Game Explorer

Does anybody know where the master games in game explorer come from?  It is interesting to review games using this function, but I think it is also dangerous to put too much emphasis on the win percentage of any move choice, but this opinion is based on my guess about where the games come from.  My guess is that there is a database of master games that is used in addition to master games played on this site.  If that is true, then the win percentage could be skewed by a particularly strong player who favors a certain move.  The win percentage associated with that move would not then be an indication of the strength of the move, but rather the strength of the player who favors that move and who has a lot of games in the database making the move in question. 

In addition, it is my observation that a lot of master player on the site play blitz and bullet games.  If these games are included in the database, then the win percentage associated with a particular move could be an indication of the strength of that move in blitz and bullet games and it might not be as strong a move in an online game in which time is less of a consideration.

Furthermore, a strong move for a master may not be a strong move for a novice like me who does not have the skill to reply to a dangerous, but unsound reply.  Masters sometimes put themselves in positions that would be death to a novice, but they are good positions for a master because they have the tactical skill to play the position.  It is often difficult to explore the reply to a particular move because the masters can all easily see the reply and do not make the move and it is therefore not one of the lines in the database.

So, I think the game explorer is a cool feature and it often helps me to understand my mistakes better, but I do not think the move with the highest win percentage in game explorer is necessarily the best move, especially for me.  Of course, the win percentage for moves not played frequently is completely irrelevant since the sample size is not sufficient to draw and meaningful conclusions.

I believe there are similar dangers in relying too heavily on computer analysis of games.  This is also a cool feature and I submitt many of my completed games for computer anlaysis, but I do not necessarily believe that the moves the computer recommends as alternatives to the moves I played are always better moves for me.  It is still a useful feature as it often reveals opportunities I failed to recognize and dangers I luckily avoided because my opponent did not see it either.  In reviewing games, I am amazed how many mistakes are made on both sides.

Well said. I also only use C/A for identifying opportunities and don't put too much faith in it's alternatives to my "mistakes".

It seems we aren't able to import our games played outside chess.com into the game explorer. I haven't been able to find a tool or app for my Mac that has the capabilities of game explorer that I value... the way that moves can be made on the board while the names of the openings and win/loss percentages from various move choices are visualized instantly and graphically. I appreciate your comments about the source of the database... I'd like to have a tool that could work with "clean/known" databases in addition to my own personal database of games I've played. After recording a few hundred games it would be great to click through a few moves and realize that I almost always lose when I choose such and such a move for instance. There are many chess database programs available but I'd prefer to find something that runs naturally on my Mac (rather than install Windows emulation software) and I hope that someone reading this has already found it! If you have any ideas, please share, I'm coming up empty.

I have Hiarcs for my IPad 2, it shows move % in the opening etc, I also have Chessbase and Shredder, they are apps ofcourse but quite enough for estimating openings I think, I dont know what you can get for a Mac pc though. I believe Fritz runs on a Mac and that would be more than you need.

Good luck.

Game Explorer on chess.com does allow you to review your games.  But as far as I know, only the games played on chess.com.  Also allows you to review the games of other chess.com members.

Thanks sirness, I'll probably end up using one of the apps you mentioned in conjunction with wine or crossover (compatibility software) that another member pointed out in another post.

Sorg67... your comments about the usefullness (to novices like me) of win/loss percentages based on master level moves are very interesting. I too am beginning to wonder if the gulf is just too large between novices and masters for statistics like that to be as relevant as may be thought at first glance. I wonder if there could be a database that includes all plausible moves (not just master level choices) along with information about which choices lead to "trappy" positions for white or black, or some other type of information that would be most helpful or interesting to novices. It can be fun to take chances by making moves that lead to traps for your opponent even if those moves wouldn't be made in master level play. It would be great to see the risky moves and how they lead to this trap or another and actually see them played out a bit. I'm not trying to become a master and play in high level tournaments but it would be fun to become a bit of a bigger fish in my little pond so to speak. 

cbalcom - I agree completely!  Such a database or book would be really fun.  Lots of strategies and tactics that would not work against a master are very effective against novices.  And since I am a novice and I play novices, I would like to learn those strategies and tactics.  Both to employ them and avoid them.  I read a book a long time ago call "Tricks, Traps, Pitfalls and Swindles".  I have been meaning to look for it again.  I remember it as being very interesting, but it was 30 years ago that I read it and I do not remember the specifics.

Another danger of putting too much emphasis on the win/loss% for various moves in explorer is that a stronger master might favor one move against a weaker master and another against a stronger master.  A move might show up with a high win percentage because it is used often in games against weaker opponents, but the win percentage is really a function of the difference in strength.