Karsten Müller Books

In a major event in chess publishing, two German endgame experts have produced a masterly one-volume encyclopaedia that covers all major endgames.This is the first truly modern one-volume endgame encyclopaedia. It makes full use of endgame tablebases and analytical engines that access these tablebases; where previous authors could only make educated guesses, Müller and Lamprecht have often been able to state the definitive truth, or get much closer to it.New time-controls involve competitive games being played to a finish in one session, so it is especially important that chess-players understand the key endgame principles. This book provides comprehensive assistance for any players wishing to study the endgame. In addition to a feast of detailed analysis, the authors emphasize the practical side of endgame play, describing rules of thumb, principles, and thinking methods.Fundamental Chess Endings is both the ideal endgame reference work, and a book that can profitably and enjoyably be read from start to finish.

Endgames with rooks and pawns are the most frequently occurring in chess, arising about 1 game in 10. If you learn an important technique in this endgame, chances are you will end up using it sooner or later. And there are a great many methods and concepts that can be mastered with a little effort. This book highlights the key themes in rook endings, and at each turn invites the reader to test his knowledge and skills with abundant success."--Back cover

Starting with the basic mates and the simplest pawn endings, this book provides all the endgame knowledge that players need to take them through to club level and beyond. Mller carefully guides us step-by-step through a fascinating range of endgame tactics and manoeuvres, helping us understand the underlying logic.

Mikhail Tal was one of the greatest geniuses in chess history. Feared and admired for his dazzling attacks, the 'Magician from Riga' took the chess world by storm. In 1960, at the age of twenty-three, he wrested the world title from Mikhail Botvinnik to become the youngest World Champion ever. In this book Karsten Müller and Raymund Stolze have created an instructional guide by investigating and explaining the secrets of Tal's breathtaking tactics. Additionally, they present one hundred exercises selected from his games that will teach amateurs how to distinguish between correct and incorrect combinations, and how to defend against them. A special feature are the contributions from legendary grandmasters such as Spassky, Yusupov, and Kramnik, who share their personal impressions and describe their games with the 8th World Champion. The result is both an intimate portrait of one of the all-time greats of chess and an instructive guide for lovers of Tal's legendary combinational style. Book jacket.

Focused on the intricacies of middlegame strategies, this book fills a gap in chess literature by concentrating solely on positions arising from specific openings, particularly those involving the King's Indian Defense. It emphasizes the relevance of strategic concepts like pawn structures and attack methods tailored to particular openings, rather than general middlegame tactics. The inclusion of 100 targeted exercises enhances learning, categorizing them into diverse themes such as pressure increase and tactical challenges, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the King's Indian middlegame.

Playing styles in chess are an important and often discussed topic. GM Dr. Karsten Müller and GM Luis Engel take up a model by GM Lars Bo Hansen based on 4 types of players – 'activists', 'pragmatics', 'theorists' and so-called 'reflectors'. Their respective strengths and weaknesses are explained based on many examples, complemented by numerous exercises to enable the reader to assign himself to one or the other category. "As part of the preparation for my opponents, I often try to research their typical player characteristics ... In this respect, it can be helpful to draw conclusions about the type of player, and thus about strengths and weaknesses, by looking at the openings they play – or to use the characteristics of certain players to infer the likelihood of which opening lines they might choose. These and numerous other considerations are presented in this book in a condensed and systematic form. The division of players into four prototypes is extremely helpful not only in terms of game preparation, but also to determine your own characteristics as a player. In addition, the book can serve as a helpful guide for amateurs and chess fans to get a more precise picture of certain players." (Excerpts from the foreword by GM Vincent Keymer)