Bøger af Karsten Muller

In designing this book, the author was guided by the following considerations. If you want to learn this or that opening, you can choose from dozens or even hundreds of textbooks. But what if you want to get familiar with the middlegame strategy used in positions that have emerged from exactly this or that opening? Or to put it another way: in positions that are typical for this or that opening.Of course, in every middlegame textbook there's one or the other position that clearly comes from this or that opening. However, their number is negligible in the context of example positions from all the other openings whose middlegame treatment the reader doesn't want to learn at all.For example, aren't the issues of hanging pawns and minority attack - the author asks with good reason - just as dispensable for an e4 player as they are essential for a d4 player? - Why should a die-hard enthusiast of Indian openings care about the strategic intricacies of positions resulting from all those complicated Queen's Gambit systems? And of course vice versa: what use are all these subtleties of Indian positions to a player who 'by nature' avoids fianchetto openings?And it's precisely this conspicuous and astounding vacuum in the area of middlegame literature that inspired the author to make an appropriate attempt at improvement: If you want to learn Sicilian middlegame strategy, you will get a textbook and exercise book in which only Sicilians aretreated.However, this book only deals with the Queen's Gambit - more precisely: the Exchange Variation with white pawns on e3 and d4 against black pawns on c6 and d5 - the so-called 'Carlsbad structure'.It deserves special mention that the 120 exercises have been assigned to specific topics for the benefit of entertaining diversity - for example 'the relegation candidate', 'the only move', 'violence or pressure increase' and the like.

A comprehensive work about the magic world of endgames.For starters, 100 interesting and instructive examples on important endgame topics are thoroughly analyzed and extensively commented. Especially those in which not only many useful rules of thumb are ex- plained and illustrated, but above all their not uncommon exceptions.In the chapter 'Practice makes perfect', 100 exercises give the readers the opportunity to check their previous knowledge and what they have learned in the first part.In the following 100 exciting studies, it was ensured that they do not show any artificial constructs, but positions that could well have come from practical games and whose solutions are clearly comprehensible.You can either tackle the given exercises under tournament-like conditions, or you can use the book as a pure textbook and deal directly with the solutions, because even with this approach you can enrich your existing knowledge with many typical endgame motives.Readers can rest assured that the magic from the realm of endgames will cast its spell over them and that they will enjoy the fascination of the final phase of the game.

After the great success of the first book (The Human Factor in Chess) on the model of the four player types, this follow-up volume contains not only specific tasks and exercises but also general questions such as: Do you prefer to calculate concrete lines or do you make your decisions more intuitively? Do you have a good sense of harmony and coordination?This approach is intended to enable the reader to assign himself to one of the player types and find out whether he belongs to the activists or rather to the pragmatists, theorists or reflectors. The result allows to draw conclusions in order to further expand the individual strengths or to develop a more universal playing style overall.Because even if you usually win thanks to your strengths, it makes sense to work on your own weaknesses as well. Of course, if there is only one move in a position, you should be able to find it. Playstyles are especially important in positions where you have a great choice. However, they also play a role when you choose the type of position, which you should strive for based on your style.Interestingly, a playstyle can also be imitated, which may even be the appropriate strategy against certain opponents. For example, certain characteristics stand out clearly in activists, and being able to adjust to them as an opponent is of course very valuable. A good example is Kramnik's win over activist Kasparov (at the London 2000 world championship match). Since Kramnik always managed to steer the game in the direction appropriate to his style, his big opponent never had the chance to demonstrate his own strengths in positions with attack and initiative.While 'The Human Factor' was about a clear distinction of the four playing styles, this book aims to emphasize the universality of each player. After solving the tasks tailored to the four player types, it becomes clear how your own competencies are distributed. Accordingly, GM Vincent Keymer states in his foreword:"Even if the further development of one's own player personality to a universal player who unites all player types may remain a utopia, it's still worth pursuing."

In designing this book, the author was guided by the following considerations. If you want to learn this or that opening, you can choose from dozens or even hundreds of textbooks. But what if you want to get familiar with the middlegame strategy used in positions that have emerged from exactly this or that opening? Or to put it another way: in positions that are typical for this or that opening.Of course, in every middlegame textbook there's one or the other position that clearly comes from this or that opening. However, their number is negligible in the context of example positions from all the other openings whose middlegame treatment the reader doesn't want to learn at all.For example, aren't the issues of hanging pawns and minority attack - the author asks with good reason - just as dispensable for an e4 player as they are essential for a d4 player? - Why should a die-hard enthusiast of Indian openings care about the strategic intricacies of positions resulting from all those complicated Queen's Gambit systems? And of course vice versa: what use are all these subtleties of Indian positions to a player who 'by nature' avoids fianchetto openings?And it's precisely this conspicuous and astounding vacuum in the area of middlegame literature that inspired the author to make a appropriate attempt at improvement: If you want to learn Sicilian middlegame strategy, you will get a textbook and exercise book in which only Sicilians are treated.However, this current book only deals with the type 'Open Sicilian'. More precisely: with positions characterized by the 'small center' consisting of the pawns on d6 and e6, which is typical for the vast majority of Sicilian systems.It deserves special mention that the more than 150 exercises have been assigned to specific topics for the benefit of entertaining diversity - for example 'the relegation candidate', 'the only move', 'violence or pressure increase' and the like.

Together with his longtime trainer Matthias Krallmann, GM Matthias Blübaum describes his path from his early youth to the title of European champion. According to his own statement, he particularly benefited from the 'Group of Princes' of the German Chess Federation, which was founded in 2008 by national youth coach IM Bernd Vökler. In this actually not so long journey of an outstanding young talent to the German top player, the reader is not only taken along, but he can also learn a lot for his own practice 'on the way' and is offered all kinds of instructive tips and tricks.In his foreword, IM Bernd Vökler writes:"...a special highlight has been achieved: Renowned endgame guru, Dr. Karsten Müller, dissects selected endgames by Matthias Blübaum ... A double delight for the reader! - In the next part, a look into the treasury of every grandmaster is granted, namely into his opening repertoire. Matthias Krallmann notes that even former world champion Alexander Khalifman once praised Matthias' complete and self-contained repertoire. - The following chapter offers some of Matthias Blübaum's games against the top stars of the scene, annotated by himself. It's mouth-watering! - At the end, the reader is once again challenged himself. The big tactics test invites you to puzzle and calculate.Matthias Krallmann and Matthias Blübaum don't offer easy reading! Typically East Westphalian, labour-intensive, exhausting, honest and straight - the portrait of the chess worker, the chess grandmaster, the chess practitioner Matthias Blübaum. You don't become number one in Germany in a sprint, but in a marathon!"

Die Thermodynamik ist als Grundlagendisziplin essentiell fur das Verstandnis von Energie- und Verfahrenstechnik oder auch der Chemie. Gleichzeitig wird das Verstandnis der Thermodynamik oft dadurch erschwert, dass sie durch eine komplexe Mathematik beschrieben wird. Um den Einstieg in die Thermodynamik leichter zu gestalten erklart dieses Buch die Grundlagen der Thermodynamik ohne mathematische Gleichungen. Gezeigt wird unter anderem, wie Thermodynamik das Schnapsbrennen, die Kiemen von Fischen oder die Effizienz von Solarmodulen beeinflusst.

The Daunting Domain of Queen Endgames Explained! Knowing the abilities and limitations of the powerful queen is very valuable for mastering the secrets of the royal game, and this can be studied best in the endgame. Queen endgames are very difficult, if only for purely mathematical reasons â€" the queen is the most mobile peace in chess, and the amount of possible options is incomparably higher than in any other type of endgames. This book follows a dual philosophy as in the three previous works by the same authors: Understanding Rook Endgames, Understanding Minor Piece Endgames and Understanding Rook vs. Minor Piece Endgames. The 7-piece endings are dealt with in great detail. They are often so complex that pre-tablebase analysis almost always contains errors. Many new discoveries are revealed here. But to really understand the fight of a queen against a queen or minor pieces with rooks, these theoretical positions are of course not enough. So subchapters on the principles of each material configuration have been added. All in all, this fantastic book is already on my (very short) "must study" list for chessplayers of different levels, including the top ten! I want to thank the authors for the courage which is required just to start working on such a complex topic, as well as for the very high quality of their work, which will endure for decades to come and will be very useful for many future generations of chessplayers. â€" from the Foreword by Vladimir Kramnik,14th World Chess Champion

Man vs. Machine Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace. It may sound quaint today, but not so long ago, computers battled humans for supremacy at the game of chess. The challenge of building a computer program capable of defeating the best of human-kind at chess was one of the original grand challenges of the fledgling field of artificial intelligence. On one side were dedicated scientists and hobbyists who invested decades of effort developing the software and hardware technology; on the other side were incredibly talented humans with only their determination and preparation to withstand the onslaught of technology. The man versus machine battle in chess is a landmark in the history of technology. There are numerous books that document the technical aspects of this epic story. The human side is not often told. Few chess players are inclined to write about their man-machine encounters, other than annotating the games played. This book brings the two sides together. It tells the stories of many of the key scientists and chess players that participated in a 50-year research project to advance the understanding of computing technology. "Grandmaster Karsten Müller and Professor Jonathan Schaeffer have managed to describe the fascinating history of the unequal fight of man against machine in an entertaining and instructive way. It evoked pleasant and not so pleasant memories of my own fights against the monsters. I hope that their work gives you as much pleasure as it has given me." - From the Foreword by Vladimir Kramnik, 14th World Chess Champion

Since every world champion was the most outstanding player of his time, it makes sense to study the various aspects of the royal game using the world champions' games - and of course to enjoy them.In this first of two volumes on the world champions' art of combination, the authors (both recognized experts in the field of chess literature) offer the reader the opportunity of trying to find plenty of these best combinations themselves - and thus to assess and improve their own tactical skills.But that's not all. In addition to often breathtakingly spectacular sample games, which are thoroughly analyzed and commented on in a comprehensible way, individual pet topics are highlighted in which the world champions have created particularly outstanding works.So you are invited to take a closer look at how Steinitz handled the 'Steinitz King' - at Lasker's phenomenal art of defense and Capablanca's mastery of 'small combinations' (for which the French term 'petite combinaison' has become common in chess language).Furthermore, at Alekhine's dashing attacks, at Euwe's seventh sense for dynamic transformations, Botvinnik's tactical solutions to strategic problems, Smyslov's virtuosity even in tactical endgames and - last but not least - at Tal's downright magical tactical works of art with which he not only bewitched his opponents, but the entire chess world.Thanks to the QR-codes above the diagrams, you can download the position directly to your smartphone and watch or analyze the game, so that the laborious and error-prone input by hand is no longer necessary.Volume 1 contains 260 combinations and many fully annotated sample games.

Since the world chess champions excel in all areas of the game, it goes without saying that you can learn the most not only from their skills in the opening and the middlegame, but also from their superb handling of the endgame. Regardless of whether they were renowned tacticians or excellent positional players - regardless of whether they analyzed their openings in depth or played them more intuitively: it is completely out of the question that any of them could have reached the highest title without perfectly handling the endgame.In order to enable his readers to learn from the world champions, the author has concentrated on their individual 'specialities' - such as Petrosian's unmistakable instinct in questions of the right exchange and his skills in the endgame '¿+¿ vs ¿+¥', on Spassky's handling of the initiative, Fischer's precision in the so-called 'Fischer endgame' with '¿+¥ vs ¿+¿', on Karpov's dominance and restriction methods, Kasparov's attacks on the king with reduced material, Kramnik's strategic power play especially on a weakened color complex, on Anand's unrelenting pressure play and - last but not least - Carlsen's technique in the so-called 'Carlsen endgame' with rooks and same-colored bishops.In addition, all sorts of 'evergreen classics' of the players are offered, some of which appear in a new light thanks to current analyzes. The reader is also given the ideal training opportunity of numerous exercises to put himself in the shoes of the world champions and to look for solutions himself. Since the model of the '4 types of players' (activist, pragmatic, theorist and reflector) is also dis- cussed in the margin, additional information can be obtained about the impor- tance of this topic, especially in the endgame.And with this in mind, the Romanian GM and endgame expert Mihail Marin invites you in his foreword not just to take a look at the most outstanding end- game achievements of the world champions, but also to enjoy them.Volume 2 contains 292 combinations and many fully annotated sample games.

Since the world chess champions excel in all areas of the game, it goes without saying that you can learn the most not only from their skills in the opening and the middlegame, but also from their superb handling of the endgame. Regardless of whether they were renowned tacticians or excellent positional players - regardless of whether they analyzed their openings in depth or played them more intuitively: it is completely out of the question that any of them could have reached the highest title without perfectly handling the endgame.In order to enable his readers to learn from the world champions, the author has concentrated on their individual 'specialities' - such as Steinitz's skillful handling of the bishop pair, Lasker's art of defense, Capablanca's use of the king, Alekhine's art of attacking in the 4th game phase, Euwe's skillful use of passed pawns, Botvinnik's iron logic and long-term strategy, Smyslov's meticulous rook endings and - last but not least - Tal's magic, which also often gave his endgames an enchanting touch.In addition, all sorts of 'evergreen classics' of the players are offered, some of which appear in a new light thanks to current analyzes. The reader is also given the ideal training opportunity of numerous exercises to put himself in the shoes of the world champions and to look for solutions himself. Since the model of the '4 types of players' (activist, pragmatic, theorist and reflector) is also discussed in the margin, additional information can be obtained about the importance of this topic, especially in the endgame.And with this in mind, the Romanian GM and endgame expert Mihail Marin invites you in his foreword not just to take a look at the most outstanding endgame achievements of the world champions, but also to enjoy them.

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)

Endgames with rooks and pawns are the most frequently occurring in chess, arising in 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 exercises.Rook endgame theory does not stand still. New practical examples illustrate novel approaches as players seek to pose problems to their opponents - Magnus Carlsen has shown that even the driest-looking positions can feature deadly traps. The ongoing creation of new endgame tablebases - of which co-author Yakov Konoval has been at the forefront - enables new classes of positions to be assessed with definitive certainty. Using six-man and the brand new seven-man tablebases, the authors re-examine many of the old evaluations and reach new and enlightening conclusions about classic rook endings. You will be startled and amazed, and soon discover that you are becoming a far more effective endgame player.German grandmaster Karsten Müller is arguably the world's foremost writer on chess endgames. His 'masterwork', Fundamental Chess Endings, is a modern endgame 'bible' and was studied intensively by current World Champion Magnus Carlsen in his youth.Yakov Konoval is a Russian chess-player and programmer who studied at Mikhail Botvinnik's chess school. He has written programs for solving chess problems and has pioneered new techniques for generating endgame tablebases.

Bei der Optimierung von chemischen Energieprozessen wird oft großer Aufwand auf nicht zielführende Ansätze verwandt. Durch rechtzeitige Identifikation sinnvoller Ansatzpunkte und anschließendes systematisches Vorgehen bei der Entwicklung lässt sich sehr viel effizienter zu verbesserten Technologien gelangen. Karsten Müller zeigt anhand verschiedener Beispiele aus dem Bereich der Energiespeicherung, wie aus einer Auswahl von Ansätzen für die Weiterentwicklung die sinnvollsten ausgewählt werden können. Nachdem der Autor zielführende Ansätze für die Forschung herausgearbeitet hat, sollen neue, bessere Einsatzstoffe für die Energietechnologien gefunden werden. Hierfür stellt er, abhängig vom konkreten Anwendungsfall, Methoden vor.