Analysis (Chess Analysis) - Chess Terms

Analysis (Chess Analysis)

Definition

In chess, analysis is the process of examining a position or sequence of moves in depth to understand what is going on: who stands better, what tactical ideas exist, what plans are available, and which moves are objectively strongest. Analysis can be done during a game (over the board), after a game (post-mortem), or with the help of engines, books, and databases.

Analysis ranges from quick evaluation (a few seconds per move in blitz) to extremely deep calculation in correspondence or engine-assisted work, where a single position may be studied for hours or even days.

Types of Chess Analysis

• Over-the-board (OTB) calculation – analysis done during a game, in your head, without external aids. This is the “pure” form of analysis that decides practical results.
• Post-mortem analysis – review of a finished game with your opponent or a coach, typically on a physical board or in an analysis room / skittles area. This often reveals missed chances, blunders, and swindling chances Swindling chances.
• Engine-assisted analysis – using a chess engine (e.g. Stockfish, Leela) to evaluate positions numerically with an engine eval in centipawns (CP) Engine eval, quickly revealing blunders and hidden resources.
• Opening analysis – building and checking a repertoire, choosing book and home prep lines Opening theory, and testing new ideas or TN (theoretical novelties) TN.
• Endgame analysis – detailed study of simplified positions, sometimes with tablebases that give perfect results Endgame tablebase.
• Correspondence / daily chess analysis – very deep, time-rich analysis common in correspondence chess Correspondence chess, often involving engines and databases.

How Analysis Is Used in Chess

Players at all levels rely on analysis for improvement and practical success:

• Preparing openings – analyzing main lines and side lines to avoid cheap tricks and early traps Opening prep.
• Finding tactics – calculating forcing lines, looking for forks, pins, skewers, and sacrifices Tactic.
• Formulating plans – positional analysis of pawn structure, weak squares, piece activity, and king safety to decide on a long-term strategy.
• Evaluating decisions – comparing candidate moves and judging practical chances (e.g. choosing a slightly worse but complicated position instead of a dead-equal, drawish line).
• Self-improvement – going through your own games (especially losses) to understand inaccuracies, mistakes, and howlers Blunder.

Core Elements of Good Analysis

• Candidate moves – systematically listing 2–5 serious options before calculating, a method popularized in Kotov’s Think Like a Grandmaster (Kotov syndrome).
• Forcing moves first – checks, captures, and strong threats are examined early because they limit the opponent’s replies.
• Visualization – seeing future positions clearly in your head, often several moves deep.
• Evaluation – deciding whether the final position of a line is better, worse, or equal based on material, king safety, activity, pawn structure, and initiative Eval.
• Objectivity – resisting “hope chess” (calculating only what you want to be true) and accepting that your favorite idea might simply be bad Hope chess.

Analysis During a Game vs. Analysis After a Game

There is an important distinction between practical analysis at the board and objective analysis with time and tools:

• During the game (OTB, blitz, bullet):
  • Limited by time trouble, nerves, and incomplete information.
  • Focus on short forcing lines and reliable evaluations.
  • Avoid speculative paths you cannot properly calculate under your time control.
• After the game:
  • Can be deep, branching, and include engine checks.
  • Best done first without an engine, to train your own calculation.
  • Only then consult an engine to correct your evaluations, discover hidden resources, and see “computer moves” Computer move.

Strategic Significance of Analysis

Historically, strong analysis has shaped entire eras of chess:

• Classical and Romantic eras – players like Anderssen and Morphy used intuitive but deep analysis to create attacking masterpieces and brilliancies Romantic era.
• Nimzowitsch and the Hypermodern school – profound positional analysis led to new concepts like overprotection, blockades, and prophylaxis Nimzowitsch.
• Soviet school – systematic analytical work in openings and endgames dominated mid-20th-century chess Soviet school.
• Computer era – engines like Stockfish and AlphaZero revolutionized opening theory and positional understanding, revealing that many long-accepted evaluations were flawed Computer chess.

Examples of Analysis in Practice

Consider a simple tactical example where analysis reveals a winning resource:

Position (White to move): White pieces – king g1, queen d1, rooks a1 and e1, bishops c4 and c1, knights f3 and c3, pawns on a2, b2, c2, d3, e4, f2, g2, h2. Black pieces – king g8, queen d8, rooks a8 and e8, bishops c8 and g4, knights f6 and c6, pawns on a7, b7, c7, d6, e5, f7, g7, h7. It is a typical Italian / Giuoco Piano structure.

A human might analyze:

• 1. Bxf7+ Kxf7 2. Ng5+ Kg8 – calculate; if nothing works, reject.
• 1. h3 – gaining time on the bishop but allowing 1... Bh5 and later ...Nd4.
• 1. Bg5 – pinning the knight and preparing Nd5.

Through calculation, you might find that 1. Bg5 h6 2. Bh4 Nd4 3. Nd5 is strong, exploiting pins on both knights. That conclusion arises from correctly visualizing lines and evaluating resulting positions.

Here is a short PGN snippet showing how engine-backed analysis might be shared:

An engine would give an exact CP eval here and suggest best continuations for both sides.

Analysis and Time Controls

The depth and style of analysis depend heavily on time control:

• Classical – deepest analysis; players can calculate many moves ahead, consider multiple candidate moves, and even find subtle prophylaxis.
• Rapid / Blitz – lighter, more intuitive analysis; emphasis on pattern recognition and avoiding gross blunders Blitz.
• Bullet / Hyperbullet – minimal calculation; reliance on premoves, simple tactics, and flagging skills Bullet chess. Deep analysis is replaced by intuition and experience.
• Correspondence / Daily chess – maximum depth; extensive preparation, home databases, and engines are typical.

Example of a simple rating chart where improvements often correlate with improved analysis skills:

Common Analytical Errors

• Forgetting opponent’s resources – focusing only on your own plans and missing defensive or counterattacking ideas.
• “One-line thinking” – fixating on a single variation and not checking alternatives (“Kotov syndrome”).
• Evaluation errors – correctly calculating the line but misjudging whether the resulting position is actually good or bad.
• Stopping too early – ending calculation in a position that looks good, without checking your opponent’s best reply.
• Engine dependence – copying engine moves without understanding them, leading to shallow personal analysis Engine user.

Analysis and Engines (Modern Chess)

Modern chess analysis almost always involves engines at some stage:

• Engines provide objective evaluations and highlight moves humans would rarely find (Stockfish, AlphaZero, Leela).
• They help confirm or refute new ideas in opening theory and identify promising novelties.
• Endgame tablebases offer perfect analysis for simplified positions, converting them into theoretical wins, draws, or losses with 100% certainty (Syzygy, Nalimov).

However, strong players still emphasize performing their own analysis first, then using engines as a “second opinion” rather than a crutch.

Historical Anecdotes About Analysis

• Kasparov vs. Deep Blue, 1997 – post-game analysis of critical moments in this match showed that even world champions could mis-evaluate complex positions under pressure, while engines could maintain cold-blooded objectivity Deep Blue.
• The Immortal Game (Anderssen–Kieseritzky, 1851) – for many years this was seen as flawless attacking play; modern engine analysis exposes multiple improvements for both sides, yet the game remains a classic of Romantic-era analysis Immortal game.
• Pre-computer novelties – players like Botvinnik and Kramnik spent months on home cooking, analyzing specific opening lines to surprise opponents in World Championship matches Home cooking.

Improving Your Own Chess Analysis

Practical tips to develop stronger analysis skills:

• Analyze your games without an engine first, then compare with engine output and note where your evaluation or calculation differed Post-mortem.
• Do calculation exercises (complex tactics and studies) with a timer and write down your main line; then verify it.
• Practice “blind” analysis: look at a position, hide the board, and continue calculating moves in your head, then reconstruct them.
• Use puzzles deliberately – not just for quick ratings, but by spending extra time trying to calculate all reasonable defensive resources Puzzle.
• Annotate your games with verbal comments, not just moves: explain why each move was played and what you missed Annotation.

Analysis Etiquette and Fair Play

Not all analysis is allowed in every context:

• During official OTB games, you may only use your own head and the board – no engines, no external help, no notes Fair play.
• Online, engine use in rated games is cheating. Many platforms have cheating detection systems to identify engine users Cheating detection.
• After the game, engine analysis is usually encouraged as a training tool, as long as it is not misrepresented as your own work in instructional contexts.

Placeholder Example: Comparing Your Analysis to a Friend’s

Suppose you played a rapid game against strongopponent123. After the game:

• You both do a short human-only post-mortem, exchanging ideas.
• You later run engine analysis and discover a missed tactical shot on move 17.
• You add the key moment to your study as:

Now you can revisit your original analysis and see where your calculation or evaluation went wrong.

Interesting Facts

• Many top players analyze without a board while walking or traveling, training visualization and calculation.
• Some World Champions kept handwritten notebooks full of deep opening analysis; today, this lives in files and cloud repertoires instead.
• Engine evaluations have changed theoretical verdicts in many openings; lines once considered “refuted” have been revived by more accurate computer analysis.

Related Terms and Further Study

• Tactics – the concrete, forcing side of analysis.
• Calculation – the process of working out variations in your head.
• Engine eval – numerical evaluation by a chess engine.
• Opening preparation – using analysis to build a repertoire.
• Endgame study – composed positions to test and improve deep analysis.
• Post-mortem – structured after-game analysis with your opponent.

Strong, disciplined analysis is the backbone of serious chess improvement. Whether you are a blitz addict, a classical player, or a correspondence specialist, refining your analytical process will directly translate into better results and deeper understanding of the game.