

Once the tournament is over, you should analyze every single one of your games by yourself or ideally with a partner or a coach. You should improve and develop your opening repertoire before the tournament! 2. It will make you tired and affect the next games.

Important: Keep this work to the minimum. Specifically, my analysis on the line played to refresh my memory and improve the opening line for subsequent games. So I checked the opening theory with my database and engine after the game was over. If you got a lost position in the opening or spent a lot of time at the beginning of the game, pull out your precious chess engine after the game has ended to improve it.ĭuring the game, I realized that I did not get a comfortable position after the opening. If Big Opening Mistake (Check It Right Away) Here are some of the quick notations I had for a game I played in 2014 against GM Leonid Kritz (2577). In my experience, the errors and blunders picked up by the computer are often related to misunderstanding the position by the chess player. Chess engines might help you identify some of the mistakes made by you and your opponent, but it won’t give you the whole picture. You can draft your thoughts at the back of the score sheet or on an extra piece of paper.Īt this stage of the process, it is NOT NECESSARY to use chess engines to assist you. This will help you remember what was happening in your mind while playing the game, which is vital for step two. Thus, it is essential to optimize your energy for the subsequent rounds.Īfter each game, I recommend to quickly write down important thoughts related to critical positions and moments in which you made a mistake. If you ever played a tournament, you probably know that time is limited (especially if playing two rounds per day like most of the tournaments in the American continent). Write Down Your Thoughts After The Game (During the Tournament)


I compiled tips from several books to provide ten easy steps that anyone should be able to follow to take his or her game to the next level, read along!ĭisclaimer: I used the following books to find inspiration for this post Pump Up Your Rating by Axel Smith and Secrets of Chess Training: School of Future Champions 1 by Mark Dvoretsky & Artur Yusupov. Feedback obtained can be applied to later games to enhance your game.Īnalyzing your games is a vital training part for chess players at all levels, from complete beginners to experienced grandmasters. It encourages you to understand and learn the game as a whole and then break it down into lessons on openings, middlegames, and endgames. Thus, I decided to share a simple guide to help chess players from all levels to have a better understanding of their games and improve at the game of chess.Īnalyzing one’s games is crucial to improve at the game of chess. In truth, not everyone is under the same conditions. Unlike most chess players, I was lucky to have coaches that made the process easier and easier until I was able to do it myself. Analyzing your games can be a bit of a hassle without experience.
