PGN game analysis...

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JonathanBlake10842

I've recently started to learn the game. I learned how the pieces moved when I was a kid. I think my dad taught me that much so he could bully me around on the board and make himself feel better about himself but that's another story. Now I'm 58, (still have parent issues) and can't play pool anymore because the Governor closed all the pool halls. Joining the chess club became my choice of substitute. Apparently, Covid can be transmitted by pool tables but not by chess pieces. At least that's what our Governor has decreed. 

At the advice of a local player (the guy who beat me in my second match), I purchased Fritz which came with 6 months of membership with Chessbase. I still can't figure out how to get an engine to analyze my games. I've been at it for weeks. I tried to follow the tutorials and PDF manuals but it's not easy when the menus on my Fritz screen don't match either one.

Is there a better option for game analysis? Preferably something that has instructional videos or, at least a manual that applies to the current version? 

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Martin_Stahl
JonathanBlake10842 wrote:

I've recently started to learn the game. I learned how the pieces moved when I was a kid. I think my dad taught me that much so he could bully me around on the board and make himself feel better about himself but that's another story. Now I'm 58, (still have parent issues) and can't play pool anymore because the Governor closed all the pool halls. Joining the chess club became my choice of substitute. Apparently, Covid can be transmitted by pool tables but not by chess pieces. At least that's what our Governor has decreed. 

At the advice of a local player (the guy who beat me in my second match), I purchased Fritz which came with 6 months of membership with Chessbase. I still can't figure out how to get an engine to analyze my games. I've been at it for weeks. I tried to follow the tutorials and PDF manuals but it's not easy when the menus on my Fritz screen don't match either one.

Is there a better option for game analysis? Preferably something that has instructional videos or, at least a manual that applies to the current version? 

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Really, Analysis at lower levels is primarily to point out blunders. That said, pretty much any chess software that supports engines will allow you to analyze.

 

Try searching Analyze with Fritz on YouTube and the menus will probably be close enough to get you there, if they are not exactly the same.

notmtwain
JonathanBlake10842 wrote:

I've recently started to learn the game. I learned how the pieces moved when I was a kid. I think my dad taught me that much so he could bully me around on the board and make himself feel better about himself but that's another story. Now I'm 58, (still have parent issues) and can't play pool anymore because the Governor closed all the pool halls. Joining the chess club became my choice of substitute. Apparently, Covid can be transmitted by pool tables but not by chess pieces. At least that's what our Governor has decreed. 

At the advice of a local player (the guy who beat me in my second match), I purchased Fritz which came with 6 months of membership with Chessbase. I still can't figure out how to get an engine to analyze my games. I've been at it for weeks. I tried to follow the tutorials and PDF manuals but it's not easy when the menus on my Fritz screen don't match either one.

Is there a better option for game analysis? Preferably something that has instructional videos or, at least a manual that applies to the current version? 

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Play some games here. Free members can get one full analysis per day.

You just click on Game Report after a game.

Now it might take you a while to learn how to read the report but there is a decent help page here.

LennyEssoh
What
JonathanBlake10842

Thank you, Martin. I'm okay with any analysis option that will do just that. (point out blunders) the problem is that I've spent weeks trying to get that done. I managed to get some results but I couldn't figure out what the expanded lines were telling me. The way I see it, a good analysis should show 1. blunders, 2. missed opportunities 3. better options. Preferably with some kind of understandable explanation for each. It's probably available in Fritz but, if it is, I can't find a way to understand it. My purpose for posting here is to find either an experienced Fritz user or advice on an alternate analysis method. I just now joined the Chess.com trial week. I'm going to grab a couple of my PGN files and see if I can get something understandable here.

JonathanBlake10842

I've played 9 games against actual people so far. This is the first one I've won. It's one of the few PGN files that I've managed to compile correctly. I'm finding that my recording skills need work. I always have some mistakes. One or two can usually be resolved. 

Martin_Stahl
JonathanBlake10842 wrote:

Thank you, Martin. I'm okay with any analysis option that will do just that. (point out blunders) the problem is that I've spent weeks trying to get that done. I managed to get some results but I couldn't figure out what the expanded lines were telling me. The way I see it, a good analysis should show 1. blunders, 2. missed opportunities 3. better options. Preferably with some kind of understandable explanation for each. It's probably available in Fritz but, if it is, I can't find a way to understand it. My purpose for posting here is to find either an experienced Fritz user or advice on an alternate analysis method. I just now joined the Chess.com trial week. I'm going to grab a couple of my PGN files and see if I can get something understandable here.

 

Most programs don't provide the why and just provide lines. The idea is that you need to play through the lines to figure out what may be going on. I'm sure there are any really good programs that will do all you want; it's not an easy thing to do.