Post-game analysis
Post-game analysis is the discussion or private review held right after a game, in which both players or one player alone retrace the moves and identify the turning points, missed ideas and lessons.
Also called: post-mortem
The best moment to learn from a game is often straight after it ends, while the ideas are still fresh. Many players quickly walk away from a loss, which wastes that chance. A short post-mortem with your opponent can reveal lines neither of you saw and shows how the other side was thinking, something no engine can tell you.
Stay curious and polite. Ask where they felt the game turned, what they were afraid of and which moves they considered. Share your own doubts honestly. You may discover that a move you were proud of was a mistake, or that a position you thought was lost held resources.
A common error is arguing about who was better. The point is to learn, not to win again. Another is trusting a casual verdict as final, because quick analysis misses things.
After the conversation, write down two or three key moments and your thinking at each while you still remember it. Later, check them with an engine and fold the lessons into your study notes. Even five minutes of this routine builds the foundation of a long-term game review habit.
It sits close to Coach. A chess coach is a more experienced player or teacher who helps a student improve by diagnosing weaknesses, structuring study, reviewing games and keeping the student accountable to a steady training routine.
A neighboring idea is Resilience. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from a blunder, a lost game or a bad tournament round and keep playing your best chess without carrying the setback into the next decision.
Compare it with Tilt. Tilt is a state of frustration or emotional disturbance after a setback, where a player stops thinking clearly, plays faster or more recklessly, and makes worse decisions than usual.
Training ideas such as "Post-game analysis" work best with a plan built for you, and the first lesson with George Li produces one from your own games.
Related terms
A game review habit is the routine of going back over your own games soon after playing them, first by yourself and then with an engine, to find the real reasons behind your decisions and mistakes.
A game review is an automatic engine pass over a finished game that marks each move, shows how the evaluation changed and points out the turning points, mistakes and missed chances.
Engine analysis is the use of a chess program to search a position and report which moves are strongest, along with a numeric evaluation and the lines it expects both sides to follow.
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from a blunder, a lost game or a bad tournament round and keep playing your best chess without carrying the setback into the next decision.
A study plan is a written, realistic schedule that divides your chess training time among tactics, endgames, openings, game review and playing, aimed at the specific weaknesses your own games reveal.
A chess coach is a more experienced player or teacher who helps a student improve by diagnosing weaknesses, structuring study, reviewing games and keeping the student accountable to a steady training routine.
Guides that go further
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?
Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each.
A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.