A magical knight

by Karsten Müller
5/4/2021 – The diagram position looks pretty bad for Black. He has a passed pawn that is close to queening and he is to move but White has the nasty threat of 55.Rd8+ that is hard to parry. But Black's knight can do some magic and save the game. What should Black do?
Let endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller show and explain the finesses of the world champions. Although they had different styles each and every one of them played the endgame exceptionally well, so take the opportunity to enjoy and learn from some of the best endgames in the history of chess.
 
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.c3 Nd7 7.0-0 c5 8.dxc5 Nxc5 9.Nd4 a6 10.Nxf5 Nxf5 11.Nd2 Ne7 12.Nf3 Nc6 13.h4 Be7 14.h5 h6 15.Bf4 Qb6 16.b4 Ne4 17.Rc1 Ng5 18.Nd2 Qc7 19.Bh2 Rd8 20.f4 Ne4 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.Qc2 e3 23.Qe4 Rd2 24.Qxe3 Rxa2 25.Bd3 a5 26.Kh1 Rb2 27.b5 Nb8 28.Qg3 0-0 29.Qe3 Nd7 30.Qe4 f5 31.exf6 Nxf6 32.Qxe6+ Kh8 33.Bg6 Bc5 34.f5 Qd8 35.Rcd1 Rd2 36.Qe1 Rxd1 37.Qxd1 Qxd1 38.Rxd1 a4 39.Bg1 Bxg1 40.Kxg1 a3 41.Ra1 Ra8 42.c4 Nd7 43.c5 Nxc5 44.Bf7 b6 45.Bd5 Rd8 46.Bc4 Rd4 47.Bf7 Rd7 48.Bc4 Ra7 49.Bd5 Nd3 50.Bc4 Nb4 51.Kf2 Rc7 52.Be6 a2 53.Rd1 Rc2+ 54.Ke3 The diagram position looks pretty bad for Black. He has a passed pawn that is close to queening and he is to move but White has the nasty threat of 55.Rd8+ that is hard to parry. But Black's knight can do some magic and save the game. What should Black do?
Black to move and draw
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gukesh D2563Mitrabha,G24451–02021B12Vidit Chess Tour 20212.1

Endgame theory constitutes the foundation of chess. You realize this in striking clarity once you obtain a won endgame but in the end have to be content with a draw in the end because of a lack of necessary know-how. Such accidents can only be prevented by building up a solid endgame technique. This is Karsten Müller‘s fi rst DVD and the grandmaster from Hamburg and endgame expert, here lays the foundation for acquiring such a technique. The fi rst part of his training series can be started without any endgame knowledge, only a knowledge of the rules of chess is assumed.

Karsten Mueller in ChessBase Magazine

Do you like these lessons? There are plenty more by internationally renowned endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller in ChessBase Magazine, where you will also find openings articles and surveys, tactics, and of course annotations by the world's top grandmasters.

ChessBase Magazine #200

 

ChessBase Magazine Extra #199

 

Apart from his regular columns and video lectures in ChessBase Magazine there is a whole series of training DVDs by Karsten Mueller, which are bestsellers in the ChessBase Shop.

Karsten Mueller

Karsten Mueller regularly presents endgame lessons in the ChessBase Video Portal

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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.

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