Loose Pieces Drop Off (LPDO)

by Karsten Müller
3/8/2022 – The acronym "LPDO" was probably coined by the English player Mike Cook, who used it to explain the majority of his losses in a 100-game blitz match against John Nunn. But it was Nunn who made the term popular by talking about this blitz match in his book "Secrets of Practical Chess". Keeping "LPDO" in mind might help to reduce blundering pieces, even in the endgame. In the diagrammed position Black's rook and bishop are both "loose". How did White manage to let them "drop off"?
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 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 0-0 5.a3 Be7 6.e4 d6 7.Be2 Nfd7 8.b4 e5 9.d5 a5 10.Bb2 Qe8 11.0-0 f5 12.c5 Nf6 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Nc4 axb4 15.axb4 Rxa1 16.Bxa1 Be4 17.Ne3 Qg6 18.Qb3 Kh8 19.Nd2 dxc5 20.Bxe5 Nbd7 21.Bxc7 Nxd5 22.Nxe4 Nxc7 23.Nxc5 Nxc5 24.bxc5 Bxc5 25.Qxb7 Ne6 26.Qc6 Qh6 27.Ng4 Nd4 28.Nxh6 Nxc6 29.Ng4 Nd4 30.Bd3 Rd8 31.Ne5 Kg8 32.Rd1 g6 33.Rb1 Re8 34.Nd7 Be7 35.Re1 Kg7 36.h4 Nf5 37.Bxf5 gxf5 38.Re5 Kf7 39.g3 f4 40.Kg2 fxg3 41.fxg3 Rg8 42.Kh3 Bd6 43.Re3 Ra8 44.Rd3 Ra6 45.Rf3+ Ke6 46.Nf6 Ra7 47.Ne4 Be7 48.Kg4 Ra5 49.Rf1 h5+ 50.Kh3 Re5 51.Nd2 Bf6 52.Rf3 Re2 53.Rd3 Kf5 54.Rf3+ Kg6 55.Rd3 Kf5 56.Nb3 Be5 57.Nc5 Kg6 58.Nd7 Kf5 59.Nc5 Rc2 60.Rf3+ Kg6 61.Nd3 Bd6 62.Re3 Kf5 63.Ne1 Rc5 64.Nf3 Be5 65.Re2 Bf6 66.Ra2 Rc3 67.Ra5+ Kg6 68.Ne1 Bd8 69.Rd5 Bc7 70.Nd3 Kf6 71.Kg2 Ke6 72.Rd4 Be5 73.Rd8 Bc7 74.Rd4 Be5 75.Rd8 Bc7 76.Re8+ Kf5 77.Re3 Bd6 Loose Pieces Drop Off (LPDO) The acronym "LPDO" was probably coined by the English player Mike Cook, who used it to explain the majority of his losses in a 100-game blitz match against John Nunn. But it was Nunn who made the term popular by talking about this blitz match in his book "Secrets of Practical Chess". Keeping "LPDO" in mind might help to reduce blundering pieces, even in the endgame. In the diagrammed position Black's rook and knight are both "loose". How did White manage to make them "drop off"?
White to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cheng,B2550Mammadzada,G24701–02022E11Battle of the Sexes 20226.7

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.

ChessBase Magazine #205

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ChessBase Magazine Exta #205

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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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