Tricky knights

by Karsten Müller
7/11/2023 – In the diagram position White is two pawns up, but Black seems to be close to a draw. However, knight endgames can be tricky. What can 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.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 Be6 7.0-0 Bd6 8.Nb3 a5 9.Qe1 a4 10.Na5 Qc8 11.Ng5 Bc5 12.Nxe6 Qxe6 13.Nxb7 Bb6 14.Be3 Nd7 15.b4 axb3 16.axb3 Rxa1 17.Qxa1 0-0 18.Qc3 Bxe3 19.fxe3 Qh6 20.Qd2 Ra8 21.Na5 c5 22.Nc4 Qe6 23.Qc3 h6 24.Ra1 Rxa1+ 25.Qxa1 Qg4 26.Qf1 f6 27.h3 Qh4 28.Kh2 Nb6 29.Na5 Qg5 30.Qf3 h5 31.Nc6 Kf8 32.Qg3 Qxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Ke8 34.Kh4 g6 35.g4 hxg4 36.Kxg4 Kd7 37.Na5 Nc8 38.h4 Nd6 39.Nc4 Nf7 40.h5 Nh6+ 41.Kh4 g5+ 42.Kg3 Ke6 43.Nd2 Kf7 44.Nf3 Kg7 45.d4 cxd4 46.exd4 exd4 47.Nxd4 Nf7 48.Kg4 Kh6 49.Nf5+ Kh7 50.Kf3 Ne5+ 51.Ke3 Ng4+ 52.Kd4 Nh6 53.Ne3 g4 54.Nd5 f5 55.exf5 g3 56.Ke3 Nxf5+ 57.Kf3 Nd4+ 58.Kxg3 Nxc2 59.Nxc7 Kh6 60.Kh4 Nd4 61.b4 Nf5+ 62.Kg4 Ne3+ 63.Kf4 Nc4 Tricky knights In the diagram position White is two pawns up, but Black seems to be close to a draw. However, knight endgames can be tricky. What can White do to win the game?
White to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana,F2758Le,Q2661½–½2023C65Division I1

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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