show why they are so important while calculating) and the technique of stepping stones (I didn't know about it, and I asked a GM if GMs use it, and he told me that they do).

I've already read a review about the book when I was going to do the exercises that says that "even Aagaard said that the exercises from this book are useless". He wasn't lying. They are obviously good material, but that's it. With them, you won't improve your calculation nor your precision, but you will have to stress out while doing an exercise from Fritz.

[Jim]

this is the first book mentioned to read on Quality Chess How to read Jacob's book. http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessc...