Karsten Müller: Topical Endgames

by Karsten Müller
9/7/2022 – Our ineffable Karsten Mueller brings this lovely set of endgames for both your entertainment and enjoyment as well as one more learning lesson. Be sure to check out how to beat a 2800 in a rook endgame, not to mention scary positions you should not be afraid of, and when sending a knight to a corner can be a saving maneuver. The last position has some aesthetic ideas that serve as the cherry on top.
Rules of thumb are the key to everything when you are having to set the correct course in a complex endgame. In this final DVD of his series on the endgame, our endgame specialist introduces you to the most important of these rules of thumb.

Using the active notation

You might be inclined to believe the game notations below are either to be just looked at and the moves played through in your mind. But as most of you know you can click on the moves to get a separate replay board, which you can resize and move to the best place on your screen. The popup board has full controls, and you can use the navigation buttons to advance the moves, as well as use an engine or save the game or position to your computer. In the engine window you can ask for multiple lines, or what the threat is, or see the positional evaluation of the position. 

Punishing passiveness

They say all rook endgames are drawn, but this truism is put to the test day in and day out by even the best players in the world. In the following quite equal endgame, Nepomniachtchi punishes Firouzja's passive approach to the position with merciless strokes that become a masterclass in rook endgame play.

 

Don't judge a book by its cover

Visually, the opening diagram for the endgame has to look not a little frightening for Black. White has two advanced connected passed pawns, the king next to them for support, and Black's king is in the crosshairs, but appearances can be deceiving as both GM Sadhwani and Karsten Mueller demonstrate. 

 

In over 4 hours in front of the camera, Karsten Müller presents to you sensations from the world of endgames - partly reaching far beyond standard techniques and rules of thumb - and rounds off with some cases of with own examples.

Knightmare

The classic fight between knight and bishop should have ended in a draw with more than one path to equality. Perhaps the most astonishing analysis is how a trip to the corner by the knight was also a possibility, but the magic is in how it pulls this trick off. The real lesson here: any move can be possible so long as there is a solid plan behind it.

 

Battle of the Zwischenzugs

This cute finale starts with black and white trying to outfinesse each other, but the deciding zwischenzugs by each player end in Black's favor. A very pretty sequence to wrap things up.

 

 

Here are all the above endgames in our traditional player:

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 a6 6.0-0 Nc6 7.Qc2 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 Qxd4 9.Nd2 c3 10.bxc3 Qc5 11.Ne4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4 Bd6 13.Rb1 f5 14.Bg2 0-0 15.Be3 Qa5 16.c4 f4 17.Bd4 Be5 18.Qb2 Bxd4 19.Qxd4 e5 20.Qd5+ Qxd5 21.Bxd5+ Kh8 22.Bxb7 Rb8 23.Bxc8 Rfxc8 24.Rfd1 Kg8 25.Rxb8 Rxb8 26.Rd5
After a good play from both sides, we have an approximately even rook endgame. Both sides have active Rooks and both sides have weak pawns. Still, Black should be careful, because he has more weak pawns. He should play one precise move and the position will transpose to a draw. 26...Rb4? A pseudo an active move that causes Black serious problems. White has a clear advantage due to a better pawn structure. Still, even after this clear mistake, Black has a good chance to hold. Much easier was 26...fxg3 27.hxg3 27.fxg3 leads to an even play after Rb4 28.Rc5 Kf7! 29.Rxc7+ Kf6 30.Rc6+ Kf5 31.Rxa6 Rxc4 32.Kf2 h5 33.h4 Rc3 Black is too active and he makes a draw easily. 27...e4 28.Rd4 Rb2 29.Rxe4 Rxa2 with an even play. 27.Rxe5 fxg3 28.hxg3 Rxc4 29.Ra5
White's the best chance: he attacks Black's weak pawn. 29...Rc6?! One more bad idea: this move is passive. Better was an active decision 29...Rc2! 30.Kf1 c5 searching for an active counterplay. The possible line is: 31.f4 h5 32.Kf2 g6 33.Rxa6 Kg7 34.Ra7+ Kh6 35.Kf3 c4! Black's idea is to trade his c pawn for White's a pawn, thus reaching 3 vs 2 on the Kingside, which is not easy to make a draw, but after a proper defence, it is still possible. 36.Ra8 Kg7 37.Ra7+ Kh6 38.a4 Ra2 39.a5 c3 40.Rc7 Rxa5 41.Rxc3 Kg7 This position is even, although not easy because White has a passed e-pawn. 30.Kg2
White improves his KIng which is essential in every endgame. 30...Kf7? At first glance a natural move, but it loses the game. Again, active play was a way to achieve a draw. For instance, a good idea was 30...Re6 31.e3 Kf8! With the clear idea of supporting his c pawn. 32.Kf3 h6 33.e4 Ke7 34.Ke3 Rg6! A good prophylactical move that prevents f4. 35.Rc5 Kd6 36.Kd4 White has maximally improved his position, but still, he cannot win: Black is able to defend his weak pawns. Kd7 although White has a clear advantage, Black has good chances to survive. 37.Kd5 Rd6+ 38.Ke5 Re6+ 39.Kf4 Rg6 and win is not visible. 30...Rc2 is another active move that leads to a draw in a similar way as in our analysis of the previous move: 31.Kf3 Kf7 32.Rxa6 c5 33.Ra5 h5 34.a4 g5 35.Ra6 Kg7 36.Rc6 c4 37.a5 Ra2 38.Rc5 Kg6 39.Ke3 Ra3+ 40.Ke4 c3 41.f3 c2 42.Rxc2 Ra4+ 43.Ke3 Rxa5 Black has a great chances for salvation. 31.f4! Black does not have a counter-play anymore and he loses. Ke7 32.e4?! Stronger was 32.Kf3 32...Rb6 33.Kf3 Rc6 34.f5 Kf7 34...Kf6 can not help as well 35.Kg4+- 35.g4 h6 36.Kf4 Ke7 37.Ra4 A subtle move that prepares e5. Rb6 38.Rc4 Kd8 39.e5 Rb1 40.Rc6 Rb4+ 41.Kf3 Rb5 42.Ke4 Rb4+ 43.Kd5 Rxg4 44.Ke6 Kc8 45.Rxa6 Kb7 46.Ra3 Rg2 47.Kf7 Rf2 48.f6 Kc6 49.Kxg7 Kd7 50.Kf7 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nepomniachtchi,I2792Firouzja,A27781–02022E04GCT 9th Sinquefield Cup 20222.1
Prraneeth Vuppala2458Sadhwani,R2620½–½2022B62Julius Baer Challenge CCT 202210.6
Prraneeth Vuppala2458Malicka,M23501–02022B11Julius Baer Challenge CCT 20228.7
Savitha Shri B2435Maurizzi,M25210–12022B30Julius Baer Challenge CCT 202215.2

 

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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