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

Carlsen's king

4/7/2026 – Carlsen's king: Dangerous passed pawns are often mighty in an endgame. Here the question is, which direction should White's king take to secure the draw?: White to move and draw.
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The rook's pawn is the worst enemy of the knight

3/31/2026 – The rook's pawn is the worst enemy of the knight: As the edge of the board is so near a knight often has problems to deal with a rook's pawn: White to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #325: Viktor Korchnoi

3/27/2026 – Karsten pays tribute to Viktor Korchnoi who would have turned 95 this week.. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Double check the check

3/24/2026 – Double check the check: Rook endings have a large drawish tendency, but Black's last check was a fatal mistake: White to move and win.
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Black knight's knightmare

3/17/2026 – Black knight's knightmare: In the fight bishop against knight the bishop often wants dynamics: White to move and win.
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Deep domination duel

3/10/2026 – Deep domination duel: The fight rook against bishop can be very subtle: White to move and win.
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The knight's knightmare

3/3/2026 – The knight's knightmare: Knights are concrete pieces. Sometimes they can work wonders and sometimes they can be outfoxed: Black to move and win.
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Racing rook's pawns

2/24/2026 – Racing rook's pawns: Should Black run or should he try to stop White's pawn majority?: Black to move and win.
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Miracle move

2/17/2026 – Miracle move: Usually rook endings have a large drawish tendency. But pawn races are different. But here Black is saved by a miracle as queen and g-pawn vs queen is often drawn: Black to move and draw.
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Endgame Magic #324: Highlights from Tata Steel with Sipke Ernst Part 2

2/10/2026 – Sipke and Karsten show one endgame highlight from the Tata Steel rapid tournament. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Check promotion

2/10/2026 – Check promotion: Pure opposite colored bishop endings have a large drawish tendency. But the race of passed pawns is of a different nature: White to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #323: Highlights from Tata Steel with Sipke Ernst Part 1

2/5/2026 – Sipke and Karsten show one endgame highlight from the Tata Steel rapid tournament. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

White's knight's knightmare

2/3/2026 – White's knight's knightmare: The fight bishop against knight can be deep: Black to move and win.
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The knight hunt

1/27/2026 – The knight hunt: In a pure endgame a rook usually is much stronger than a knight: Black to move and win.
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Endgame Magic #322: Highlights from 2025 Part 2

1/23/2026 – Karsten shows 5 endgame highlights from the last year. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Pawn waves and walls

1/20/2026 – Pawn waves and walls: King activity is often crucially important in an endgame: Black to move and draw.
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King safety first

1/13/2026 – King safety first: Passed pawns are often powerful in an endgame, but sometimes there are other priorities: White to move and win.
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Black knight`s knightmare

1/6/2026 – Black knight's knightmare: Sometimes a small tactic decides: White to move and win.
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