Rook against bishop

by Karsten Müller
1/4/2022 – A bishop usually has trouble when defending against a rook in the endgame - a lot of trouble. In the diagram position it is White to move and win but in the game White allowed Black to build a fortress and to secure a crucial draw. But do you see how White can win?
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.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 g6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 Bg7 9.Be3 Be6 10.Qd2 Nf6 11.f3 0-0 12.Be2 Rc8 13.0-0 Nd4 14.Rfd1 Nh5 15.Bf1 Nf4 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.cxd5 Bd7 18.Qb4 f5 19.Qxd6 fxe4 20.fxe4 Re8 21.Rac1 Bf8 22.Rxc8 Qxc8 23.Qf6 Nc2 24.Nxc2 Qxc2 25.Qf3 Qxb2 26.Bc4 Qb4 27.Rf1 Qxc4 28.Qf7+ Kh8 29.Qxd7 Qc8 30.Rf7 Qxd7 31.Rxd7 Rc8 32.Bg5 Kg8 33.Bf6 Rc4 34.d6 Rd4 35.Bxe5 Rxe4 36.Bg3 Rd4 37.Kf2 b5 38.Ke3 Rd1 39.Ke4 Rd2 40.Bf4 Rxa2 41.Rb7 Ra4+ 42.Ke3 Rxf4 43.Kxf4 Bxd6+ 44.Kg5 b4 45.Kf6 Bf8 46.g4 a5 47.Ra7 b3 48.Rxa5 Bg7+ 49.Ke6 Bc3 50.Rb5 b2 51.Rb7 Bd4 52.h4 Bc3 53.h5 gxh5 54.gxh5 b1Q 55.Rxb1 Kg7 Rook against bishop A bishop usually has trouble when defending against a rook in the endgame - a lot of trouble. But sometimes the weaker side can build up a fortress. In the diagram position it is White to move and win. In the game White allowed Black to build a fortress and in the end had to agree to a disappointing draw. Do you see how White can win?
White to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Zhu,J2455Paehtz,E2475½–½2021B32FIDE Womens Grand Swiss 20216.2

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 #204

ChessBase Magazine Extra #204

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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