In my blogarticle Analyzing with an engine I mentioned that a lot of players consider analyzing as a necessary evil to score points or make progression. It is obvious that an activity which isn't pleasant, is restricted to the minimum. Therefore it is important to make a good selection which gives maximum return. Despite that I in contrary with the standard amateur-player like to analyse, I also have to make choices. It is simply impossible to check everything.
A.f.a.i.k. there exists no consensus of what exactly is the best material to use for analyzing. Because analyzing is a bit like studying, I neither believe there is a best method for everybody. Therefore I don't want to write this article about what the best games are to analyze but I prefer to give a more personal insight of what I do daily as homework. Besides just being busy with certain positions will very likely already have a positive influence on your game.
I guess that today 80% of my analyses are made upon my own played games. The remaining 20% goes to gamepreparations, specific openings, input for blogarticles or just randomly found interesting positions. I doubt strongly if this is a good split but I don't care very much as optimal return isn't what I am chasing after as I am only an amateur. The motivation of this analyzing work can mainly be found in my vision of playing which is based on the scientific approach and the pleasure which I experience in investigating of what happened or could have happened on the board and more particularly in my own games.
As not every own played game is as interesting, it is clear that I don't put in every game as much analyzing work. Blitz or bulletgames I review seldom or never. An exception I make when a player manages to beat me several times with a certain system but even then I don't go deeper than just quickly checking with an engine and database the opening. On the other hand for serious games (in which time was available to record the moves manually) I use a much more thoroughly analyzing approach. I mean a system of analyzing which I explained in my blogarticle Analyzing with an engine.
I assume for most people such intensive analyses of own played games will sound incredible but today I can easily show my personal database of 650 own played games which are fully commented with a broad variety of different lines. Besides if you look to this blog with more than 100 articles which often contain very extensive analyses of own played games then one already can deduct that I reuse a lot of what I built long time ago. The oldest example on this blog dates from 1996, see chesscompositions which corresponds to the start of the digitization of my analysis.
So I am aware that my urge to analyse is rather an exception than the rule. A strong Belgian FM even admitted on this blog that he doesn't make his analyses that extensive, see his comment under my blogarticle an extensive repertoire for black. Also a known player from Zottegem once asked me the question if the chance isn't small that such games like a Dutch gambit repeat. Well as mentioned earlier in this article, I don't analyze purely for a maximum return which doesn't mean that I don't learn anything at all from the analyses. On this blog I've written already several articles which proof that one can harvest from earlier made analyses, see : an obscure line in the Vienna, the boomerang, a Dutch gambit and a Dutch gambit part 2. There is more to find on this blog but these are the most striking articles.
If you clicked on the links (or you simply still remember the articles) then likely you noticed that in a first meeting with the sidelines that I achieved a bad result (loss or draw against a much lower rated player). In this blogarticle I want to demonstrate that one can not only learn from bad results. So I go a step further with stating that one can learn from each seriously played game even if you won from an opponent much less experienced and played in a obscure sideline. To support this claim, I will show 3 games chronologically which i all won in a side-variation of the bishopgame which Linton considers inferior but at my opinion is somewhat undervalued.
The fist time that I met the line, was in 2003 in the Open of Le Touquet. I treated the opening in the same fashion as the standard mainline of the bishopgame but quickly experienced that white was a bit bitter. Only in the endgame I was able to beat my opponent thanks to some crafty moves.
In the previous clubchampionship of Deurne I noticed in my preparation (yes even against a 1700 rated player) that Bb4 instead of Bd6 is very interesting as a normal concept of Nc3-Bg5 becomes impossible. This time I came on top out of the opening but after some inaccuracies and likely too optimistic play I let the position slip. Again only after move 40 I was able to get a decisive advantage despite the big ratingdifference.
Brabo
I guess that today 80% of my analyses are made upon my own played games. The remaining 20% goes to gamepreparations, specific openings, input for blogarticles or just randomly found interesting positions. I doubt strongly if this is a good split but I don't care very much as optimal return isn't what I am chasing after as I am only an amateur. The motivation of this analyzing work can mainly be found in my vision of playing which is based on the scientific approach and the pleasure which I experience in investigating of what happened or could have happened on the board and more particularly in my own games.
As not every own played game is as interesting, it is clear that I don't put in every game as much analyzing work. Blitz or bulletgames I review seldom or never. An exception I make when a player manages to beat me several times with a certain system but even then I don't go deeper than just quickly checking with an engine and database the opening. On the other hand for serious games (in which time was available to record the moves manually) I use a much more thoroughly analyzing approach. I mean a system of analyzing which I explained in my blogarticle Analyzing with an engine.
I assume for most people such intensive analyses of own played games will sound incredible but today I can easily show my personal database of 650 own played games which are fully commented with a broad variety of different lines. Besides if you look to this blog with more than 100 articles which often contain very extensive analyses of own played games then one already can deduct that I reuse a lot of what I built long time ago. The oldest example on this blog dates from 1996, see chesscompositions which corresponds to the start of the digitization of my analysis.
So I am aware that my urge to analyse is rather an exception than the rule. A strong Belgian FM even admitted on this blog that he doesn't make his analyses that extensive, see his comment under my blogarticle an extensive repertoire for black. Also a known player from Zottegem once asked me the question if the chance isn't small that such games like a Dutch gambit repeat. Well as mentioned earlier in this article, I don't analyze purely for a maximum return which doesn't mean that I don't learn anything at all from the analyses. On this blog I've written already several articles which proof that one can harvest from earlier made analyses, see : an obscure line in the Vienna, the boomerang, a Dutch gambit and a Dutch gambit part 2. There is more to find on this blog but these are the most striking articles.
If you clicked on the links (or you simply still remember the articles) then likely you noticed that in a first meeting with the sidelines that I achieved a bad result (loss or draw against a much lower rated player). In this blogarticle I want to demonstrate that one can not only learn from bad results. So I go a step further with stating that one can learn from each seriously played game even if you won from an opponent much less experienced and played in a obscure sideline. To support this claim, I will show 3 games chronologically which i all won in a side-variation of the bishopgame which Linton considers inferior but at my opinion is somewhat undervalued.
The fist time that I met the line, was in 2003 in the Open of Le Touquet. I treated the opening in the same fashion as the standard mainline of the bishopgame but quickly experienced that white was a bit bitter. Only in the endgame I was able to beat my opponent thanks to some crafty moves.
[Event "Klubkampioenschap Deurne r8"] [Date "2013"] [White "Viaene, J."] [Black "Brabo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C24"] [WhiteElo "1780"] [BlackElo "2336"] [PlyCount "96"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. exd5 cxd5 6. Bb3 Bb4 {(10 years ago I chose against Patel in Open Le Touquet for Bd6 and was able to win that game after a tough struggle. In my preparation I noticed that Bb4 is an interesting alternative which I wanted to try out. )} 7. c3 Bd6 8. Bg5 Be6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Bh4 Qc7 {(Till about here went my preparation. A complex position is on the board with chances for both sides.)} 13. Qe2 Rfe8 14. Ba4 {(I thought very long, probably too long to carefully rate the complications after Bxf6 but white almost responded instantaneous with an interesting alternative.)} (14. Bxf6 $5 Nxf6 15. Nxe5 {(Probably c4 is better here.)} Bg4 {(A5 is also interesting here with the intention to play a4-a3 but during the game I only looked at Bg4.)} 16. Nxg4 Rxe2 17. Nxf6 gxf6 18. Rxe2 {(After taking on h2 it is not clear who is better. D4 is a typical computermove with the intention or to destroy the pawnstructure or after c4 to limit the mobility of the white bishop.)}) 14... Nh7 $5 {(I prepare f5, followed up with g5 but I do not succeed. More critical seems Nh5 and white must be very careful not to land in a bad position.)} 15. Bg3 Bg4 16. Qf1 f6 17. Bb3 Be6 18. Qe2 a6 19. Nf1 Rad8 20. Ne3 Qc6 21. Nh4 Nc5 22. Bc2 Bf8 23. c4 $6 {(White plans an interesting gambit for which objectively he gets probably not enough compensation. More precise is therefore d4, a move which was even stronger a bit earlier in the game. )} d4 24. Nd5 a5 25. Qd2 Ra8 $6 {(I prefer to play on safety but the engines recommend the sharp b5 after which black can create better chances.)} 26. f4 exf4 $2 {(To accept the pawnoffer with Bxd5 is the lesser evil but it is clear that white gets good compensation for it.)} 27. Nxf4 Bf7 28. Nhg6 $2 {(I was mainly afraid of Nf3 during the game and indeed engines confirm that black has serious problems with his weak d-pawn.)} Bd6 29. Qf2 Bxg6 30. Nxg6 Bxg3 31. Qxg3 Qd7 32. Nf4 Rxe1 33. Rxe1 Re8 34. Rxe8 $5 {(This was afterwards criticized by my opponent but I can already not find an advantage anymore for white.)} (34. Nd5 $5 Rxe1 35. Qxe1 Qe6 36. Qxe6 Nxe6 37. a3 Nhf8 38. b4 axb4 39. axb4 Ng6 $11) 34... Qxe8 35. Qf2 Qe5 36. Ne2 Ne6 37. a3 Nhf8 38. b4 axb4 39. axb4 b6 40. Ba4 Ng6 41. g3 Qd6 42. Qf5 Ne7 43. Qb5 Kh7 {(Nc7 is the normal move but I want to win so I take some calculated risks.)} 44. Qd7 Qe5 45. Kf1 Nf5 46. Bb3 $6 {(The position is still within the boundaries of a draw with Ke1 or Bc6 but white is probably tired and does not succeed anymore to find a good defense. )} Ne3 47. Kg1 $2 {(With Kf2 white could defend still much tougher but after this blunder the game finishes immediately. )} (47. Kf2 $1 Ng4 48. Ke1 Nxh2 49. Qd5 Nc7 50. Qg2 Ng4 $15) 47... Ng4 48. Bd1 Qe3 0-1" />
Finally I got in round 4 of the previous Open Gent again this line on the board and this time my opponent had bad luck as I still remembered the analysis very well. We got the same middlegame but this time I knew that I better first control the queen-side before to engage any other actions. This knowledge-advantage together with the big time-advantage made it obviously an unfair battle.
[Event "Open Gent 4de ronde"] [Date "2013"] [White "Passchyn, M."] [Black "Brabo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C24"] [WhiteElo "2012"] [BlackElo "2344"] [PlyCount "48"] 1. e4 {(In 2 earlier confrontations I had white so nice to have once the colors reversed.)} e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Bb3 d5 5. exd5 cxd5 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. c3 Bd6 8. Bg5 Be6 9. O-O O-O 10. Nbd2 {(Not even a month ago, I had looked in detail to this opening cause of my clubchampionshipgame against Jan Viaen. Then Jan played Re1 in this position. )} h6 11. Bh4 Nbd7 12. Re1 {(We have transposed back to my game against Jan which permitted me to win a lot of time on the clock contrary to my opponent.)} Qc7 13. Nf1 {(Jan played Qe2 but this Nf1 looks more natural.)} Rfe8 14. Bg3 a6 15. Ne3 b5 16. Nh4 g6 17. Qd2 Qc6 18. h3 Kg7 19. Rf1 $6 {(To play f4 at some moment and create counterplay but in this position this is too optimistic. The dry Nf3 was a better way to organize the defense. )} Nc5 $6 {(I prepare d4 but probably a little bit more precise is anyway a5 to concur maximally space on the queen-side, limiting whites options. )} 20. Bc2 $2 {(After the game I immediately recommended Bd1 to leave c2 open for the knight which was confirmed by the engines. )} d4 21. Nd1 $6 {(The engines pull the emergence break with Ng4 which means a gambit.)} Rad8 22. f4 {(Desperation which easily is refuted.)} Nh5 23. cxd4 Nxg3 24. Re1 Be7 0-1" />
In the 3 games I achieved the same result but the way how was totally different thanks to the continuous improvement of my knowledge based on analyzing the own played games. It is widely known that analyzing your own games is important but few know that also from won games something can be learned. Also if you don't learn anything from your won game, you can be sure your opponent will do. Analyzing won games is also a method to stay a step ahead of your opponent Of course if one lacks time then one should give priority to the lost games but I see often that time isn't the real reason as chessplayers often prefer to do something different than going over their own played games which lets us return to the introduction.Brabo