--- title: "Accuracy in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/accuracy.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/accuracy" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "Accuracy is a percentage produced by analysis software that summarizes how closely a player's moves matched the engine's preferred choices over a game." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/average-centipawn-loss.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/game-review.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/best-move.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/post-game-analysis.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/computer-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Accuracy in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. Accuracy is a percentage produced by analysis software that summarizes how closely a player's moves matched the engine's preferred choices over a game. Accuracy is a percentage produced by analysis software that summarizes how closely a player's moves matched the engine's preferred choices over a game, with higher numbers meaning fewer costly errors. An accuracy score condenses a whole game into one number. The software compares each move you played with what the [engine](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-engine.md) would have chosen and weighs how much each deviation changed the [evaluation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md). Different tools compute it differently, so a figure from one program cannot be compared directly with a figure from another. A club player meets accuracy right after a game and often reads too much into it. A high score can come from a quiet game in which nothing much happened, or from playing along a forced line where there were few real choices. A low score may come from one terrible move in an otherwise sensible game. The common [mistake](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mistake.md) is chasing the percentage itself, for example by choosing engine-like moves you do not understand. A better habit is to use accuracy only as a pointer: if it is low, find the two or three moments where the evaluation swung and study those. The number says where to look, while the explanation of why you erred still has to come from your own review. Also called: accuracy score. It sits close to [Average centipawn loss](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/average-centipawn-loss.md). Average centipawn loss, or ACPL, is the mean amount of evaluation a player gave up per move compared with the engine's best choice, measured in hundredths of a pawn, so lower figures mean cleaner play. It sits close to [Centipawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/centipawn.md). A centipawn is one hundredth of a pawn, the small unit engines use to report evaluations, so a score of 150 centipawns means the engine thinks one side is about one and a half pawns better. A neighboring idea is [Inaccuracy](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/inaccuracy.md). An inaccuracy is the mildest error label in game review, given to a move that is playable but gives up a small amount of advantage compared with the engine's better alternative. An engine can tell you what "Accuracy" means for a position, but not which mistakes you keep making; a [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) with George Li reviews your games and finds those. ## Related terms - [Average centipawn loss](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/average-centipawn-loss.md) - [Game review](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/game-review.md) - [Best move](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/best-move.md) - [Blunder](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder.md) - [Evaluation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md) - [Post-game analysis](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/post-game-analysis.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Average centipawn loss in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/average-centipawn-loss.md) - [Game review in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/game-review.md) - [Best move in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/best-move.md) - [Blunder in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder.md) - [Evaluation in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md) - [Post-game analysis in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/post-game-analysis.md) - [Chess terms: Computer chess and analysis](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/computer-chess.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)