Middlegame or endgame?

by Karsten Müller
3/14/2023 – Positions with queen and piece against queen and piece have aspects that are typical for middlegames and aspects that are typical for the endgame. In the diagram position the white king is safe - a typical middlegame aspect - while the dangerous passed pawns - typical for endgames, are good for Black. In the diagram position it is Black to move and draw. 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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1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Nbd7 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 a5 8.Qc2 b5 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Nd5 11.axb5 cxb5 12.Nc3 Qb6 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Bxd5 Ra7 15.Qe4 Bc5 16.Bc6+ Bd7 17.Bxd7+ Rxd7 18.Qg4 a4 19.Qxg7 Rf8 20.Qxh7 Bd4 21.Qe4 Qb7 22.Qf5 Qd5 23.Bf4 Bxb2 24.Rad1 Qe6 25.Qb1 a3 26.Rxd7 Qxd7 27.Qe4 Rg8 28.Qa8+ Qd8 29.Qb7 c3 30.h4 Rg6 31.Bg5 Rxg5 32.hxg5 Qd7 33.Qb8+ Ke7 34.Qh8 a2 35.Qf6+ Ke8 36.Qh8+ Ke7 37.g6 fxg6 38.Qf6+ Ke8 39.e6 Qe7 40.Qh8+ Qf8 41.Qh7 Qe7 42.Qg8+ Qf8 43.Qxg6+ Ke7 44.Qe4 Qe8 45.Qb4+ Kf6 46.Qd4+ Kxe6 47.Qe3+ Kf7 48.Qa7+ Kf6 49.Qxa2 Qxe2 50.Qb3 Ke7 51.Qb4+ Kd7 52.Kg2 Middlegame or endgame? Positions with queen and piece against queen and piece have aspects that are typical for middlegames and aspects that are typical for the endgame. In the diagram position the white king is safe - a typical middlegame aspect - while the dangerous passed pawns - typical for endgames, are good for Black. In the diagram position it is Black to move and draw. How?
Black to move and draw
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Tabatabaei,M2686L'Ami,E26271–02023E0485th Tata Steel Challengers 20237.5

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 #206

Order now at the ChessBase Shop ! Available as a download or on DVD.

ChessBase Magazine Extra #205

 Order now at the ChessBase Shop ! Available as download or on DVD.

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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