Looking for Chess Game Software for Analysis?

Just wrote up a blog post for ChessX, which is a great package if you are interested in analyzing and learning from previous games.  You can play the computer, though the options for that aren't as good as a couple of other packages. ChessX is focused on your game databases, openings, and learning through examination.  

https://www.chess.com/blog/ghefley/pgn-workbench-chessx

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"ChessLs" "kicks a**s", it's android app with quick overview of the pgn in the style of earlier "chess.com's" game reviews. It rocks.

Thanks for the blog post. I just installed ChessX and set it up and analyzed one of my recent games where I was pretty disappointed in my performance in the endgame. (Basically, I threw away an easy victory.)

Here's the game for reference:

Note, I'm not looking for comments on the game itself. I've made a post about this game and if you want to discuss the game, please do it there.

A common theme here in chess.com is that one can't afford the $90 diamond membership. Diamond gives you infinite analysis, that's why I'm Diamond.

But can ChessX replace that? Let's look at two moves in the game, comparing chess.com's Game Review, Analysis, and ChessX's analysis.

This is right after I promote to Queen and my opponent makes the blunder f4

First, Game Review:

Game Review tells me that my opponent has allowed a forced checkmate. Good news for me (if only I saw it.)

The analysis tab, frankly, isn't much help to me. I'm sure that's because I can't use it effectively. But it shows this:

We can see the various Mating lines above, but to a beginner like me, this is mostly useless. Game Review is much better.

Now lets look at ChessX.

ChessX show their move with the purple arrow and what my best move should be with the orange arrow but it does not tell me why the queen move is the best move. I think the white arrow is the threat arrow. My best move results in a fork with the King and Pawn. Game Review did not reveal this a this screen.

Now lets make the next move, my h8 blunder.

Right away it tells me that I missed an opportunity to fork pieces. It let me learn by retrying, and gives me the answers with the "Best" button. (ChessX has already told me this, and I yes, I can turn those arrows off but if I do it isn't clear how I know when to turn them back on.)

Clicking Best shows me the proper Queen fork

ChessX shows my actual move and what I should have played.

In my opinion, both tools compliment each other, but chess.com's Game Review represents a good value, easily giving you the ability to try and correct your mistakes as well as telling you in plain language why you move was bad (you missed the fork) and why the correct move is good (you found the fork)

I was really excited about saving $90/year but right now I don't think that chess.com's Game Review can be beat.

I think I'll go watch some @GothamChess videos on game analysis so I can learn how to use these tools better.

I was watching Levy and realized that I was missing the Analysis tab on the Game Review screen. That's a great combo.

That is really making the chess.com offering really attractive.

This is @GothamChess's video, really worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ov93YjTZ70

Man, Gotham is titled player he doesn't have to pay the fee. You're obviously paying for software like a baby.

I use that too, and it has better tools in some areas, like annotation, and game play. It is a good package, so I'm keeping it for now.

ChessX is free, and opensource.

Yeah, I've been watching him too, every morning with my coffee, learning how to Win At Chess and Sack the ROOOOOOOOK!

No Ghefly, I know chessX is free as it's open source but NotThePainter tripped me up when he called out people who don't have premium activated as "poor" and "can't afford it" and I already mentioned him "Chessls" android app with witch I'm extremly satisfied.

It tells you in plain language something that isn't true. With Qd4+ black has absolutely no intention of taking the f4 pawn. Instead, it's the start of a mating attack. All the talk Game review gives about forks is just complete nonsense.

I apologize, no offense meant, it just seems that once a week here somebody says they can't afford a Diamond membership.

Wow, you're right! For beginners like me the path to mate there was to stop white's promotions, then get on with the mate. I started moving my Queen around, looking for a mate but couldn't find it. The engine shows me three possible ones.

Oh, and Levy goes into this is his video, that the phrases are just hints, you need to use the analysis tab along with Review to really see what is going on.

That would be a solid plan. I myself would probably have played Qf6 in that spot, then take the g6 and the h7 pawns. No need to calculate a forced mate when a clean easy path like this presents itself.

Your Rh8 however was pretty pointless, wasn't it?

That's the one move I wish I could understand why I made it. I think, at the time, I wanted to block promotion so I could free up the queen to move off the diagonal. That's why missing the K/P fork was a huge blunder. I would have easily won it if I hadn't done that.

some times difficult to understand engine lines