The right retreat

by Karsten Müller
8/20/2024 – In pawn endings, precise calculation is important. In the diagram position, Black is a pawn up and can win. What would you do?
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.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 a5 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 b5 9.b3 cxb3 10.Qxb3 c6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qb2 Nbd7 13.Rfc1 Bb7 14.Ne1 e5 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.Qxe5 Qxd2 17.Rd1 Qh6 18.Qc7 Rfb8 19.Nd3 Nd5 20.Qe5 Re8 21.Qb2 Qd6 22.Rac1 Qe7 23.Nc5 Bc8 24.e3 b4 25.Bxd5 cxd5 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qxb4 Be6 28.Qd4 Red8 29.Nd3 h6 30.Nf4 Bg4 31.Rd2 Bf3 32.Rdc2 Qd7 33.Nd3 Qh3 34.Ne1 Be4 35.Rd2 Qh5 36.Qc5 Rd7 37.Rcd1 Rda7 38.f3 Ra5 39.Qd4 Bxf3 40.Nxf3 Qxf3 41.Qf4 Qh5 42.e4 dxe4 43.Rd8+ Rxd8 44.Rxd8+ Kh7 45.Qxe4+ g6 46.Rd2 Qh3 47.Qe1 Qc8 48.Rf2 Qc5 49.Kg2 Qc6+ 50.Kg1 Qb6 51.Kf1 Qa6+ 52.Qe2 Qb7 53.Qf3 Qxf3 54.Rxf3 Rf5 55.Rxf5 gxf5 56.Kf2 Kg6 57.Kf3 Kg5 58.h3 The right retreat In pawn endings, precise calculation is important. In the diagram position, Black is a pawn up and can win. What would you do?
Black to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gukesh D2763Praggnanandhaa R2747½–½2024E04GCT Superbet Romania 20243.1

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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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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