Analysing Ones Own Games (General)

by Mahout, Thursday, December 06, 2007, 11:09 (6344 days ago) @ malcolm

40 games average 2 hrs per game = 80 hours plus 3 hrs analysis per game (120hrs) = 200 hours, add 3 hours a week chess on the internet (with 2 weeks holiday) (150hrs) = 350 hrs add some time traveling to club nights and tournaments (50 hrs) we get to a (conservatively estimated) 400 hours! That's the equivalent of 10 weeks full time work in a year. My family would disown me, my business would collapse, I'd end up living in a caravan. Got to admire your commitment though!

And, more seriously, analysing my own games is something I've done to little of except when I did the personal coaching through this site - where you have to analyse your own games in order to take part. With a game on tonight I will follow your method over the weekend and see how I get on.

Recently I read the new book by Josh Waitzkin where he gives some very readable exposition on spending hours and hours on in depth post game anaylsis (no game details though as it's aimed at a general readership.)

I notice everyone seems to do there own analysis first without an engine and I suspect this is a key to gaining more benefit from the time. The problem I've had with running the engine through a game first is that it's all over too quickly and without much effort and so not much benefit.