Mastering Chess Defence by Johan Hellsten

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.

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.

Johan Hellsten is a Grandmaster, a former Swedish Champion and a European Team Championship individual gold medalist. He's a renowned chess teacher and award-winning author with his trilogy: Mastering Chess Strategy, Mastering Opening Strategy and Mastering Endgame Strategy.

Reviews

Sean Marsh (CHESS magazine)
“Defence is never going to be the most sexy topic, but it is an important one, as well as one unsurprisingly well covered by Hellsten.”

ISBN : 9789083483368
Pages : 440
Publication date : Jun 25, 2025
Publisher : New In Chess