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

Knight magic

9/15/2026 – Knight magic: Knight sacrifices happen from time to time in knight endgames: White to move and draw.
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Endgame Magic #337: A light initiative weighs heavily

9/14/2026 – Karsten shows two exampels of this main guideline for the endgame rook and knight against rook and knight. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Endgame Magic #336: Two Erigaisi endgames

9/8/2026 – Karsten shows two endgames from Chennai.| You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Endgame Magic #335: Three endgames from Croatia 2026

8/17/2026 – Karsten shows 3 endgames from rapid games. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Endgame Magic #334: Three easy endgames

8/10/2026 – Karsten shows 3 endgames from Biel. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

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.

Giri's stroke of genius

9/8/2026 – Giri's stroke of genius: A rook usually wants to be active: Black to move and draw.
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The lawn mower mate

9/1/2026 – The lawn mower mate: Two rooks are a strong attacking force: White to move and win.
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Dance of the kings

8/25/2026 – Dance of the kings: Pawn endings should be calculated precisely: White to move and draw.
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The power of the bishops

8/18/2026 – The power of the bishops: In an endgame the bishop pair is often as strong as rook and knight: White to move and win.
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Opening the king's road

8/11/2026 – Opening the king's road: Sometimes pawn walls block the way. But often they can be broken: White to move and win.
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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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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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