tag: karsten mueller - Page 27

A light-footed knight

7/10/2018 – Knights are generally unable to cover a lot of ground in a hurry, but sometimes they can get a boost from tactical stricks and hustle across the board.

Sometimes a good team: rook and knight

7/3/2018 – Usually, the endgame rook and knight vs rook is a draw when no more pawns are left on the board. But when the defending king is caught in the corner the attacking side sometimes has winning chances.

The fortress - real or an illusion?

6/26/2018 – Some players believe in fortresses, others do not. But no matter whether you are believer or not, some fortresses are real and really solid. In the endgame rooks are usually much better than a knight. But with pawns on one side, the defending side might build a fortress:

The fourth phase

6/19/2018 – Opening, middlegame, endgame — according to classical teachings these are the three parts of a chess game. In the opening and in the middlegame the king better hides, in the endgame, it can get active. But modern teachings stipulate that there is a fourth phase of the game — in which king safety is key again.

A strong outsider

6/12/2018 – "All rook endings are drawn" is a well-known and obviously wrong witticism. In fact, even drawn rook endings are not always drawn.

Winning a won game

6/5/2018 – Having a material plus in the endgame is sometimes not enough. Especially if only a few pawns are left on the board. How can Black win this position by carefully maneuvering his knight?

King on the rim is dim

5/29/2018 – Knights on the rim are dim because they often do not have much room for maneuver. Kings on the rim can be dim because they might fall victim to a mating attack.

Endgame Magic with guest GM Daniel Fernandez

5/23/2018 – England's newest grandmaster, Daniel Fernandez, is in Hamburg recording a FritzTrainer to be published later this year. He joins Karsten for a look some recent endgames from tournament practice. Watch live at 15:00 CEST (9:00 AM EDT) or later on-demand!

Dancing with rooks

5/22/2018 – People often believe that you do not have to calculate much in endgames because there are only a few pieces left on the board which reduces tactical possibilities. However, the opposite is true. Because there are only so few pieces left tactical precision is required.

Knight on the rim is dim

5/15/2018 – "Knight on the rim is dim", is a well-known saying by Dr. Tarrasch. In modern chess general rules are less and less applicable but sometimes they nevertheless turn out to be true. Still, you have to find good moves to prove that.

Stalemate?

5/9/2018 – Some people consider stalemate an injustice - but according to the current rules of chess stalemate is a draw. Which sometimes helps to save seemingly hopeless positions.

Passed pawns

5/2/2018 – Passed pawns are often dangerous and far advanced passed pawns are often very dangerous. How does Black draw this position?

Forbidden squares

4/24/2018 – Two passed pawns are strong, but a bishop is often stronger — particularly so if it is supported by its king.

Endgame Magic with guest Nick Pert

4/17/2018 – GM Nicholas Pert is in Hamburg recording a Fritztrainer to be published later this year. He joins Karsten for a look some recent endgames from tournament practice. Watch on-demand!

Stopping the pawn

4/17/2018 – Knights are quick and dangerous, as every blitz player knows. They can trouble king, queen, rook, and bishop. But when knights have to stop passed pawns they are often surprisingly clumsy.

Calculation training with ChessBase

4/13/2018 – Practising to calculate variations quickly keeps your chess mind in shape and helps you to win more games. ChessBase has a whole suite of tools that help you to train your calculation skills. In this overview, you can find a training recipe to suit your taste. Have a look and try it out!
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Endgame Magic with guest Simon Williams

4/10/2018 – Simon Williams is an English Grandmaster and a well-known DVD author for ChessBase. He's in Hamburg to record a DVD follow up to his hit series on the London System. Today he joined Karsten to look at some fascinating endgames from recent tournament praxis! Watch on-demand!

The strength of weak pawns

4/9/2018 – "Better is the enemy of good" is proverbial advice against unhealthy perfectionism. But in chess — and particularly in endgames with reduced material — good is often not good enough. In this case it's better to strive for something better.

No exit

4/3/2018 – Knight against bishop — an interesting duel. In open positions, the bishop is usually better than the knight. But of course, the bishop first has to BE in an open position.

Searching for an escape

3/27/2018 – Endgames are often surprisingly tactical. When only a few pieces remain on the board the defender often has hidden drawing chances.

6-piece Endgame Turbo 5: why you need it

3/21/2018 – The new Endgame Turbo 5 represents the ultimate tablebase collection available and can be used simply by sticking it into a USB port on your computer. It contains the full 3-4-5 and 6-piece tablebases on a pen drive so that neither hard disk space or SSD drive are required to take advantage of them. However, the big question is what is so special about them and why you need them. Read on and find out!

Always on the run

3/20/2018 – A knight up in the endgame, with a couple of pawns still on the board — usually, this should be enough for a win. Usually it is, but not always.

Tactics and technique

3/13/2018 – "Chess is 99% tactics" is an often quoted statement that emphasises how important it is to keep an open mind for tactics. Even when only a few pieces are left on the board.

A powerful queen

3/6/2018 – Who is stronger? The queen or two rooks? This (of course) depends on the concrete position. However, the queen is always happy if she gets help.
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