Mastering Chess Defence

Study brings wisdom. Practice brings perfection.

Johan Hellsten

• Publisher: New in Chess
• eBook ISBN:
  9789083483429
• Year: 2025

All chess players know that they need to study tactics, calculation, endgames, and openings, but when it comes to defense, far too many wait until they're under pressure. The truth is that more games are lost because of defensive mistakes than strategic ones. By improving your defense, you could do more for your win rate than perhaps any other area of chess study. Mastering Chess Defence by GM Johan Hellsten is the training program you need to be prepared and defend against attacks, both in the short and long term. Inside are 31 chapters that form a compendium of all the defensive skills you need to learn. Specifically, you'll learn to: •Deflect successfully with material •Create counterthreats - the best defense is a good offense •Exploit the back rank as a defensive measure •Learn the risks of materialism - to grab material or not to grab? •Find safety on flight squares •Find "lifelines" that allow you to escape from the seemingly inescapable This is the most comprehensive modern book on defensive techniques, with hundreds of instructive examples and dozens of exercises. Strategic mastermind Johan Hellsten teaches you to defend at a master level.

Table of contents

• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Explanation of symbols
• Preface
• Introduction
• A personal connection
• Chapter 1 Detecting the threat
• Chapter 2 Intermediate moves
• Chapter 3 Counterthreats
• Chapter 4 The back-rank motif
• Chapter 5 Perpetuals
• Chapter 6 Obstruction
• Chapter 7 Distraction
• Chapter 8 Using pins
• Chapter 9 Making space
• Chapter 10 The king move
• Chapter 11 Smart defence
• Chapter 12 The lifeline
• Chapter 13 Giving back material
• Chapter 14 Tricks
• Chapter 15 The process of elimination
• Chapter 16 Secrets
• Chapter 17 Heroic defence
• Chapter 18 Attacking methods 1
• Chapter 19 Attacking methods 2
• Chapter 20 Mobilization
• Chapter 21 Defensive exchanges
• Chapter 22 Prophylaxis
• Chapter 23 Blockade
• Chapter 24 The brave king
• Chapter 25 Defensive sacrifices
• Chapter 26 Defensive pawn breaks
• Chapter 27 Dealing with sacrifices
• Chapter 28 Counterattacks
• Chapter 29 The risk of materialism
• Chapter 30 Positional defence
• Chapter 31 Revolution
• Index of names
• Bibliography