Game self-analysis

Any advice for beginner improvement in game analysis? Using the Game Reviews I often find the Stockfish suggested moves improbable, especially with lower rated player games. Or the Best moves are ones counter to what I’m learning through other sources. Pushing for Fried Liver attacks even after the opponent has castled and they’d be less effective. I definitely don’t think I know better than the recommended lines, I just know there’s often a critique of computer lines that aren’t exactly “human decisions” and it can often feel overwhelming what is a good realistic calculation to learn from and try applying going forward.

When it comes to game analysis, I would recommend analyzing the game with out a computer first. Go through the game, and find all the mistakes you think you made in the game. Ask yourself why you made those mistakes? It could be you did not see it as a mistake in the game, or you underestimated your opponent's threat or move. It could be because you moved too fast. Doing this for your games will also let you see a pattern that you repeatedly making. This can help you identify what you need to work on. I would use the computer after that if you want. Then you can look for anything obvious that you missed in your own analysis. I would also not worry about computer lines that seem well above what your current skill level would indicate that you can't understand. We all have those issues when using a computer to analyze our games. When it comes to moves that are counter to what you learning through other sources there two things to consider. 1. Is that the move may in line with other principles that you have not learned about. 2. As you get better you will better understand when you can break those principles or ideas.

My advice is just to click through the moves slowly checking for major blunders by both you and your opponent. I’m talking about blunders that give away material for free, or allow a forced checkmate. When I was starting out I used to watch a lot of IM John Bartholomew’s videos on YouTube and he always stressed that when you’re just starting out in chess, your goal should just be to develop your pieces, castle, and then make sure you keep all your pieces and pawns sufficiently defended for the rest of the game, while taking any free material your opponent offers up. Honestly, if you can do that you will gain a lot of rating and you’re understanding and whole board awareness will improve a lot.

Sometimes, the engine’s top move might be too complex or impractical. Look for moves within the engine's suggestions that are simpler and easier to understand.