Knights are tricky

by Karsten Müller
4/22/2025 – In the diagram position it is White to move and win. He is a pawn up, but has to keep an eye on Black's f-pawn - and should not forget that knights are tricky pieces! What should White do to win the game?
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 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c5 5.e3 a6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 Nc6 8.Bg2 Bd6 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.0-0 0-0 11.b3 Be6 12.Bb2 Qe7 13.Ne2 Ba3 14.Bxa3 Qxa3 15.Nf4 Rfd8 16.Qc1 Qxc1 17.Raxc1 Bf5 18.Rfd1 Be4 19.Nd4 Nxd4 20.Rxd4 g5 21.Ne2 Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Rdc8 23.h4 h6 24.Rdd1 Kg7 25.a4 Kg6 26.a5 Rab8 27.f3 Re8 28.Kf2 Rbc8 29.hxg5 hxg5 30.g4 Rh8 31.Rxc8 Rxc8 32.Nd4 Kg7 33.Nf5+ Kf8 34.Rh1 Ng8 35.Nd4 Kg7 36.b4 Ne7 37.Rb1 b5 38.axb6 Rb8 39.Ke2 Rxb6 40.Kd3 Kf6 41.Kc3 Ng6 42.Rh1 Rb8 43.Ra1 Rb6 44.Ra5 Ke5 45.Rc5 Rf6 46.Kd3 Nh4 47.Ke2 Rb6 48.Rc7 Kf6 49.Rc6+ Rxc6 50.Nxc6 Ke6 51.Nb8 Kd6 52.Nxa6 Kc6 53.Nc5 Kb5 54.Nd3 f5 55.f4 gxf4 56.g5 fxe3 57.Kxe3 Ng6 58.Kd4 f4 59.Kxd5 f3 Knights are tricky In the diagram position it is White to move and win. He is a pawn up, but has to keep an eye on Black's f-pawn - and should not forget that knights are tricky pieces! What should White do to win the game?
White to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Maurizzi,M2581Divya Deshmukh24901–02025D40Prague Festival Challengers 20255.4

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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Topics: ChessBase Magazine, Endgame, Karsten Mueller
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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