Karsten Müller

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.

Recent news

The bishop blocks the road

8/4/2026 – The bishop blocks the road: Pure opposite colored bishop endings have a large drawish tendency. So Black's way to win is very narrow: Black to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #333: Two deep endgames

8/3/2026 – Karsten shows 2 deep recent endgames. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Good knight bad bishop

7/28/2026 – Good knight bad bishop: Sometimes bad bishops can work wonders: Black to move and draw.
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Mate out of the blue

7/21/2026 – Mate out of the blue: Mating attacks do happen in endgames: Black to move and win.
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Free the rook

7/14/2026 – Free the rook: In an endgame a rook usually is much stronger than a minor piece: White to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #332: A special move

7/9/2026 – Karsten shows 2 recent endgames with one "favorite" move. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Black's knight's knightmare

7/7/2026 – Black's knight's knightmare: The duel bishop against knight can be deep. As defender the knight often wants to construct a fortress: Black to move and draw.
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A light initiative weighs heavily

6/30/2026 – A light initiative weighs heavily: This is the main guideline in the endgame rook and knight against rook and knight: White to move and win.
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Carlsen's king

6/23/2026 – Carlsen's king: The fight bishop against knight can be deep: White to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #331 with Arne Kaehler

6/23/2026 – Arne and Karsten show 3 endgames from the European Women Champhionship. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Endgame Magic #330 with Arne Kaehler

6/16/2026 – Arne and Karsten show 2 bishop against knight fights. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Rook and knight dominate the fight

6/16/2026 – Rook and knight dominate the fight: Sometimes a small army can create a strong attack: White to move and win.
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Backwards is the way forward

6/9/2026 – Backwards is the way forward: In an endgame the king usually should be activated: White to move and win.
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Counterplay counts

6/2/2026 – Counterplay counts: Queen and knight can often drum up a dangerous attack: White to move and draw.
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A light initiative weighs heavily

5/26/2026 – A light initiative weighs heavily: This is the main guideline in the endgame rook and knight against rook and knight: Black to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #329: Andy Woodward

5/19/2026 – Andy and Karsten show 2 attacking highlights. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Black's busy bishop

5/19/2026 – Black's busy bishop: Same colored bishop endings can be deep: Black to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #328: King activity is important

5/12/2026 – Karsten looks at 3 endgames by Leon Luke Mendonca and emphasises the importance of this principle. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.
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