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In round 8, Alexandra Kosteniuk scored her fifth win of the event. The eventual champion defeated Anna Muzychuk by converting an opposite-coloured bishops endgame (with rooks still on the board) in which she had an extra pawn.
King activity is often crucial in endgames, as proven in the confrontation between Alina Kashlinskaya and Humpy Koneru.
In a battle of rising talents, Zhu Jiner defeated Dinara Wagner from the black side of a pure opposite-coloured bishops ending.
Yet another pure opposite-coloured bishops endgame that did not finish in a draw. Nana Dzagnidze rushed with her pawn push on move 36, but Tan Zhongyi failed to find the refutation that would have granted her a half point.
Cutting off the king is a useful tool in rook endgames. Alina Kashlinskaya could have drawn her game against Dinara Wagner had she employed this idea on move 62.
A similar idea was seen in the game between Elisabeth Paehtz and Zhu Jiner from the penultimate round. In this example, it was White who failed to cut off the opposite king when it mattered most.
Endgames of the World Champions from Fischer to Carlsen
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.
