Does analyzing other people's games help you improve?

Does analyzing other people's games help you improve?

It seems that doing so encourages you to visualize and calculate variations in your head, and thus make you "learn" to make such calculating second-nature.

Does anyone else think so?

I know someone who is going over all of Fischer's games, but I doubt he'll be any higer rated when he's done.

I like watching other peoples games in the live chess venue. I suck. So I guess it doesn't help. But it's fun. So... who cares?

Grandmasters do it all the time. If analyzing your own games help ypu find your mistakes, then analyzing other people's games will do the same, plus you learn ways to deal with certain positions.

"I know someone who is going over all of Fischer's games"

You people always speaks about quantity, don't you think quality matters ?

If anybody really works on 100 Fischer's games he could be a master level player. You really have no idea of the amount of work anyone can do (and needs) to study just one game.

They would also have to learn how to apply your knowledge in a real game. You could have as much chess knowledge as Carlsen has and still not be a titled player based on the fact that you don't know how to apply your knowledge.

"You could have as much chess knowledge as Carlsen has and still not be a titled player based on the fact that you don't know how to apply your knowledge."

I'm talking about master level which is 2400 fide. Carlsen is 2870, and for him, 2600 GM are just patzers. But 2400 fide is not so much, even me at 2000 level can understand this. People here believe 2400 or 2200 all have an IQ of 150 or some magic skills. That's very wrong, they just played chess for a long time, they've done OTB tournaments with hundreds of long games ( a long game is a 4h or sometimes 6h game, it takes an entire day, and I'm not even talking about preparation before the game and the tournament or analysis of the game which could take many, many hours).

I will tell you my own story. I enter at a club (I already knew the rule but no much more) at 13, and I did my first long game tournament (obviously OTB, there was no internet chess zone at this time) at 14, 6 months after I enter the club. There was many GMs at this tournament, more than 100 players and I was the last rated player. Theses games were 8 hours games. I repeat this because it's important : 8 HOURS. For each games. 2 hours (for each player) to make 40 moves, then 1 hour for 20 moves, then another 1 hour to finish the game. That is Chess. After I played 50 long games, at 15, I was 2000 fide rated player. Everybody who do what I did, could get a 2000 rating exactly like me.

I just wish it was as easy for me to play in actual tournaments than it did for you.

Certainly!  Not just super GM or historical games but also on here.  Yes even beginner games too.  I found quite some interesting gems on here.

I check out there moves sometimes.. then I try it. If I like their combinations I will play it more often :)

There is no doubt that analysing other ppls games is a powerful tool but you need to know what you are looking for. You can only analyse up to your own skill level so sometimes it helps to do it with someone else with a higher rating. Posting games here for other to analyse after you have done your own is a good way to get that help. Also stay away from computer analysis until you have exhausted every other avenue then use the computer last to check for blunders in your calculations & to find moves/combinations that may be above your skill level.

Analysing beginners games helps reinforce your own skills & GM games give you insights into a level of play that we all hope to emulate some day.

So Yes! study lots of games from all skill levels as part of your overall training regimen.

play with your heart! follow your instinct!

I never said it was easy (and I'm pleased that it wasn't). It was very tough, and it was a long path. 50 long games (played against a majority of stronger players) means hundreds of hours of tough fight. At the beginning I thought I could never defeat a 1500 player.

well looking at other people games helps you but it wont if you look at them in 30 sec look at one game at least 6 houres that way you will absorb the position or  look at annotated games but dont go to chessgamaes and find a annotated game and read it 30 sec be shour to move the pices and the wooden chess boared as you are reading after one game nothnig but if you do it on regual bases you will improve i reccomand read capablaca 60 best chess endings

I meant "I wish OTB tournaments were more accessible and affordable where I live".