Lessons can be learned from every chess game you play. Critiquing your wins is hard though. After all, winning is the objective in chess and if you win, surely there isn’t much to correct. But how you win is what should be scrutinized. We like to pat themselves on the back when we see our opponent blunder away a piece. We think it was our superior play that caused such a critical oversight. That is why amateur players need to be honest and objective with their post game analysis.
A games of chess is just a series of moves, regardless of the result. The question we have to ask ourselves is : How can we play better moves during any phase of the game? The question is easy. Finding answers can be difficult.
Critiquing your wins in chess
Post-game analysis
Leave your opponent’s bad pieces alone. Black’s d6 bishop is a terrible piece. It is locked behind the c5, e5 and d6 pawn wedge. We want our opponents to have bad pieces like this. Capturing that piece should be the last thing on our mind.
Force your opponent to trade off his good pieces. Encourage your opponent to trade away his good pieces. Bxc4 was a forced move that made Black part with his light-squared bishop. He not only lost an active piece but a member of the bishop pair. When the dust settles, you want to compare your pieces to your opponents. The more active pieces you have, the greater chances you have to win.
Never be complacent. Chess players should play selfishly. Never let your opponent back in the game. Always look for a way to compromise their play. in this game, the simple Bg5, early in the game was a complacent move. The move did not harmonize well with the rest of my piece placement. Instead, b3 with the idea of Bb2 made more sense.
Conclusion
The problem with critiquing your wins is trying to be objective. Amateur players love to justify their moves. They will find every reason under the sun to promote their ideas. Remember, strong players work to disprove their thinking. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Why is my move bad?”.
Modern chess engines like Stockfish force weaker players to be objective. Still, we need to make sure we recognize our mistakes and learn from them. Critiquing your wins is tough but needed to be a better player!
Do you find critiquing your wins difficult? If so, why? Please post below.