Mastery in Technique

Mastery in Technique is the third work for Editorial Chessy by the already renowned chess author, coach, and Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard. His books Excelling at Chess, Excelling at Positional Chess (whose selection of the best chapters, personally chosen by the author, was published by our editorial as Maestría en Ajedrez), Excelling at Chess Calculation (Maestría en el Cálculo), and now the latest in the series, Excelling at Technical Chess, have received numerous awards and distinctions, as well as unanimous positive reviews from chess players and readers worldwide. These three books are considered his best works to date.

“And the rest is a matter of technique” is a typical phrase used in chess literature, though it often feels frustrating. The goal of engaging the reader in this work is to make converting a standard winning position into a full point, or a drawn position into a half point, a relatively straightforward task. However, it is not always so easy, and the many missed points can indicate “a lack of technique.”

In this book, Jacob Aagaard studies the valuable skill of Technique in Chess. He provides the reader with different and powerful endgame tools that every strong technical player should have in their toolkit. This list includes important abilities such as schematic thinking, domination, prevention of counterplay, the use of fortresses, and the concept of zugzwang. These tools are illustrated with deeply analyzed games that contain numerous themes. A serious study of this book will ensure the reader no longer fears the word “technique”!

The Danish author of the Four A’s, Aagaard, specially prepared 24 new technique exercises for the Spanish edition.