Introduction

Analyzing your chess games is often recommended as one of the best ways to improve your chess game. Everyone in the chess world, from the sixth World Chess Champion Mikhail Botvinnik, famous Soviet trainers such as Dvoretsky and Nikitin, to chess coaches and strong players in the 21st century ¹ is constantly talking about its importance and making you feel guilty ² if you are not doing it correctly/at all.

However, even though many people are aware analyzing their games is something they should be doing, it is often not 100% clear to them WHY. I frequently get asked what exactly is the benefit of analyzing your own games. I have even met a few people who outright claimed they don’t see any point in doing so.

Furthermore, even though a lot has been written about the importance of analyzing your games, very little has been written about HOW exactly one should do it. Through my work as a chess coach, I have noticed many improvers struggle with it or do it in a sub-optimal manner ³. Thus, when I first got more serious about coaching, one of the first things I did was create a step-by-step guide describing my own approach/recommended method for analyzing my own games, which I send to each new student after the introductory session.

In this article, I am going to expand and structure the material in this document and show you, dear reader, the process of analyzing a chess game that I have been using, both with my students and throughout my own chess career. I don’t claim that the method outlined is by any means definitive or exhaustive, but I do think it does provide you with a rough idea of how to analyze your own chess games.

I do hope you will enjoy it and find it useful!

Why analyze your chess games?

Now, before we get to „how“, let’s stop for the moment and ask ourselves – „why“. As mentioned above – to many people it is not at all obvious whether analyzing their games is the best improvement method – if useful at all. Whenever I was confronted with such claims in the past, I used to laugh them off in the manner of a true chess elitist.

However, I do think this is a question worth exploring. Recently, I started wondering whether there is limited value in analyzing your own games (on your own) for players of the lower rating range.  I do not dare to say up to which exact rating range, but if your games are constantly decided with very simple tactics, leaving your pieces hanging or not taking your opponent’s hanging pieces, I feel your primary goal should be to get to the level where these „elementary oversights“ don’t happen – and I am not sure whether analyzing your own games is the most helpful in eliminating them. ⁴

On the other hand, one could also make an argument that even lower-rated players do benefit from analyzing their own games – but that the way they do the analysis should be somewhat adapted to their needs. In a recent Twitter thread that I posted on the topic of the viability of the chess analysis for lower-rated players,

(I still can’t write a Tweet without a typo – especially when doing it on my phone. And I am sure not paying for that blue mark, Elon Musk, you greedy scallywag)

I received a very insightful and interesting reply from IM David Pruess, one of the „senseis“ from Chess Dojo, who mentioned that the way one analyzes the games should change with the level and who briefly discussed how this process should look for lower-rated levels:

(Note that the „program“ I am referring to is Chess Dojo’s extensive chess traning program that does put a heavy emphasis of analyzing your own games, irrespective of one’s level)

Thus, while one could argue the benefits of analyzing one’s games are not obvious for lower-rated players, ⁵, stretching this argument to players of ALL levels and claiming that there is no value in analyzing your games at all is completely misguided. Analyzing your games is one of the most valuable – if not THE most valuable – improvement method ⁶. I think there is a good reason why almost all top coaches recommend it and why all top players do it. If you are even semi-serious about your chess improvement, I do believe you should be doing it, too.

I firmly believe there are numerous benefits to analyzing your own games. In broad terms, analyzing your own games allows you to detect the flaws in your thinking process, discover your mistakes, penetrate deeply into the positions that appeared in your game, discover new ideas and ways to handle certain positions, and play all stages of the game better.

More concretely, here are the benefits of analyzing your own games:

A) Detecting the weaknesses in your opening repertoire and deepening and updating your opening knowledge

Hopefully, this is self-understandable. There is no better way of testing your opening knowledge than a real-game scenario. Encountering a variation over the board often makes you ask questions you wouldn’t ask in the safety of your study room. It also leads to you seeing the variation and the resulting position in a different light – especially if you forgot to go beyond the opening and check some typical ideas and plans in the resulting middlegame during your preparation. ⁷

Therefore, going back to the drawing board and analyzing the opening stage after the game can yield multiple benefits. Not only can you test your memory and see where you deviated from your repertoire, but you can also compare the way you handled the position with the engine recommendations/way other strong players handled it. This process not only expands your knowledge but can also help you determine whether the opening variation is the one you should be playing to begin with. Because it may turn out that the resulting positions were not fully to your taste.

This leads me to the next point.

B) Detecting positions/types of positions which you don’t handle that successfully/where you are less comfortable/don’t know what to do and using them as the learning material/opportunity

Somewhat connected to the previous point – since chess is such a difficult and complex game, every now and then you will stumble on a position where you either didn’t feel comfortable or didn’t really understand very well. These moments/positions are fantastic learning material/opportunities. By carefully analyzing them, you can improve several aspects of your play – strategic understanding, tactical vision, understanding of what types of positions you like and don’t like, etc.

A game I played against young 14-year-old FM Arthur de Winter in December 2022 is a very good example. I managed to surprise him with an opening, get my preparation and obtain a very comfortable and equal position. However, due to my lack of familiarity and experience with this structure, I didn’t quite know where my pieces should go and played some strange maneuvers, violating basic positional principles that could have allowed my opponent to gain a serious advantage.

Careful analysis of this game improved my understanding of this type of structure with the open d-file and also added some very typical positional ideas such as the Qb6-a5-a4 plan I have added to my armory. Now I feel more confident to potentially employ the same opening variation in the future and handle the position more successfully.

C) Detecting errors and problems in your thinking process

Even though this point is kinda connected, errors in the thinking process are usually caused by the lack of understanding of a position. But they are also caused by other, broader factors – and a deep analysis of the games can help uncover what exactly causes them.

For example, the comparison of variations you considered in your calculations with additional possibilities you discover in the analysis (on your own, with the coach with the engine) provides you with a lot of information about your calculation process.

Do you fail to consider your opponent’s resources? Do you not consider enough candidate moves? Do you stop your variations too early? Are your evaluations way of the mark?

These questions provide you with a lot of insight into what is actually going on in your head during a game and can provide you with clear direction on which aspect of the game you should study in the subsequent period.

Of course, let’s not forget that one’s emotions also have a significant impact on one’s decision-making over the course of the game. This brings me to the next point.

D) Detecting the emotions and pure psychological issues that influence the decision-making over the board

Everybody who has ever played a game of chess knows that a player experiences a whole array of emotions over the course of it. Despair, joy, triumph, relief, sadness, happiness can all appear and have a decisive effect on the moves being played. Keeping track of these emotions can be very useful, as more often than not they affect your play in a negative fashion.

Here are just a few examples:

• playing overconfidently, which causes you to be superficial, not calculate, and lose your objectivity. Very common when facing lower-rated opponents or when being in a winning position.
• playing without confidence, which makes you too cautious or reluctant to play ambitious moves, even when the position demands them. Typical when faced with a very strong opponent or when we overestimate our opponent (underrated kids!).
• having emotions affect your ability to evaluate positions (e.g. not deciding on a piece sacrifice because of a fear of losing)
• having emotions affect your fighting spirit (accepting the defeat too early, not putting up a tenacious defense in a difficult position, etc.)

As a concrete example, let’s once again return to my game against Arthur De Winter. In the diagram posted earlier, the lack of familiarity with the position right out of the opening made me start seeing ghosts and this fear affected my ability to evaluate and play the position properly.

And even though I managed to obtain a reasonable position after my opponent failed to punish my reckless play, the emotional discomfort and psychological difficulties remained with me throughout the rest of the game and caused me to make a series of bad moves at a critical moment much later in the game:

E) Detecting the issues with your time management

Last but not least, many chess players have significant issues with their time management during the game. It is not uncommon to fall between one of the two extremes – while some play too quickly and somewhat superficially, others spend too much time even on routine decisions and often end up in severe time trouble.

In either case, paying attention to the time spent on each move during the analysis of the game can be very useful. Not only does it allow you to be more aware of the moments where you spend too little/too much time – but you can also try to detect the reasons for it.

For example, if you are playing too fast you might have issues with your nerves or you might lack discipline. While if you play too slow, you might have confidence issues, problems with your calculation speed/accuracy, or your problems with maintaining your concentration/focus. Becoming aware of these issues is extremely useful as it is the very first step toward resolving them ⁸.

How To Analyze Your Chess Games

Hopefully, if you managed to last until this point, ⁹ you are now convinced that you should analyze your own games. Allow me, therefore, to get from „Why“ to „How“. Below, you will find the method I use myself ¹⁰ presented in the form of a step-by-step guide.

Note that I don’t pretend that it is by any means original nor exhaustive/conclusive. It is meant to be more of a guideline/framework rather than a rigid guide. I do believe it incorporates more-or-less everything that is important, but feel free to tweak it to better suit your needs and purposes.

Without further ado, here is how to analyze your chess games.

Step number 1: Enter your game into a software

This is self-understandable, I hope :). This step is not necessary if you are analyzing an online game because then the .pgn of the game is immediately available. But if we are talking about a game played in real life,  it is necessary to enter it manually ¹¹ into the software of your choice. ¹²

Note 1: This mainly refers to the games played with the classical time control where writing the moves down is obligatory. My assumption is that reconstructing those games is not a problem, although I do recommend trying to remember the moves without referencing the scoresheet. Because of visualization and stuff.

Note 2: I also try to remember my games from blitz/rapid tournaments – not only because it allows me to practice my memory/visualization – but also because these games are very valuable material.

Step number 2: Enter the time usage

As mentioned above, analyzing your own games allows you to detect issues with your time management. It is, therefore, highly recommended to write down the time spent on each move during the game and then also enter it into the software of your choice. ¹³

Of course, this step can be skipped if we are talking about an online game, as most websites keep track of the time usage and provide it with the .pgn once the game is finished.

Step number 3: Enter the lines you considered during the game with brief thoughts

After the game and time have been entered, it is time to start with the analytical process. The first thing I do is enter whatever went through my mind during the game. Variations I calculated, plans I considered, positions I evaluated, etc. I usually add some brief remarks such as „I didn’t like this“ or „I was afraid of this“ so that some of my emotions/sentiments about the resulting positions are also conveyed.

This later helps me compare my own thoughts with „the absolute truth“ presented in the form of engine analysis or in the form of model games played by other strong players. This helps detect errors in your thought process, checks the accuracy of your calculations, expands your understanding of the position/opening/structure, etc.

Note 1: Please put evaluations at the end of every line. One of the most common mistakes people make is not evaluating positions – irrespective of whether we are talking about the position on the board or a position that could have appeared in your calculations. Getting used to thinking in terms of evaluations is absolutely crucial.

Note 2: It is very helpful to do this step immediately AFTER the game while the variations you considered during the game are still fresh in your mind. ¹⁴

Note 3: If I am playing the tournament, I also consult the opening reference and check some model games immediately after the game, in case I decide to repeat the same opening in a subsequent game. It can, naturally, be also done during any of the subsequent steps.

Note 4: Since I try to do a post-mortem with my opponent after a game whenever I can, I also enter their own thoughts and opinions – which is especially valuable when you are playing against somebody much stronger than you. And yes, I know that post-mortems are becoming a forgotten sport, which is a big shame. Do we really need LESS social interaction and connection in the 21st century? ¹⁵

Step number 4: Enter any additional lines of interest (without the use of the engine)

After executing steps 1-3, your .pgn should already be quite „thick“ and ready for annotations and engine analysis. However, if you have some additional time, you can consider going over the game anew and analyzing it on your own anew without the engine. I don’t necessarily recommend going full „Robert Hübner“, ¹⁶ I definitely see some value in having a „fresh look“ on the position and trying to use your brain again before consulting the silicon friend ¹⁷.

Step number 5: Write detailed annotations to the game

Once all variations have been entered, it is now time to write detailed annotations to the game. I find writing textual explanations of my games helpful, both in terms of conveying and clarifying my thoughts, but also when the time comes to show the game to someone else. ¹⁸

Together with step 4, this will constitute „the meat“ of the analytical process. As a matter of fact, these two steps are closely connected – as very often you will notice a variation or a continuation as you are writing the text to your moves.

Note: I often get asked by students/people how much they should write, and I always reply „The more the merrier“. As any Chessable author knows ¹⁹ there is no such thing as „too few explanations“ – especially if you intend to send the game to a friend or a coach. Thus, the only reasonable constraint is the time constraint J.

Step number 6: Do engine check and refine annotations

Even though the temptation to check the engine immediately after the game is very big in the 21st century, I recommend using it only after all the subsequent steps have been done. ²⁰

Using the engine earlier in the process will diminish the effect of the learning process, as humans usually consider way more variations and consider many more irrelevant lines than the engine – so using the engine immediately might result in omitting them from your analysis completely.

What should the engine analysis consist of? Even though an entire article could be written on this topic, I would roughly divide this process into several subprocesses:

• clicking through your proposed variations and comparing your evaluations to the evaluations of the engine
• in cases where your evaluation differs significantly from the evaluation of the engine – try to understand why by checking the engine variations in depth
• in general, checking different computer moves in different positions that occurred/could have occurred in the game.
• don’t forget to rely heavily on the method of comparison

It has to be said that there are dangers when it comes to using the engine, so it is important to mention that you should never simply take the engine’s number/line for granted without asking yourself WHY a certain move is good or a certain line works. Using engines in a good manner is a skill on its own so make sure you do that mindfully and ask for feedback/advice if you are not 100% certain on how best to do it.

Note 1: Sometimes it is recommended to do the engine analysis only „after“ you go over the game with the coach. Whereas I generally understand where it is coming from, I am not a big advocate of that as learning how to work on your own on your games can have numerous benefits (although this does depend on your level, to an extent – the higher rated you are, the greater degree of independence and engine proficiency when analyzing your own games is expected).

Note 2: On the other hand, if you are in the middle of a tournament, there is a big temptation to consult the engine before all the analysis and annotations are done. It is probably not very helpful to do so. Not only because analyzing your own games once you have consulted the engines comes from a different place since you already know the „best“ moves. But also because there is the possibility that the missed opportunities will come back to haunt you. Although I can’t say I am immune to the temptation myself.

Step number 7: Analyze the game with a friend/coach

One of the beauties of chess is that it is a social game. Analyzing your own games with a friend/training partner is a really fun, interactive and nice way of study method. Of course, if you are taking lessons, it is also useful to go over (some of) your games on a regular basis with the coach as well, in order to keep track of the progress, work on weaknesses, etc.

Ideally, you shouldn’t know the „absolute truth“ when doing this step, although I still think there is value in analyzing with other people even if you did check the game with the computer. ²¹

Step number 8: Write down the lessons you have learned from the game and draw the conclusions

Last, but not least, after the analysis is done, it is important to formulate some sort of conclusion and detect some things that went well, but also some things that can be improved. I personally like to write three key lessons I can learn from my games – especially those I have lost.

This should help you understand the origins of your defeat/problems/weak areas better. These areas can vary – they can be chess-related (e.g. I often evaluate positions wrongly, or „I am not familiar enough with plans and ideas in structure with the isolated pawn“, or non-chess related („I am too afraid to handle attacking positions with the initiative “ or „I get intimidated when playing higher-rated players“, or „I play too fast in my games and this is especially problematic in critical moments“).

Of course, detecting these issues AND figuring out how to work on them on your is not always very straightforward ²². This is where having a training partner/friend can be very helpful – especially if they are stronger than you ²³. To say nothing of a good chess coach. ²⁴

With that being said, don’t expect a sudden change – chess improvement is a long-lasting process and it may take a while to reap the rewards of your previous labors (including the game analysis) – especially as you climb the rating scale :).

Example of my own analyzed game (with steps 1-8 implemented)

Thus, we have finally arrived at the end of ²⁵ long article J. In order not to leave you only with the theoretical framework, I would like to provide you with a concrete example of my game analyzed in accordance with the step-by-step guide proposed above. ²⁶

The game was played roughly a month ago ²⁷ in the 2nd Croatian League. It was not the most eventful or rich game of my entire career, but I have decided to choose it nevertheless because it was the only recent game of mine where I felt comfortable talking in detail about the opening stage and „leaking “ my opening preparation. ²⁸ Namely, the game featured the very same line that is already publicly available ²⁹ in my 2nd Chessable course titled Stomp The Sicilian. ³⁰

Nevertheless, despite its „length“, I spent around 2 hours analyzing and annotating it. The fruits of my labor can be found below in the form of a lichess study:

 

 

1. And most importantly – chess experts on Twitter
2. Especially chess experts on Twitter
3. such as quickly going through the game with the engine and calling it „analysis“
4. You could also make an argument that lower-rated players don’t have sufficient knowledge to know what to pay attention to when analyzing their own games and that they are more prone to being the victim of „engine checking“.
5. Or at least that lower-rated players should do it in a different manner compared to what I will propose in this article
6. maybe aside from actually playing games with longer-time controls/OTB tournaments
7. Something the „Chessable generation“ is especially prone to doing
8. at least partly
9. That is what she said
10. and recommend to my students
11. Ok, it is not necessary to do so if the game was played on the board that has live transmission, but don’t be a smartass.
12. Most online websites such as lichess/chesscom provide you with this service, while „more experienced“ players still prefer something like Chessbase. I will not go to deeply into the technical side of things in this article – my assumption is that you know what a .pgn is and how to enter it. I might write a separate article on this topic sometime in the future.
13. For example, in ChessBase you can do so with the help of the CTRL +J shortcut
14. You’d be surprised how quickly your calculations vanish after a couple of days, not to mention weeks or months
15. Of course, I am aware that chess players are very often not the best company – especially if you are a female. But I also think people would be pleasantly surprised with how many nice people are there in the chess world if only they gave it a shot. But I digress.
16. He was an Austrian Grandmaster who did participate in Candidate Matches in the 80s and was known to analyze his games for two weeks
17. even though I personally don’t embark on this step very often due to time constraints
18. friend, coach, or random people on the Internet who are reading my nonsense, etc.
19. At least in theory
20. At least in the ideal world
21. Which is why I am such a big fan of post-mortems, as they present you with one of those rare opportunities to do some „old-school“ chess analysis in a social setting
22. Otherwise plateaus would never happen
23. And actually willing to help
24. This is the last time I am plugging my coaching, I swear.
25. yet another
26. Although those who are interested in my annotated games can find some in both of my Chessable courses. OKOK I AM STOPPING WITH SHAMELESS PLUGS
27. 26th March 2023
28. Ok, ok, it was also a short one and I am lazy. Sue me.
29. For a small fee, ofc
30. Did you really believe me when I said I would stop with the shameless plugging?