How to Analyze better?

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TicklyTim

"Practical Chess Analysis: A systematic method for analyzing" Mark Buckley

In it's 3rd or 4th edition. Very popular. Very decent book.

orangehonda

Well, you have to practice it to get better Smile.  Try to form an evaluation before calculating any lines, and when you do calculate aim for accuracy not speed.  So visualize each half move and stop to look for the reply... slowly.  Calculation in blitz and bullet doesn't involve visualization until the final position (or near it) as the first few moves are done quickly without needing to stop to look at each move.  I'd practice slowing down, aiming for accuracy, and forming evaluations before beginning any calculation.

Take a few (or more) GM games and play guess the move.  Even as slowly as you would a CC game, taking time to write out all your evaluations, then candidate moves, and lines.  Then finally guess the move and check vs the game.  You'll essentially be deeply analysing a collection of GM games.  No clock, aim for accuracy, practice makes perfect Wink

rigamagician

Alexander Kotov's Think Like a Grandmaster (1971) was a revolutionary book in its time because it took the focus away from the features of a good or bad position (isolated pawns, bad bishop, etc.), and placed it firmly on the process of analysis:  how to choose candidate moves, and what lines to pursue and in what order. 

Kotov's Play like a Grandmaster came out in 1973, and tried to explain how the calculation of variations should fit in with planning, positional assessment and combinational vision.  It is some ways a lightweight book, but still interesting.

Jonathan Tisdall's Improve Your Chess Now came out in 1997, and was probably the first really critical appraisal of Kotov's tree of variations model of analysis.  Tisdall pointed out that practical players often try to dive right in trying to find a critical line, and only widen their search to other candidate moves if the assessment of the first line they look at doesn't jibe with their feeling for their chances in the position.  He also tries to provide practical advice on which types of moves to look at first, and generally, tries to flesh out Kotov's model.  I don't really see Tisdall as a critique of Kotov so much as an attempt to improve on Kotov's first rough thumbnail sketch.

John Nunn's Secrets of Practical Chess came out in 1998, and was obviously deeply influenced by Tisdall's book.  Nunn is well read and intelligent, but I did feel that to some extent, he is just applying Tisdall's approach to a range of new examples.  It is still a very useful book.

Andrew Soltis' How To Choose a Chess Move (2005) is an attempt to explain Kotov and Tisdall's ideas to players at a slightly lower level, and I think on the whole successful at that.

Mark Dvoretsky has touched on analysis in some of his books, but my impression is that he largely reiterates what Kotov has said.  Jonathan Rowson wrote on the role of emotion in analysis in the Seven Deadly Chess Sins, and on how to learn in Chess for Zebras, both of which may be useful although they aren't practical manuals per se.

chessmaster102
hicetnunc wrote:

Agreed Estragon, but I have respect for people who put a lot of work into writing, that's why I can't help reacting to this kind of proposal... 


 are you gonna tell on me Cry

mostafaelsersy

do u know any king gambit good books to download?