How to Analyse Your Own Games (Step by Step)
Analyzing your own games is the gold standard for improvement. This step-by-step guide teaches you how to review your play effectively, identifying critical moments and recurring mistakes. Learn to be your own coach and turn every game into a personalized lesson.
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Review Without an Engine First
Go through the game yourself and write down where you felt critical moments occurred. This builds independent thinking and prevents engine dependency.
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Mark Key Turning Points
Highlight moments where the evaluation of the game swung. These usually reveal decision-making errors or missed opportunities.
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Check Candidate Moves
For each turning point, ask: what alternatives did I have? Comparing candidate moves clarifies whether you missed a stronger option.
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Spot Recurring Mistakes
Look for patterns—are you often dropping pawns, miscalculating tactics, or misplaying certain openings? These reveal training priorities.
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Only Then Use the Engine
After your own review, turn to a chess engine. Use it to verify your analysis, discover hidden resources, and understand tactical oversights.
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Create Action Items
Turn each mistake into a goal. For example, if you blundered due to time trouble, practice time management. If you misplayed an opening, update your repertoire notes.
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Save Annotated Games
Build your own annotated database. Over time, you’ll spot improvements and avoid repeating old mistakes.
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Learn from Wins Too
Don’t just review losses. Even winning games contain mistakes. Analysing them prevents bad habits from creeping into your play.
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Compare with Model Games
When you misplay a structure or plan, study master games in the same opening. Learn the standard approaches you missed.
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Build a Feedback Loop
Apply lessons from analysis in your next games. Continuous review and adjustment accelerates long-term improvement.