How to Analyze a Chess Position During a Game

It often happens that at first glance, it is not clear who has the better position overall and how to proceed. From beginner to beginner, here are the most important tips and tricks I’ve learned over the past eight months that might save you from a defeat or two. So let's start with the basics.

How to Analyze Step by Step

You’ve probably heard about the standard noteworthy elements of board analysis, where terms like “pawn structure” are mentioned, and you might not even have a clear idea of what exactly that means. So, to start, here is the sequence to watch out for to see directly whether a win in this game is still realistically possible.

• Material 
• King Safety
• Developed Pieces 
• Center Control
• Pawn Structure 

We will now go through each step individually and first clarify the key factors.

Material

It is clear that in the case of a significant imbalance of the remaining pieces, victory is within reach for the person who is better off in terms of material.

If you have already lost your queen because you blundered and your opponent had to trade only a bishop, rook, or even less for it, it is clear that you are apparently in the worse position. Each piece has a certain value assigned to it to roughly compare the value it has in the game. While the queen has 9 points, the rook only has 5, so the trade was a big advantage for your opponent. From here, it is now important to keep an even closer eye on the other steps so that you do not immediately lose the game.

King Safety

Your opponent's goal is to checkmate your king, so the most important thing is to first ensure a protective wall that covers your king without any gaps.

However, this is not always possible, and therefore it is your task to look for noticeable gaps between you and the opponent's king. Equally important, if not more important, is to secure your own king, as your opponent is also trying with all their might to checkmate you or win Material. The Position you See was one of my Bullet Games i played.

Developed Pieces

In this showcase example you see that White got his peaces faster out than Black, this means you dominate the Center now. Of course it's easier for white to win over the middle because white also makes the first move, but I think it's clear what I want to say.

At the beginning of the game, it is immediately decided who has the dominant position in the central four squares (center). With your pawns, bishops, and knights, you can initially secure most of it in the opening. It is important to find the right one. How to find the best opening for you will be covered in my next post, as this topic is too comprehensive. When analyzing the current position, it is important to see who has more active pieces in the game and who possibly has undeveloped, trapped, or poorly positioned pieces.

Center Control

Controlling the center during the game is crucial because it allows your pieces to move more freely across the board and exert influence over important squares. Generally, the player who controls the center has a strategic advantage. Use your pawns, bishops, and knights to occupy or attack the central squares (d4, d5, e4, e5). The more control you have over the Game in these squares, the more options you have for attacking and defending in the endgame. Always check who has more influence over the center during the game and adjust your strategy accordingly. This control allows for greater mobility and the ability to launch effective offensives or defenses.

Pawn Structure

Now to one of the, in my opinion, most complex points in analysis: who has the better pawn structure. The most important points are first the "islands" of pawns, i.e., whether gaps are already forming in the structure and the line in which they stand.

To develop pawns, they need to reach the promotion square, as only from there can you turn them into the weapon that will eventually bring you victory.

Therefore, never leave your pawns alone. Move the pawns forward step by step in a line where they always cover each other well. Ideally, always have a supporting piece for the bottom pawn, as this otherwise can sometimes be the penetrable gap in your pawn structure.

Next Step

Now you have a rough idea of what matters, and you can now give each point its own value depending on the situation. If you have fewer developed minor pieces but a better pawn structure, you need to decide which aspect is more important for you and your level, and who has the upper hand in the game. It is now important to make a decision about which move will advance you the most with your strategy.

Exercises

On Chess.com, the best method to practice is clearly the puzzles. Even better are the Puzzle Battle and Puzzle Rush games, as you learn to analyze the most important points in a short time, find a checkmate or other "best moves" that improve your position, and thereby get better at analyzing games while they are still ongoing.

I will also teach you how to properly analyze a game with the Game Review function on Chess.com in one of my next posts if you follow my page. But for now, I wish you much success and hope that you learned something. I would appreciate a comment on topic ideas or how I helped you or what you missed in this post.

Have fun!

DanielSparklyOfficial