How to Analyze Your Chess Games (Free, Step by Step)
A simple method to analyze your chess games and learn from every loss: find the turning points, understand why they happened, and turn mistakes into puzzles. Works with Chess.com and Lichess games.
Strong players don't just play a lot: they study their own games. One well-analyzed game teaches you more than ten games played without looking back. Here is a simple method that takes about ten minutes.
Step 1: think before you turn on the engine
Right after the game, go through it once on your own. Where did you feel unsure? Where did the game turn? Write down two or three moments. This is where your real weaknesses show, and the engine can't tell you what you were thinking.
Step 2: find the turning points
Now run the analysis. Don't read every move: look for the biggest swings, the moves where your winning chances dropped the most. In most amateur games, two or three moves decide everything.
Step 3: understand why, not just what
For each turning point, ask:
- What did I miss? A piece left undefended, a fork, a check?
- What did my opponent want? Many mistakes come from ignoring the opponent's last move.
- What was the better idea? Not just the engine move, but the plan behind it.
A coach that explains mistakes in words ("your knight was left undefended on f6") is far more useful here than a bare evaluation number.
Step 4: look for patterns across games
After five or ten games, patterns appear: maybe you often lose pieces in the middlegame, run out of time, or collapse in endgames. That tells you exactly what to train next: tactics puzzles, slower games or endgame practice.
Step 5: turn mistakes into practice
Replay the critical positions a few days later and find the right move yourself. This spaced review is how mistakes stop repeating.
Analyzing Chess.com and Lichess games
You can import your recent games by typing your username: no download, no PGN copying. Pick a game and the coach walks you through it move by move, highlighting the moments that mattered.
FAQ
How often should I analyze my games?
Analyze every slow game (10 minutes or more) and at least your losses. Fast bullet games are rarely worth a full review.
Is free game analysis as good as paid analysis?
The chess engine (Stockfish) is the same everywhere. What matters is how clearly the mistakes are explained. Chessizi's analysis is free and unlimited.
Should I analyze games I won?
Yes, briefly. Wins often hide mistakes your opponent didn't punish, and those will cost you against stronger players.