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Two quiet pawn moves take the sting out of Black's main plans, and one natural recapture walks into 10.Qd6. What 1,053 master games and Stockfish 19 say.
Read articleThe Berlin endgame is famous as a drawing line. Here is how White turned it into a win against the world champion, move by move, with Stockfish 19 checking every turning point.
In 2000 the Berlin endgame helped decide a world championship. A quarter of a century later it is still on the board at the top level, in 4,330 master games and counting.
Club players often swap on d5 to avoid French theory. In 179,938 master games it is White's lowest-scoring main move, and Black wins more often than White.
Learn the ideas, build your openings, improve your results, or just enjoy a great game.
Learn Chess
The ideas behind the moves, explained so they stick: plans, structures and how positions really work.
1 article
Openings
What to play, why it works, and what masters actually choose from the key positions.
3 articles
Improve Your Game
Practical habits that win points: checks to make, mistakes to avoid, ways to train.
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Game Stories
Great games, move by move, on a board you can play through.
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Blast from the Past
A historical idea, the game where it mattered, and where it stands in modern master play, with dated sources for both.
2 articles
Blast from the Past
A historical idea, the game where it mattered, and where it stands in modern master play, with dated sources for both.
We never invent a link between eras. Every connection rests on a dated source or our own database evidence, and anything still being checked is marked as in review.
Explore the collectionIn 2000 the Berlin endgame helped decide a world championship. A quarter of a century later it is still on the board at the top level, in 4,330 master games and counting.
Three articles that take you from the basic ideas to what masters actually play.
What the French is for, White's four main answers and how each scores, Black's main replies, and the two pawn breaks every French player needs. Built on 179,938 master games.
Club players often swap on d5 to avoid French theory. In 179,938 master games it is White's lowest-scoring main move, and Black wins more often than White.
Four different move orders reach the same Catalan position, and every one of them finds the same 45,726 master games. What a transposition is, and how to use it in your preparation.
In the Pirc, the natural recapture 9…dxe5? runs into 10.Qd6!, and White scores heavily in master games. Here is a simple habit that spots this kind of trap before you fall into it.
The Berlin endgame is famous as a drawing line. Here is how White turned it into a win against the world champion, move by move, with Stockfish 19 checking every turning point.
Four different move orders reach the same Catalan position, and every one of them finds the same 45,726 master games. What a transposition is, and how to use it in your preparation.
Club players often swap on d5 to avoid French theory. In 179,938 master games it is White's lowest-scoring main move, and Black wins more often than White.
In 2000 the Berlin endgame helped decide a world championship. A quarter of a century later it is still on the board at the top level, in 4,330 master games and counting.
What the French is for, White's four main answers and how each scores, Black's main replies, and the two pawn breaks every French player needs. Built on 179,938 master games.
In 1976 Efim Geller sacrificed his queen against the world champion, and Karpov saw it coming. A year later Karpov answered with a queen sacrifice of his own. Two games, verified move by move.
Two quiet pawn moves take the sting out of Black's main plans, and one natural recapture walks into 10.Qd6. What 1,053 master games and Stockfish 19 say.
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