--- title: "Evaluation bar in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation-bar.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation-bar" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "The evaluation bar is a vertical or horizontal gauge beside the board that shows, with a bar of black and white." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/centipawn.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-engine.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/engine-analysis.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/post-game-analysis.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder-check.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/computer-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Evaluation bar 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. The evaluation bar is a vertical or horizontal gauge beside the board that shows, with a bar of black and white. The evaluation bar is a vertical or horizontal gauge beside the board that shows, with a bar of black and white, which side the engine thinks is better and by roughly how much. The [evaluation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md) bar is a quick visual summary of the [engine](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-engine.md)’s score. The white portion grows when White is doing better and the dark portion grows when Black is. A bar split evenly means the position is roughly equal. Many analysis boards also print the number beside it, such as plus 1.2, and show a mate message when a forced [checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md) exists. The bar is useful for finding the moment a game turned. Step through the moves and watch where it jumps. Those jumps point to [blunders](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder.md), missed [tactics](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tactic.md) and brilliant resources, so you can spend your review time where it matters most. Be careful with it during study. If you leave the bar visible while solving a puzzle or analyzing a position, you see the verdict before you have thought, and the exercise loses its value. Hide the bar until you have decided on your own move and your own plan. The bar also reflects the engine's own best play, and it can look dramatic in positions where a human would find it hard to make use of the advantage, so read it as guidance and not a final judgment. Also called: eval bar. Compare it with [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 [Blunder check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder-check.md). A blunder check is a quick test, made by a person before moving or by software afterward, that looks for a move which hangs material, allows a tactic or loses the game outright. Computer terms such as "Evaluation bar" are most useful next to a coach who reads your games with you, which is how a [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) with George Li works. ## Related terms - [Evaluation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md) - [Centipawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/centipawn.md) - [Chess engine](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-engine.md) - [Engine analysis](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/engine-analysis.md) - [Post-game analysis](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/post-game-analysis.md) - [Blunder check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder-check.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 - [Evaluation in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/evaluation.md) - [Centipawn in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/centipawn.md) - [Chess engine](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-engine.md) - [Engine analysis in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/engine-analysis.md) - [Post-game analysis in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/post-game-analysis.md) - [Blunder check in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blunder-check.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)