Zugzwang

by Karsten Müller
10/26/2021 – Zugzwang is a powerful endgame weapon, particularly against a passive knight. In the diagram position, White's knight is passive but how can Black bring White into zugzwang and 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.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Bxd6 cxd6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.Be2 d5 8.0-0 b6 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.c4 d6 11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Bf3 Qd7 13.Rc1 Rac8 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.e4 Nf4 16.g3 Nh3+ 17.Kg2 Ng5 18.d5 Bb7 19.Rxc8 Rxc8 20.Kg1 Nxf3+ 21.Qxf3 exd5 22.exd5 Qb5 23.Re1 Qxd5 24.Qxd5 Bxd5 25.a3 Kf8 26.Nb1 Rc2 27.Nc3 Bc6 28.Rb1 a5 29.Kf1 d5 30.Ke1 d4 31.Ne2 Rc4 32.Kd2 a4 33.Rc1 Rxc1 34.Nxc1 Ke7 35.Kd3 Ke6 36.Kxd4 Kf5 37.Nd3 f6 38.h3 h5 39.Ke3 g5 40.f3 Bb5 41.Nf2 Bf1 42.g4+ Kg6 43.Kd4 Bg2 44.Ke4 Zugzwang Zugzwang is a powerful endgame weapon, particularly against a passive knight. In the diagram position, White's knight is passive but how can Black bring White into zugzwang and win the game?
Black to move and win
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vaishali R2414Teclaf,P2543½–½2021A45Hou Yifan Challenge 20211.2

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 #202

 

ChessBase Magazine Extra #201

 

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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