Review

Path: TeachingMethods   · Prev: Tsumego   · Next: SimulGo
   

Chinese: 复盘 (fu4 pan2)
Japanese:
Korean:

A game review (or analysis) is a process where a game you played is discussed by

  • yourself
  • your opponent (and yourself) or
  • a teacher (and yourself)

Reviewing games has a high impact on improvement. Thanks to a review, you will be able to assess your ability to apply what you know already and pin down flaws in your game.

Table of contents

Reviewing a game

This applies to your own games, but also to the games of others. Reviewing your own games is a good way to find out where you make mistakes, and is something you should always try to do after a game.

You should be able to replay the first 20-30 moves of a game. Replay a game not by memorising the moves, but by rethinking the logic you followed in the first place. If you cannot remember where you played, that means that the move was

  • one of the first moves (anything was possible)
  • one of your opponent's moves and s/he played an unexpected move, e.g.
    • going against your logic, common sense or
    • irrational play by a weaker player
  • you simply did not think so much when playing that move, e.g.
    • no associations could be established with that move, or
    • too many similar association were build up
      • prime example: kikashi, transpositions and other timing examples: it is no problem to define where the stone has been played, but it may make a great difference, when to play it. You thought about it during the game, but the differences were not clear.

It is even better to have your games reviewed together with someone who is stronger than you. Preferably, he should be so much stronger than you that you trust his advice. Being reviewed by someone who is your own level will always leave a nagging doubt...

Reviewing someone else's games, for instance professional games, is good because it gives you a good feeling for good shape, strength, direction of play etc. It is suggested that you play through professional games quickly, without paying much attention to the comments, just to get the feeling of it. Try to understand the logic of the opening moves ('fuseki'), attacking moves, endgame move order etc. look to the comments only if you cannot understand a certain move. (A word of warning: real understanding of pro moves usually requires pro level; what you are looking for here is appreciation and feeling for good plays.)

Reviewing games should improve your 'feel' of the game, i.e. you will find yourself playing moves that seem reasonable, without necessarily being able to explain why.

General Conditions for a Good Review

The following skills are helpful to get the most out of reviewing a game with an opponent or by yourself. One would hope that a teacher would apply them automatically:

Control your Emotions

If you have lost a game, it is important not to let feelings of regret prevent you from giving the review your full attention. Console yourself with the thought that lost games teach you more than games you have won, so it is well worth putting in the effort of identifying mistakes and weak strategies. If you cannot control your feelings sufficiently, then wait until later, but don't omit the review (I could also add that if you cannot control your feelings then maybe you should take up another game).

Be Objective and Honest

A common mistake on the losing side in a review is to try to show how they "should" have won the game. In chess parlance this is called trying to "win the post-mortem". A review will only do you good if you honestly seek mistakes and not if you seek to justify yourself.

Be Realistic

Many reviews go off into long branches that bear little resemblance to the game. While it can be useful to show how a game might have developed if a certain path had been taken, you can easily end up discussing a game that never happened. Try to keep to the main paths of the game itself and keep it real.

Don't "read out loud"

In many cases, people use a review to check whether their mental reading during the game was correct by physically going over the variations. While this may have some justification, many people continue the analysis in the same spirit, by quickly going over variations as if the game constraints were still in effect, except that playing variations out physically is allowed. It can be argued that this type of "reading out loud" is counterproductive and one should either practice reading mentally, or, if physically going over variations, one should completely change gears by going over each move more slowly with the emphasis on correctness.

Reviewing with your Opponent

The foremost principle when reviewing your opponent's moves is respect. This is particularly important when the review takes place immediately after the game, when both players may experience strong emotions. A friendly atmosphere helps both players enjoy the review and learn from it.

There is no obligation to endure an analysis. If you don't want to, just decline politely.

Tips

  • Ask if your opponent would like to review. (In an online game, if your opponent does not speak your language and does not respond, you can also just start reviewing the game for yourself -your opponent may still gain from it.)
  • Use "Black" and "White" instead of naming the players or using pronouns. This creates an objective discussion which allows both players to learn without their ego getting in the way.
  • Point out your opponent's good or brilliant moves, but beware of being patronizing.

Good and Bad Analysis

In a good analysis, both players review a game with interesting points and input from both sides. Bad analysis is when the losing player goes over a disastrous game as consolation ("oh, if only I had done this and that, he never could have won! he was so lucky!") This kind of "review" is certainly better done in the privacy of your own home. See /Ilan's Dreaded Analysis for an example.

See Also

Guide To Reviewing for a more specific list of "dos and don'ts" with respect to review for both yourself and others.

Review by a Teacher

A common practice is to play a teaching game with a teacher. This game will usually be reviewed by the teacher.

You can have your games reviewed at the GTL.

Reviews of Professional Players

Losing a Review

There is a story about the great Japanese player Sakata to the effect that one day he was in a bad mood. When asked why he explained that things were really bad; he had lost a tournament game and also lost the review. I guess winning the review of a lost game is also common among the pros.

About this Page

Contributors: -- Dieter. Tamsin, AndreEngels, BenFinney, Matt Noonan, Bob McGuigan
WME: Sebastian


Path: TeachingMethods   · Prev: Tsumego   · Next: SimulGo
This is a copy of the living page "Review" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2009 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]
StartingPoints
ReferenceSection
About