7/29/2019 – Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO noticed a flaw in many chess biographies of world champions. They all have an index for the opponents, they have an index for the openings, but there is no index for the interesting endgames. Often we find a 400 or 500 page biography with tons of games, yet no idea how to find typical middlegame themes or endgames to learn from. In the latest FritzTrainer from GM Karsten Mueller, however, you'll find the world champions' best endgames, each deconstructed using Mueller's great endgame insight and teaching experience.

7/27/2019 – Study of the Month columnist SIEGFRIED HORNECKER outdoes himself this month with a tour de force including eight studies! You can truly spend the entire month with this one. Featured first is Sergiy Didukh (pictured), a Ukrainian studies composer who invented the term “thematic wrong try”. Enjoy! | Photo: Arves.org

7/23/2019 – Mating attacks are always possible, even in the endgame with only a few pieces left on the board.

7/16/2019 – Even apparently simple pawn endings can be surprisingly tricky. Black to play and draw!

7/9/2019 – White is a piece up but still has to win. In such cases zugzwang often helps.

7/2/2019 – In the endgame, kings should get active. But sometimes it is not clear which way the king should take to make the most of its activity.

6/25/2019 – Rules of thumb are just that — rules of thumb. They are often a good guideline but sometimes they are made to be broken and only concrete calculation helps.

6/18/2019 – The duel bishop vs knight is often more complicated than it seems at first. "Strong" knights are often not as strong as they seem and "bad" bishops can become really bad - for the unsuspecting opponent. How should Black continue in the diagram position?

6/11/2019 – "Mate ends the game!" Beginners know this simple truth but if you start to learn the intricacies of positional play you sometimes forget about the enemy king while trying to exploit weak pawns, weak squares, pawn majorities, etc. But mating attacks are often very powerful - even in the endgame.

6/4/2019 – White is almost in zugzwang but the diagonal a2-g8 happens to be just long enough for White's bishop.

5/28/2019 – World Champion Magnus Carlsen once famously quipped that he doesn't believe in fortresses. But sometimes fortresses are strong enough to save a draw despite a heavy material disadvantage. White to play and draw...

5/27/2019 – All world champions leave their mark on chess. Past champions had different styles but each and every one of them played the endgame exceptionally well. Steinitz laid the first foundations, Lasker embodied fighting spirit, Capablanca pure techique, Alekhine attack, Tal magic, Petrosian defence, Smyslov harmony. Let one of the greatest endgame experts, Karsten Müller, improve your endgame skills with this historical review — in 13 hours of interactive video lectures!

5/21/2019 – It is strange but two knights alone cannot force checkmate. However, things are different when the defending side still has a pawn at or behind the so-called Troitzky-line. It also depends on where the defending king is placed. Karsten Mueller explores some of the secrets of this unusual endgame.

5/14/2019 – Rook endings often have drawish tendencies. But some rook endings that are theoretically drawn are sometimes still very difficult to defend.

5/7/2019 – Far advanced passed pawns can be really powerful and sometimes they are even more powerful than a rook.

4/30/2019 – Knights can be very agile and strong but against far advanced pawns they are sometimes surprisingly helpless.

4/23/2019 – Endgames with opposite-coloured bishops are often drawn even if one side is one or two pawns up. But, of course, the better side will also often win — with precise play.

4/16/2019 – Passed pawns can be dangerous, especially in the endgame. Here the black bishop is struggling to stem the tide. White can win but precise play is required.

4/9/2019 – Rook endings are difficult to win and difficult to draw. The following position is a typical example.

4/2/2019 – Knights like tactics and need a concrete task. And you should take care to give your knights room to manoeuvre.

3/26/2019 – "Passed pawns have to run" is a good rule of thumb in the endgame. But there are exceptions.

3/19/2019 – Umbrellas are useful, in real life and in chess. In chess endgames pawns often work as an umbrella and protect the king from checks by the enemy rook.

3/12/2019 – Usually, a rook and a pawn win easily against a bishop. But there are exceptions. Here's a practical endgame example that could help you save a half point some day!

3/5/2019 – Two connected passed pawns are strong but a good bishop is often stronger.