Endings Section

On this new page I hope to show some of my favourite endgame studies and also give chess composers a place where they can show their craft.
I am pleased to start with an original study by GM Karsten Mueller from Hamburg. Karsten has keen interest in pawn endings and recently wrote (together with Frank Lamprech) a book on this subject, called ‘Secrets of Pawn Endings’.

On this new page I hope to show some of my favourite endgame studies and also give chess composers a place where they can show their craft. I am pleased to start with an original study by GM Karsten Mueller from Hamburg. Karsten has keen interest in pawn endings and recently wrote (together with Frank Lamprech) a book on this subject, called ‘Secrets of Pawn Endings’.

Karsten Mueller, original, 2000

White to play and draw

Solution

1.h3! 
[1.Kxa7? Kxb5 2.Kb7 Kc5 3.Kc7 Kd4 4.Kd6 Ke3 5.Ke5 Kf2 6.Kf5 Kxg2 7.h4 gxh4-+; 
 1.b6? axb6 2.Kxb6 Kd4-+; 
 1.g4? Kb4 2.h3 (2.b6 axb6 3.Kxb6 Kc4 4.Kc6 Kd4 5.Kd6 Ke4 6.Ke6 Kf4 7.Kf6 Kxg4 8.Kg6 h5-+) 2...Kc4 3.Ka5 Kb3 4.Ka6 Kb4 5.b6 axb6 6.Kxb6 Kc4-+; 
1.g3? Kc5 2.Kxa7 (2.h4 g4 3.h5 Kb4-+; 2.h3 h5-+) 2...Kxb5 3.Kb7 Kc5 4.Kc7 Kd5 5.Kd7 Ke4 6.Ke6 Kf3 7.Kf5 g4 8.Kg6 Kg2 9.Kh5 Kh3-+; 
1.Ka5? g4 2.Ka4 h5 3.g3 Kd4 4.Kb4 Kd5 5.Ka4 Kc4 6.Ka5 Kb3-+] 
1...Kc5 [
1...h5 2.Kxa7! Kxb5 3.Kb7 Kc5 4.Kc7 Kd4 (4...Kd5 5.Kd7 Ke5 6.Ke7 g4 7.hxg4 hxg4 8.Kf7 g3 9.Kg6 Kf4 10.Kh5=) 5.Kd6 Ke3 6.Ke5 g4 7.hxg4 hxg4 8.Kf5 Kf2=] 
2.Kxa7 Kxb5 3.Kb7 Kc5 4.Kc7 Kd4 5.Kd6 Ke3 6.Ke5 Kf2 7.Kf5 Kxg2 8.Kg4 Kh2 9.h4 gxh4 10.Kxh4= *

V. Chekhover, ‘Shakhmaty v SSSR’ 1949-1

White to play and draw

Solutions:

Chekhover. 1 Kg8! h4 2 Rh7 h3! 3 Rxh3 Kg2 4 Rh7 f1Q 5 Rg7+ and Black’s king cannot leave the g- and h- files.