Post-mortem analysis

In chess, a post-mortem analysis is a review held soon after the game, traditionally with both players at the board. Each player explains intentions, expected replies, and the moment when the position seemed to change. Decision memories are still fresh, and the two perspectives can reveal ideas that the other player never considered.

There is no need to examine every move equally deeply. It is usually more useful to stop at surprises, long decisions, changes of plan, and points where the players' evaluations differed. An evaluation is a player's judgment about who stands better, by how much, and for what reasons.

Value and limits

The opponent may explain why a threat seemed dangerous or which defense was genuinely feared. This reveals how the position was perceived during play, something a list of best moves cannot provide. However, both players can be wrong. A post mortem produces questions and hypotheses, not final truth.

The discussed positions should be recorded and checked later through self-analysis, an independent review of one's own game, an annotated game, a game accompanied by explanatory comments, or an engine evaluation. An engine is software that calculates moves and estimates positions. Later verification separates a useful impression from a calculated sequence that does not work.

In a training game, the post mortem can be part of the design from the start. After an official game, it depends on both players' willingness and on whether the venue and rules permit analysis there.