My bigger question is if there's a strategy for translating the computer analysis into something I can really learn from. Sometimes the computer's suggestions make sense to me; more often they reflect tactical or positional knowledge that's over my head.
Computers know nothing of strategy, only tactics, which is why they give you only tactical analysis.
"Engines are very good at finding mistakes... but miserable at teaching anything. Also, self analysis (beyond basic tactical mistakes with the help of the engine) is really hard in the beginning. So to learn more read books and analyze with players stronger than you."
Thanks, that sounds like great advice.
Any recommendations on books (especially e-books) or online resources that would be good for someone in the ~1200 range who wants to get to the next level?
IM David Pruess is a really good instructor, in my humble opinion. He has a lot of videos on chess.com that are good, but he also has a bunch for free on youtube. You might be interested in one of his youtube videos entitled, "What is Analysis and should I do it?" Here's a link, but if it doesn't work, the video is in a playlist called "How to Study Chess" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWZCi1-qCSE&t=279s&list=PLCSLcYMvj-sFxn5WXe46lFvy0Z3bTv_pu&index=1
The really cool thing is that Pruess gives advice for how to analyze your own games at different rating levels, so he doesn't get you in over your head. And he states, as I believe you would agree, op, that engine analysis doesn't help at lower ratings because you often won't understand it. I am pretty low rated myself, and I agree.
I've used his methods to analyze a bunch of my daily games and I feel like I'm improving at it, and it's something that I used to find quite hard myself (analysis, that is). Now it's fun.
Anyways good luck, hope this helps.
I'm pretty new to this, and have only recently started playing against humans on this site. I let the computer analyze all my games, but often have a hard time learning anything I can act on (I mostly learn that I win because of other people's mistakes, and that some of my proudest winning moves count as "blunders").
In my most recent game, the computer identified a move as a mistake, but the "better" sequence it proposed ended in my being mated in 6 moves. In real life I won the game; is the implication that by the time of that mistake I'd already opened myself to a forced mate?
My bigger question is if there's a strategy for translating the computer analysis into something I can really learn from. Sometimes the computer's suggestions make sense to me; more often they reflect tactical or positional knowledge that's over my head.
Thanks for any thoughts.
I'm pretty new to this, and have only recently started playing against humans on this site. I let the computer analyze all my games, but often have a hard time learning anything I can act on (I mostly learn that I win because of other people's mistakes, and that some of my proudest winning moves count as "blunders").
In my most recent game, the computer identified a move as a mistake, but the "better" sequence it proposed ended in my being mated in 6 moves. In real life I won the game; is the implication that by the time of that mistake I'd already opened myself to a forced mate?
My bigger question is if there's a strategy for translating the computer analysis into something I can really learn from. Sometimes the computer's suggestions make sense to me; more often they reflect tactical or positional knowledge that's over my head.
Thanks for any thoughts.