A matter of (good) technique

by Karsten Müller
3/19/2024 – Usually knight and bishop are stronger than a rook. However, you have to coordinate them well. In the diagram position it is Black to move and win. What should he 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.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.a3 Bd6 8.Qc2 c6 9.Nge2 Re8 10.Bd2 Nbd7 11.f3 c5 12.h4 Nb6 13.g4 Nc4 14.Bxc4 dxc4 15.d5 Rb8 16.h5 b5 17.g5 Nd7 18.f4 Bf8 19.h6 g6 20.Rd1 Nb6 21.Kf2 b4 22.Ne4 Bf5 23.N2g3 Rxe4 24.Nxe4 Qe7 25.Nf6+ Qxf6 26.e4 Qd4+ 27.Kf3 Qxd5 28.Bxb4 Bxe4+ 29.Qxe4 Qxe4+ 30.Kxe4 cxb4 31.axb4 Bxb4 32.Rd4 Bc5 33.Rd2 Bb4 34.Rd4 Bc5 35.Rd2 f5+ 36.gxf6 Kf7 37.Ra1 Rb7 38.Rd8 Kxf6 39.Ra6 Re7+ 40.Kf3 Kf7 41.Rh8 Ke6 42.Ra8 Bd4 43.R8xa7 Rxa7 44.Rxa7 A matter of (good) technique Usually knight and bishop are stronger than a rook. However, you have to coordinate them well. In the diagram position it is Black to move and win. What should he do?
Black to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Donchenko,A2643Gukesh D27250–12024E4886th Tata Steel Masters 202410.5

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.

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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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