ChessCanvas Blog https://chesscanvas.app/blog Chess stories, openings and ideas from ChessCanvas, with the evidence on the board. en Before you recapture, look at the lines you open: a two-second check that saves games https://chesscanvas.app/blog/before-you-recapture https://chesscanvas.app/blog/before-you-recapture Improve Your Game 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The Berlin Wall: from London 2000 to 2026 https://chesscanvas.app/blog/berlin-wall-london-2000 https://chesscanvas.app/blog/berlin-wall-london-2000 Blast from the Past 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Caruana vs Carlsen, Norway Chess 2015: winning the 'drawish' Berlin endgame https://chesscanvas.app/blog/caruana-carlsen-norway-2015 https://chesscanvas.app/blog/caruana-carlsen-norway-2015 Game Stories 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The French Defence: a guide to the main lines, with master-game evidence https://chesscanvas.app/blog/french-defence https://chesscanvas.app/blog/french-defence Openings 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The "safe" 3.exd5 scores worst against the French https://chesscanvas.app/blog/french-exchange-scores-worst https://chesscanvas.app/blog/french-exchange-scores-worst Openings 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Tired of the Pirc? The h3 + a4 system and the 10.Qd6 trap https://chesscanvas.app/blog/pirc-h3-a4-system https://chesscanvas.app/blog/pirc-h3-a4-system Openings 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The Queen He Saw Coming: how Geller stunned Karpov, and how Karpov answered a year later https://chesscanvas.app/blog/queen-he-saw-coming https://chesscanvas.app/blog/queen-he-saw-coming Blast from the Past 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Same position, different order: how transpositions work, and why your database should count them once https://chesscanvas.app/blog/same-position-different-order https://chesscanvas.app/blog/same-position-different-order Learn Chess 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. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT