3/19/2019 – Amateurs hope to learn the secret to magically becoming good at chess. But the secret is already known: learn endgames! The benefits can become obvious, even from a superficial study. One learns how to coordinate different pieces and this can lead to stunning victories. But there's much more — improvements in calculation and visualization come from endgame study which are essential qualities that differentiate the great players from the mediocre ones. Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO thinks GM Karsten Mueller's last book on understanding endgames with minor pieces is one everyone should read in order to improve at chess.

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.

2/26/2019 – In the endgame passed pawns are particularly strong. They can queen, of course, but often they have even more to offer.

2/19/2019 – Pawn endings sometimes appear simple but they can be really tricky. And you may see this deceptively simple position as a warm-up for today's "Endgame Magic Show" in which Karsten Müller has Robert Ris as his guest. The "Endgame Magic Show" starts live at 14:00 UTC (15:00 CET, 9:00 AM EST) and is FREE to watch on-demand (for a limited time)! But first enjoy the warm-up.

2/12/2019 – Pawn races require precise calculation. Calculation which you might see as a warm-up for today's "Endgame Magic Show" in which Karsten Müller has Erwin l'Ami as his guest. The "Endgame Magic Show" starts live at 14:30 UTC (15:30 CET, 9:00 AM EST) and is FREE to watch on-demand (for a limited time)! But first enjoy the warm-up.

2/5/2019 – Fortresses are sometimes very solid and difficult to break.

1/29/2019 – When a knight moves, it always moves to a square of the opposite colour and, in this sense, cannot lose a tempo. This is what makes "zugzwang" so crucial. It's black to play and draw...

1/22/2019 – Some endgames contain surprising possibilities to save seemingly lost positions. And sometimes these possibilities are not difficult to find — because there are hardly any alternatives left. Black to play and draw...

1/15/2019 – Pawn endings, more so than other endgames, lead to a decisive result. They require precise play and good theoretical knowledge.

1/10/2019 – A few weeks ago we launched a reader poll with nominations for the best game, endgame and combination of 2018. The results are in! The "endgame of the year" was hotly contested, and best game of the year contest was virtually a dead heat. Games of Kramnik, Carlsen and Caruana were the top vote-getters in that category. But readers clearly felt that Ivan Cheparinov deserved to be recognised for the best combination of 2018 for his brilliant rook sacrifice way back in January at the Gibraltar Masters. Take a look...

1/8/2019 – Far advanced passed pawns are usually very strong. However, in the following case, they can be stopped. Black to move and draw.

1/3/2019 – Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO spent a month with the new book by GM Karsten Mueller and Jonathan Schaeffer, published by Russell Enterprises in November, and was enthralled by the history and development of chess engines. But he also believes that the book has a lot to offer players seeking to improve. Pictured: The Turk, Wolfgang von Kempelen's automaton chess player

1/1/2019 – It was Dr Tarrasch who formulated this famous principle and though there are, of course, exceptions and positions in which the rook is better placed on the side of the pawn, in rook endings this is still a very good rule of thumb.

12/25/2018 – Knowing typical patterns and tricks makes you play better chess in general and rook endings in particular.

12/19/2018 – 12 games, 12 draws - there was not a single win in the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. However, the players more than once came close. In game 1 Carlsen missed the win, in game 6 Caruana could have won - in a very complicated and difficult endgame. Karsten Müller took a closer look and shows how Caruana missed a big chance. | Photos: Nikolai Dunaevsky (Agon)

12/18/2018 – It's a new book, on a hot topic, and by two great experts: Prof Jonathan Schaeffer, one of the pioneers of computer chess, and Dr Karsten Müller, GM and leading endgame expert. It traces the progress of computers in our noble game, with explanations and analysis, and lots of meticulously annotated games. The book bears a proper review (which will follow), but for today we bring you the highly interesting foreword by a man who has faced down computers for a number of years.

12/18/2018 – Usually two bishops win against pawns but usually in chess you also have to be careful till the opponent resigns or is mated.

12/11/2018 – In the endgame, far advanced passed pawns are often very dangerous. But in this endgame with dark-squared bishops, the player with the black pieces can navigate the dangerous waters to safety. Can you?

12/4/2018 – An extra piece usually wins. However, with reduced material the win is often difficult.

11/27/2018 – Rook and knight are not always in harmony. Coordinating them properly often requires precision.

11/23/2018 – Today is the birthday of ChessBase's endgame expert, Grandmaster Karsten Mueller. Recently he was interviewed by Sagar Shah of ChessBase India, who writes, "the interview is amazing, packed with great stories, analysis and your thoughts on different topics of great importance."

11/20/2018 – A passed pawn on the seventh can be very strong. But sometimes the pawn cannot queen and remains just a pawn.

11/13/2018 – Mate ends the game — it is easy to forget this basic rule when trying to comprehend the subtle differences between various opening lines and the dos and don'ts of middle and endgame. But to forget about mating attacks might cost valuable points.