A Simple 3-Step Process For Analyzing Your Chess Games

Introduction

Do you want to learn the correct lessons from each chess game you play?

If so, you've come to the right place!

One of the main reasons that chess players fail to improve is that they repeat the same mistakes in their games.

Analysing our games allows us to recognise recurring mistakes and develop better ways to handle similar situations in the future.

Now, let's confidently embark on my proven and effective 3-step game analysis process.

Step 1: Identify The Mistakes And Improvements (For Both Sides)

One of the most valuable tools for game analysis is the 'Automatic Computer Analysis' feature on Lichess (though there's a limit of 30 or 40 analyses per day; I need to remember the exact number). By submitting our game, we can receive an immediate analysis of our mistakes and the optimal moves we should have made.

We can also learn from the opponent's mistakes and improvements, which will, in turn, help us understand the position better (and what we missed).

Step 2: Figure Out What Moves You Needed To See To Play The Best Move

Just knowing the top line of the engine in a position isn't enough to improve our chess; we need to understand what stopped us from playing that move in a game.

Usually, it results from missing a good move for the opponent or for us in a possible variation. Still, sometimes, it can also result from needing to correctly understand the game position (or a position from an arising variation).

Step 3: Adapt Your Thought Process & Chess Training To Handle Similar Situations Better In The Future

This is the toughest one to do on your own. Having a coach to guide you through the process helps a lot, as that 'outside perspective' will often see things you'd miss (it's hardest to see ourselves clearly and accurately).

However, there will be some cases where the weakness is quite apparent:

- Didn't consider the best move at all (for you or the opponent)? You should probably work on the 'candidate moves' calculation technique.

Did you lose because of a 'silly' blunder? You should probably work on your tactical vision and calculation.

Did you feel uncomfortable in a strategic position, even though the engine said you were okay? You may need to improve your understanding of that position (and your positional/strategic play in general).

Did you make a lousy exchange that left you much worse? I think you should probably work on evaluating exchanges better.

But sometimes, it's more subtle, e.g., having some issue with your chess mindset/psychology manifesting in your play. For that, it's harder to give a 'cookie-cutter' solution, as, for example, the cause of time trouble will vary somewhat between players.

Summary

Hopefully, this simple model has given you an awareness of how to get the maximal learning from your chess games without spending oceans of time on each match or feeling overwhelmed by the more complex 5-10-step processes you'll often see recommended by other trainers.

Like Einstein, I believe that everything should be made as simple as possible—but not simpler. The 'Rule of 3' has held up not just in marketing but also in pedagogy (the art of learning).

Try to remember the 3-step process yourself, as the' retrieval' process will help you remember it and thus apply it. If you need a refresher, my 3-step game analysis process is:

1. Identify the mistakes/improvements;

2. Figure out what you needed to see/appreciate to play the best move;
3. Adapt your training/thought process to play better in similar situations.

What do you think about this game analysis model? Is there anything you would like me to explain again or elaborate on?

Let me know in the comments below.

Next Steps

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