Counterplay counts

by Karsten Müller
12/31/2024 – The duel knight against bishop is often difficult and complicated but in general bishops prefer dynamic positions while knights like static positions. In the diagram position Black is better, but White can hold. How?
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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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,184,21554%2421---
1.d4958,93255%2434---
1.Nf3286,32756%2441---
1.c4184,72256%2443---
1.g319,88456%2427---
1.b314,59854%2428---
1.f45,95348%2377---
1.Nc33,90650%2384---
1.b41,79048%2378---
1.a31,25054%2406---
1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446654%2382---
1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 5.c3 f6 6.d4 d5 7.Nbd2 Bg4 8.exd5 Qxd5 9.Bb3 Qd7 10.dxe5 0-0-0 11.h3 Bf5 12.e6 Bxe6 13.Bxe6 Qxe6+ 14.Qe2 Qd7 15.0-0 Nd5 16.Ne4 f5 17.Ng3 g6 18.c4 Ndb4 19.a3 Re8 20.Qd2 Qxd2 21.Bxd2 Nc2 22.Rac1 N2d4 23.Nxd4 Nxd4 24.Bc3 Bg7 25.Rfe1 c5 26.Kf1 Kc7 27.Ne2 Re4 28.f3 Rxe2 29.Rxe2 Nxe2 30.Bxg7 Nxc1 31.Bxh8 Kc6 32.g4 b5 33.cxb5+ Kxb5 34.gxf5 gxf5 35.Ke1 Nd3+ 36.Kd2 Nf4 37.h4 Kc4 38.Be5 Ne6 39.h5 a5 40.h6 a4 Counterplay counts The duel knight against bishop is often difficult and complicated but in general bishops prefer dynamic positions while knights like startic positions. In the diagram position Black is better, but White can hold. How?
White to move and draw
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vaishali,R2490Pranav,V26020–1 C70Chennai GM Challengers 20244.3

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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