Internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine (1) operating in cycles, having:a plurality of piston-cylinder units (2), wherein each piston-cylinder unit (2) of the plurality of piston-cylinder units (2) is assigned an ignition device (3) which can be controlled regarding activation and selection of an ignition timing by an engine control (4), wherein a piston-cylinder unit (2), when the ignition device (3) is activated, produces a power by combustion of a gas-air mixture, which can be transmitted as a torque to a crankshaft (5) of the internal combustion engine (1)an intake stroke (6) and an exhaust stroke (7), each coupled to the plurality of piston-cylinder units (2)a supply device (8) for supplying a gas-air mixture under a boost pressure to the intake stroke (6)a signal detection device (9) for acquiring at least one signal which represents a power demand on the internal combustion engine (1) or from which a power demand on the internal combustion engine (1) can be calculatedan engine control (4) for actuating actuators of the internal combustion engine (1), wherein the at least one signal can be fed to the engine control (4), and the engine control (4) is configured in a first operating mode to leave as many ignition devices (8) deactivated per cycle of the internal combustion engine in dependence on the currently present power demand, that the power of those piston-cylinder units (2), the ignition devices (8) of which are activated, results in a torque of the crankshaft (5) of the internal combustion engine (1) adapted to the currently present power demandwherein the engine control (4) is configured to, in a second operating mode, for reducing a risk of deflagration due to unburned gas-air mixture present in the exhaust stroke (7)after a first number (N1) of cycles of the internal combustion engine (1), for a second number (N2) of cycles of the internal combustion engine (1), to have more piston-cylinder units (2) produce power per cycle by activating the assigned ignition devices (8) than would be required for the currently present power demandafter the second number (N2) of cycles of the internal combustion engine (1), for a third number (N3) of cycles of the internal combustion engine (1), in dependence on a currently present power demand per cycle of the internal combustion engine (1), to have so many piston-cylinder units (2) produce power by activation of the assigned ignition devices (8) that this results in a torque of the crankshaft (5) adapted to the curr