"Throughout my whole career, I have considered that solving exercises is the most effective method of preparation before a tournament. I have played hundreds of tournaments in my life, but, unfortunately, the number of really good exercise books is much smaller. Jacob Aagaard's Practical Chess Defence is one of the best of this kind I have come across. The ambitious reader should not be put off by the word 'Defence' in the title, since anticipating the opponent's defensive resources is essential for the attacking player. By solving the 200 carefully selected exercises (including those from the 'Warming Up' section, which are not trivial at all!) the reader will be helped to increase his calculating powers. The short introductory comments (sometimes amusing, sometimes instructive) placed below each diagram add colour to this excellent book." GM Mihail Marin

"An excellent collection of exercises. Useful for everybody, even the absolute best." Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen, second of World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the world?s highest rated player, Magnus Carlsen.

"Highly recommended!" John Elburg (full review)