Learning from model games
In short
Replaying master games is one of the fastest ways to absorb plans. Don’t just click through: cover the next move and guess it, as in the app’s guess-the-move trainer.
By the end you can
- Study a classic game actively
- Explain the plan of the winner
The lesson
Replaying master games is one of the fastest ways to absorb plans. Don’t just click through: cover the next move and guess it, as in the app’s guess-the-move trainer. When your guess differs, ask why the master’s move is better.
Choose games in openings you play and from players with a clear style: Capablanca, Rubinstein and Alekhine for classical technique; Morphy for development and open lines.
Key points to remember
- Guess every move
- Compare, then understand
- Pick games from your own openings
- Write down the winner’s plan in one sentence
Examples
Homework
Two guess-the-move games a week from the Level’s model players.
Free further reading
- The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy, Frederick Milnes Edge (1859, public domain)
More game analysis lessons
- Your first game review (Novice)
- Annotate first, engine second (Class F)
- Tracking your mistakes (Class E)
- Critical moments in your games (Class C)
- Full annotation of a tournament game (Class B)
- The personal mistakes notebook (Class A)