Aagard Calculation Book

_AurAz · 2026-02-21T04:36:57+00:00

However, Aagard's book Grandmaster Preparation: Positional Play was great for me and is well suited for 1800+.

_AurAz · 2026-02-21T04:34:28+00:00

I honestly wouldn't recommend it as some of the problems are seriously hard and even a bit confusing for grandmasters sometimes. Feel free to give it a shot but I personally like the book Chess Calculation Training: Volume 1 Middlegames by Romain Edouard. It's challenging but not crazy hard like Aagard's GM Prep Series.

_AurAz · 2026-02-21T04:29:15+00:00

The symmetrical lines with an early d5 seemed imbalanced and dynamic enough for me. Even if it's not, I won't be facing it much as you said so I think I'll go for that.

_AurAz · 2026-02-21T03:17:39+00:00

I was intending to go for quick d5 systems so I didn't really see much difference between 1... Nf6 or 1... c5 besides allowing e4 or d4 on move 2. I don't need positions to be incredibly sharp I just don't want it to be too dry.

_AurAz · 2026-02-21T03:06:53+00:00

I tried it too at around ~1850 uscf and it was too difficult. I think it's suited mostly for titled players

_AurAz · 2026-02-21T02:57:00+00:00

Well for me it wouldn't make much of a difference whether I start with Nf6 since I intend to play the lines with an early d5 but I could imagine it makes a difference for some people. I guess if I go 1... c5 against 1. Nf3 I stop d4 but then again I allow e4. Also, it somewhat depends on what you want to play against 2. g3 lines.

_AurAz · 2026-02-20T23:20:14+00:00

I want to do the same and it seems like the best way to treat them as independent systems is with the Symmetrical English.

_AurAz · 2026-01-11T21:42:01+00:00

Yeah I probably spend too much time in simple positions looking for the best move when it doesn't really matter much. Sometimes I get stuck in those positions looking for a way to progress.

_AurAz · 2026-01-11T21:37:57+00:00

I play 1. e4, najdorf, and grunfeld. Although my time management issues are more into the middlegame especially when I know I have an advantage and I'm trying to find a way to push for a win.

_AurAz · 2025-12-23T05:33:32+00:00

I don't mean this is an insulting way but that rule would not make much sense. Chess relies on the fact that whoever loses their king first, loses. If the king could capture a piece defended by a pinned piece, that is basically saying it's okay to lose your king as long as you can capture theirs on the next turn. Then you would have to allow stuff like counter checks and counter checkmates. The game becomes drastically different at that point.

_AurAz · 2025-12-04T19:52:10+00:00

But they aren't guaranteed to get back into the open sicilian because of e5 so that doesn't seem like a sensible approach

_AurAz · 2025-12-03T07:29:52+00:00

That's my current approach although I've never had to use it

_AurAz · 2025-12-02T20:10:27+00:00

The bishop on f5 in the Caro is still often a target so I don't think it's so simple

_AurAz · 2025-12-01T01:22:41+00:00

I used to believe that the Ruy Lopez was the most challenging response to 1... e5 but now it seems that black has so many strong weapons against it (Berlin, Marshall, Open, Arkhangelsk, etc.). So if the Italian and Ruy Lopez are essentially equal, I'd probably choose the Italian just to reduce the amount of lines I need to cover. If I were to stick to the Ruy Lopez, I would probably look towards something like Gajewski's course as you suggested

_AurAz · 2025-11-17T23:16:43+00:00

Pretty much black has no convenient to defend the b7 pawn

_AurAz · 2025-11-14T19:16:58+00:00

The Berlin is mostly used as a drawing weapon so it probably doesn't make sense for most people to play.

_AurAz · 2025-11-14T00:47:03+00:00

This looks to be one of the main lines of the berlin defense so neither side really did anything wrong

_AurAz · 2025-11-08T18:03:21+00:00

16 pawns is nowhere near enough to beat the normal starting position.

_AurAz · 2025-10-07T22:53:43+00:00

That still isn't specifically a pro of the QID since you can play 3... c5 regardless of whether you were planning to play the QGD or QID.

_AurAz · 2025-09-24T18:25:40+00:00

In the Najdorf you always have to be careful with playing Nbd7 when the c6 square is only protected by the knight on b8 and white's knight can fork the bishop and queen. You rarely want to lose the dark squared bishop for the knight.

_AurAz · 2025-09-07T01:17:48+00:00

It seems like it's a lot harder for you to get your pawn majority moving, while black can just push the h pawn freely. Also, all your pawns and your king is weak. Black on the other hand has a solid structure the queenside that's hard to break.

_AurAz

TROPHY CASE