All rook endings are drawn

by Karsten Müller
9/26/2023 – Rook endings have drawish tendencies, and sometimes even the chance to get a new queen does not help the better side. In the diagram position it is Black who has to fight for a draw. What did he do to show that it is difficult to win rook endings?
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 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 c5 13.d5 c4 14.Nf1 Qc7 15.g4 Rfb8 16.Ng3 Bc8 17.Bd2 a5 18.a3 Nc5 19.Kg2 Na6 20.Rh1 b4 21.axb4 axb4 22.cxb4 Rb6 23.g5 Nd7 24.Nf5 Bd8 25.N3h4 Nf8 26.Nxg7 Kxg7 27.Qh5 Qb7 28.Kh2 Kg8 29.Qh6 Ng6 30.Nf5 Bxf5 31.exf5 Be7 32.fxg6 fxg6 33.Be4 Bf8 34.Qh4 Nxb4 35.Rxa8 Qxa8 36.Rc1 Na6 37.Rxc4 Rxb2 38.Be3 Rb4 39.Rc6 Ra4 40.Qg4 Qe8 41.Bxg6 Rxg4 42.Bxe8 Ra4 43.Bd7 Ra5 44.Be6+ Kg7 45.Bb6 Ra2 46.Bd8 Kg6 47.Bf6 h6 48.h4 hxg5 49.hxg5 Nc5 50.Rc8 Bg7 51.Bxg7 Kxg7 52.Kg2 Nxe6 53.dxe6 All rook endings are drawn Rook endings have drawish tendencies, and sometimes even the chance to get a new queen does not help the better side. In the diagram position it is Black who has to fight for a draw. What did he do to show that it is difficult to win rook endings?
Black to move and draw
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gavrilescu,D2535Winkelman,A2227½–½2023C9523rd Dubai Open-A 20233.28

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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gwrtheyrn gwrtheyrn 9/28/2023 12:25
54.Re8 looked like a more dangerous try to the naked eye, but that fortress seems unvanquishable!
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