Karsten Müller is considered to be one of the greatest endgame experts in the world. His books on the endgame - among them "Fundamentals of Chess Endings", co-authored with Frank Lamprecht, that helped to improve Magnus Carlsen's endgame knowledge - and his endgame columns for the ChessCafe website and the ChessBase Magazine helped to establish and to confirm this reputation. Karsten's Fritztrainer DVDs on the endgame are bestsellers. The mathematician with a PhD lives in Hamburg, and for more than 25 years he has been scoring points for the Hamburger Schachklub (HSK) in the Bundesliga.
3/12/2024 – Knights are tricky pieces. In the diagram position White's knight is on the rim and White's king feels somewhat uncomfortable. However, White has a strong passed pawn on g5 and a passed pawn on the h-file that can become strong, and it is Black who has to fight for a draw. What should he do to save half a point?
3/5/2024 – Knowing when to exchange and when not to exchange is often crucial in endgames. In the diagram position it is White to move - should he exchange rooks on c3 or should he not?
2/27/2024 – Rook endings might have large drawish tendencies, but they are often difficult to hold. In the diagram position, White is a pawn down, but can still draw. How?
2/20/2024 – Knight and bishop are stronger than a rook, but the rook is by no means helpless. In the diagram position it is Black to move and draw. What should he do?
2/13/2024 – In endgames, knights are often surprisingly helpless against a rook. In the diagram position, White is an exchange down, but seems to be close to a draw because only two black pawns remain on the board. However, Black has a way to win - what should he do?
2/12/2024 – In the Endgame Magic Show #261 Karsten Müller continues to take a look at endgame highlights from the tournament in Wijk aan Zee. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.
2/7/2024 – In the Endgame Magic Show #260 Karsten Müller and his guest Grandmaster Daniel Fernandez take a look at some endgame highlights from the tournament in Wijk aan Zee. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.
2/6/2024 – Passed pawns can be dangerous and often lead to tactical opportunities. In the diagram position it is White to move and win. What should he do?
1/31/2024 – Last week we asked you to help us solve a historical riddle. Game 3 of the 1972 match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky left many open questions and new discoveries to be made. Charles Sullivan, Wolfram Schön, Zoran Petronijevic helped Karsten Müller resolve the riddles — and it turns out that Spassky could have held a draw!
1/25/2024 – Game 3 of the 1972 match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky has been analysed countless times. But there are still many open questions and new discoveries to be made. Karsten Müller invites you to help him solve the riddles emerging from this fascinating, historic encounter.
1/23/2024 – Passed pawns often lead to tactics that require precise calculation. In the diagram position it is White to move and draw. How can White use the power of his passed pawns?
1/16/2024 – Positions, in which both sides have a queen and a rook combine elements of the endgame and the middlegame. In the diagram position, which is from a game between Pranesh vs Carlsen, played at the Qatar Masters, White could have used both to win. However, Pranesh missed this chance. Can you do better?
1/10/2024 – The thirteenth edition of the London Chess Classic saw 52-year-old Michael Adams becoming the first Englishman to win the now traditional tournament. Shreyas Royal (pictured with his father), at 14, collected his second GM norm, and showed excellent endgame technique when required. GM Karsten Müller selected some of the most instructive endgame positions to share with us, including a couple by the youngster of Indian origin. | Photo: London Chess Classic
1/9/2024 – This famous dictum by Dr. Tarrasch is a (very) good rule of thumb in rook endings and valid for the attacker and the defender. In the diagram position it is Black to move and win. What should he do?
1/2/2024 – The diagram shows a position from a game Vincent Keymer and Magnus Carlsen played at the World Cup in Baku 2023. It is Black to move and win. In the game, Carlsen missed this chance - can you do better?
12/29/2023 – Karsten Müller is both an endgame expert and a major enthusiast of the final phases of a chess battle. Here he presents the 10 top endgames of the year, a selection of the most interesting and substantial positions seen on the board throughout 2023!
12/26/2023 – In the diagram position it is White to move and win. White is a pawn up and has dangerous passed pawns, but the black pieces are active while the white bishop is rather clumsy. Do you see a way for White to let the bishop join the action and win the game?
This Fritztrainer offers you the perfect addition to any Sicilian or Najdorf repertoire, and covers all the minor variations that White has tried to avoid the open Sicilian.
The Powerbook Philidor Defence 2024 is based on 33,000 computer games from the engine room of Schach.de as well as 21,000 games from Mega and correspondence chess.
Philidor Defence Powerbase 2024 is a database and contains a total of 4561 games from the Mega 2024 and the Correspondence Database 2024, 269 of which are annotated.
This Fritztrainer offers you the perfect addition to any Sicilian or Najdorf repertoire, and covers all the minor variations that White has tried to avoid the open Sicilian.
The Powerbook Philidor Defence 2024 is based on 33,000 computer games from the engine room of Schach.de as well as 21,000 games from Mega and correspondence chess.
Philidor Defence Powerbase 2024 is a database and contains a total of 4561 games from the Mega 2024 and the Correspondence Database 2024, 269 of which are annotated.
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