Chess book review, GM Preparation: Positional Play, Jacob Aagaard
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GM Preparation: Positional Play

Jacob Aagaard

Difficulty: Intermediate, Advanced, Master

Category: Middlegame

Readability: 4/10

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How difficult it is to read the book without using a board. A book with 10/10 readability is a bedtime story, a book with 1/10 is a puzzle book full of variations. Readability doesn’t represent the quality of the book.

Usefulness: 10/10

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Usefulness is a measure of how useful the book is for chess improvement within the topic it covers. Books with a high usefulness score should help you improve quicker than those with a low score.
Positional Play came about because Jacob had a collection of training positions he had used while working with Boris Gelfand during his world championship cycle in 2008/2009. In Aagaard’s opinion, it’s the most original of the 5 workbooks in the series. It was an eye opener for me. It was probably the chess book that had the most influence on my thinking and training. The basic idea behind the book is Aagaard’s famous three questions: Where are the weaknesses? What’s the worst placed piece? What does my opponent want to do? Positional Play is not meant for beginners, but for advanced players with a library of chess knowledge they can draw from when asking the correct questions about a position.
  • 2013
  • Quality Chess
  • Jacob Aagaard
  • Pages: 312
  • Physical

GM Preparation: Positional Play is the second book in Jacob Aagaard’s GM Preparation series. Same as Calculation, the first book in the series, it came about because Jacob had a collection of training positions he had used while working with Boris Gelfand during his world championship cycle in 2008/2009.

All the material in the book is what Gelfand has been solving when training for the World Cup, the Candidates, and the world championship match. In Aagaard’s opinion, it’s the most original of the 5 workbooks in the series.

Let us make a distinction between Strategic play and Positional play, both as chess concepts and books in the series. According to Aagaard, there is no difference when it comes to the two books and the material presented. Strategic play features slightly more advanced positions, but they are similar in nature. Positional play does not mean pawn play, nor does strategic play refer to piece play.

GM Preparation: Positional Play was an eye opener for me. It was probably the chess book that had the most influence on my thinking and training.

The basic idea behind the book is Aagaard’s three questions. I have made a video on those questions, I have used them while training, playing over the board, and teaching my students. I think they are revolutionary if you learn how to apply them. They are: Where are the weaknesses? What’s the worst placed piece? What does my opponent want to do?

As Aagaard puts it: “We are good at finding answers, but finding out what the correct question is is often the problem.”

His three questions are the result of his coaching work over more than a decade. They are the essence of any chess position. You answer them and you know what’s going on with the structure, with the pieces, and in your opponent’s position.

The book doesn’t teach you how to answer them, though. It’s not meant for beginners, but for advanced players with a library of chess knowledge they can draw from when asking the correct questions about a position.

The three questions are how the book is divided. A chapter devoted to each question, with many problems accompanying each. GM Preparation: Positional Play is a workbook, not an easy read but a book you solve your way through.

The solutions to the problems are well written and they explain the ideas well, which is the most important part of a puzzle book, and they do that without going over a million lines you will have a hard time following.

Jacob said in our interview that this is the only book in the series he wouldn’t want to update. Personally, I can say that this may be my favorite chess book. If you are an advanced player, this is definitely a must-read.