Finding the right time

by Karsten Müller
9/13/2016 – Every week ChessBase magazine author and renowned endgame expert Karsten Müller presents a remarkable or particularly instructive endgame in his blog. A click on the diagram opens a larger board. Test your endgame skills, improve and have fun!
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Training Position
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.c3 e5 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Ngf3 exd4 7.Bc4 Qh5 8.0-0 Bg4 9.Qb3 Na5 10.Bxf7+ Qxf7 11.Qxf7+ Kxf7 12.Ne5+ Ke6 13.Nxg4 Nc6 14.Ne4 Kf5 15.f3 h5 16.Ngf2 Nf6 17.Nxf6 gxf6 18.Ne4 dxc3 19.bxc3 Rd8 20.Be3 Rd3 21.Kf2 Be7 22.Rfd1 Ne5 23.Rxd3 Nxd3+ 24.Ke2 Nf4+ 25.Bxf4 Kxf4 26.Rb1 b6 27.Rd1 Rd8 28.Rxd8 Bxd8 29.g3+ Ke5 30.Kd3 b5 31.h3 Be7 32.f4+ Kd5 33.g4 hxg4 34.hxg4 c5 35.g5 f5 36.Ng3 c4+ 37.Kc2 Ke6 38.Nh5 Kf7 39.Ng3 Bd6 40.Nxf5 Bxf4 41.Nd4 a6 42.Nf3 Kg6 43.Kb2 Bxg5 44.a4 Bf6 45.axb5 axb5 46.Kc2 Kf5 47.Nd2 Kf4 48.Nb1 Be7 49.Nd2 Bd6 50.Nb1 Ke4 51.Nd2+ Kd5 52.Nb1 Bf4 53.Na3 Kc5 54.Nb1 Kb6 55.Na3 Ka5 56.Nb1 Ka4 57.Kb2 Bg5 58.Kc2 Bf6 59.Nd2 Ka3 60.Ne4 Be5 61.Nd2 Bf4 62.Ne4 Ka4 63.Nc5+ Ka5 64.Ne4 Kb6 65.Nf2 Kc6 66.Ne4 Kd5 67.Nf6+ Ke5 68.Nd7+ Ke6 69.Nc5+ Kd5 70.Nd7 Be5 71.Nb6+ Kc6 72.Nc8 Bf6 73.Na7+ Kc5 74.Nc8 Bg5 75.Kb1 Bh6 76.Ne7 Bg5 77.Nf5 Kd5 78.Kc2 Bf4 79.Nh4 Ke4 80.Ng6 Bd6 81.Nh4 Kf4 82.Ng2+ Kf3 83.Nh4+ Kg4 84.Ng2 Bf4 85.Kd1 Kg3 86.Ne1 Bd6 87.Nc2 Bc5 88.Ke2 Kf4 89.Ke1 Kf3 90.Kd2 Ke4 91.Ke2 Be7 92.Nd4 b4 The duel knight against bishop requires precision:
White to move draws
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ruether,M1793Ferster,F21700–12016C04Werner-Ott-Open 20161.12

 

Karsten Müller 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.

Click to go to the ChessBase Magazine page

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

 

ChessBase Magazine #173 (August/September)


 

The editor’s top ten:

1. The Italian is back “in”: Peter Heine Nielsen explains his protégé Magnus Carlsen’s winning strategy in Carlsen - Anand.
2. Mate in 7! The new European champion Ernesto Inarkiev annotates his “most beautiful game” on the way to the title: Inarkiev - Svetushkin
3. „Play like Viktor the Terrible”! Find, along with GM Williams, brilliant moves by the recently deceased chess legend (video): Move by Move
4. Mamedyarov’s first strike: enjoy one of the most exciting games from the Gashimov Memorial with the analyses of our author Valeri Bronznik.
5. That’s what technique is all about! Claus-Dieter Meyer shows how Giri could have drawn the tournament deciding rook ending against Mamedyarov.
6. Positional piece sacrifices: strategy expert Mihail Marin demonstrates copybook blows and amazing replies: Strategy (including an introduction Video)
7. Vis-à-vis in the h-file: solve Oliver Reeh’s Ffavourite combination in interactive format with video feedback.
8. 0-0 on move 36! Anand’s second of many years standing, Ganguly, shows how he drew the teeth from Shirov’s Sveshnikov Variation and triumphed brilliantly in the endgame.
9. A surprise weapon in the Najdorf: let Andrew Martin explain to you the strategic and tactical potential of the variations after 6.Qe2. (Najdorf video 6.Qe2)!
10. Queen’s Gambit par excellence: Robert Ris puts on the test bench the highly topical pawn sarifice 6.Bxc4 against the Vienna Variation.

Introductory video by Karsten Müller

 

 

Opening surveys

Havasi: Reti Opening A07
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Bf5

 

 In the second part of his suggested repertoire based on 3...Bf5 Gergö Havasi investigates white setups with d3. In the starting position White can prepare the advance e2-e4 or first play c4. Black generally equalises.

Breutigam: Reti Opening A09
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 f6 4.Na3

 

 Although Black should theoretically have no problems with the knight move, the statistics show a high success rate for White. In Martin Breutigam’s article the alternatives to 3...f6 are also looked at.

Iotov: English Opening A21
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6

 

 The move 2...d6 is linked to a simple plan: ...f5, ...Be7 and ...Nf6; as long as ...Nc6 has not been played, ...c6 (more rarely ...c5) also remains an option. White can play with or without d2-d4, but according to Valentin Iotov he should not be able to get much out of it.

Postny: English Opening A29
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5 e4 6.Nh4 0-0 7.Bg2 d6

 

 With 5...e4 (instead of 5...Bc5) Black injects some sharpness into the opening. At the candidates tournament in Moscow there were successes for both sides. According to Evgeny Postny, however, the balance should not be disturbed.

Terekhov: Sicilian Defence B48
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0-0-0 Be7 9.f3 b5 10.g4

 

 From the diagram Black can play the “old variation” 10...0-0 or with 10...Nxd4 choose the “new variation”. In his very extensive article Andrey Terekhov examines both and also sets a few test exercises.

Szabo: Sicilian Defence B76
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Bd7 10.g4 Rc8

 

 Anyone not wishing to play 9...d5, can choose the move order which leads to the diagram. As Krisztian Szabo shows in his article, by doing so Black takes a great risk. With best play on both sides White can certainly gain an advantage.

Petrov: Sicilian Defence B82
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f4 e6 7.Bd3

 

 Neither 6.f4 nor 7.Bd3 is very popular, but as Marian Petrov demonstrates in his contribution, Black needs to know what he is doing if he is not to rapidly fall behind. Probably 7...Nbd7 is the best reply.

Gavrikov: Sicilian Defence B85
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Be2 a6 7.0-0 Be7 8.f4 0-0 9.Be3 Qc7 10.a4 Nc6 11.Kh1 Re8 12.Bf3 Na5

 

 According to Viktor Gavrikov Black can equalise with 12...Na5; he is planning ...Nc4 and ...e5. The knight move has been slightly less analysed to death than e.g.12...Rb8 and 12...Bf8, but nevertheless leads to typical Scheveningen positions.

Bronznik: Chigorin Defence D07
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Nc3 e6

 

 In the 3rd part of his series on the Chigorin Defence, Valeri Bronznik examines two queen moves which are intended to exploit the absence of the opposing light-squared bishop from the queenside: 5.Qa4 and 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Qb3. Black needs to know what he is doing and play accurately.

Ris: Queen's Gambit D24
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bxc4 Nxe4 7.0-0

 

 The main line of the Vienna Variation (6.Bg5) has been analysed to great depth; the gambit 6.Bxc4 is a viable alternative. Robert Ris cannot prove an advantage for White, but nor does he see how Black should safely equalise.

Marin: Semi-Slav D45
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Be2

 

 This time Mihail Marin examines variations in which Black plays ...e5 – either immediately or after preparatory moves. The judgement of our Romanian author is a cautious one: he cannot say definitely that there is an advantage for White, but he would rather have the white pieces.

Kuzmin: Queen's Gambit D63
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf3 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 0-0 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Nbd7 8.Rc1 c5

 

 It is slightly surprising that Black is able to play 8...c5 at this juncture. Alexey Kuzmin calls it the Radulski Variation because the Bulgarian grandmaster who passed away at an early age (1972-2013) played this way. But in the meantime Kramnik too has adopted the variation in his repertoire.

Krasenkow: Grünfeld Defence D85
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bb5+ c6 8.Ba4 0-0

 

 Michal Krasenkow introduces an easy to learn plan against the early check by the white bishop. The Polish grandmaster bases this on typical Grünfeld moves, which can easily be assimilated.

CBM 173 in the ChessBase Shop

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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