How to Defend in Chess: Learn from the World Champions

A while back I studied Vukovic's The Art of Attack and discussed it on this blog. I was hoping for someone to join me but as I recall I was the lone member of the A of A bookclub. 8) All in all it was time well spent.

I'm turning the tables and now studying Colin Crouch's book How to Defend in Chess: Learn from the World Champions . This is a study of defense using mostly Lasker and Petrosian games with other players games thrown in as suplementary games . http://www.chessgames.com/ had all but two of the games . I created this game collection . Although I enjoy an attacking style, I appreciate good defense and need to understand how to best defend bad positions.

So here we go. Crouch points out that it's important to win games; it's equally important not to lose them.

He writes in his preface: It's now well understood that an advantage may be genuine enough but insuficient to force a win against good play. For the player with the worst situation to carry such a position through to safety is the very basis of sophisticated defensive technique.

I want to be that guy........