Annotated game

An annotated game preserves the moves of a game and adds information that helps the reader understand what happened. Moves are usually recorded in algebraic notation, a compact system that identifies the moving piece and its destination square. The record may also contain prose, evaluation symbols that summarize how a move or position is judged, and variations, which are alternative move sequences that were considered but not played.

Useful annotations do not have to discuss every move. They focus on turning points: a difficult choice, a missed threat, a stronger alternative, or a transition into a different phase of the game. Rather than merely labeling a move good or bad, they explain why, what the player was trying to achieve, and how another response could have changed the outcome.

What annotations may include

• Plans and ideas that connect several moves.
• Concrete variations used to test whether an idea works.
• Plain evaluations such as equal, slightly better, or winning.
• Notes by the player, a coach, or an editor.
• Support from an engine evaluation, provided the number is turned into an understandable chess explanation.

Annotated game describes a format. A model game describes an educational role, because the game was selected to demonstrate a theme clearly. One game can be both, but a heavily annotated game is not automatically a representative model of a plan or structure.