Chess Improvement Blog
Practical guides on reviewing your games, reading engine analysis, and turning mistakes into rating points.
How to Analyze Chess Games with Stockfish (Any Game, Free)
A complete, platform-agnostic guide to running a Stockfish analysis on any chess game — Chess.com, Lichess, over-the-board, or a plain PGN file.
PGN Format Explained: How to Read and Write Chess Game Notation
A plain-English breakdown of the PGN standard — tag pairs, movetext, comments, and result codes — so you can read, write, or fix any chess game file.
Chess PGN Examples: Annotated Sample Games You Can Copy and Paste
Three ready-to-use PGN examples — a short trap, a classic game, and a fully tagged tournament game — to copy, study, or test in any chess tool.
How to Edit a PGN File (Free Tools and Manual Methods)
How to fix, annotate, or rewrite a chess PGN file — free online editors, desktop apps, and how to hand-edit the text when a tool is not worth it.
Best Free Chess PGN Databases in 2026
Where to find free PGN databases of master games, opening theory, and your own game history — from Lichess’s open database to TWIC and beyond.
How to Turn a PGN into a GIF (Animated Chess Game)
The fastest free ways to convert a PGN file into an animated GIF you can share — board-only, with a move list, or frame by frame.
How to Analyze Your Chess.com Games with Stockfish (Free)
A simple, free way to run a full Stockfish analysis on any Chess.com game, read the report, and find the mistakes that actually cost you rating.
Chess.com vs Lichess Analysis: Which Should You Use?
Chess.com Game Review and Lichess analysis both use strong engines. Here is how they actually differ on depth, cost, and what they help you learn.
Why Stockfish Shows the Best Move but Not the Plan
Engines tell you the move, not the reason. Here is why that happens, and how to read engine output so it actually improves your understanding.
How to Import a PGN for Chess Analysis
What a PGN file is, where to get one from Chess.com, Lichess, or your board app, and how to import it to run a free engine analysis of any game.
The Best Way to Review Your Chess Blunders
Spotting a blunder is easy. Fixing it is the hard part. A practical, repeatable method for reviewing your blunders so you stop repeating them.
Chess Move Classifications Explained: Blunder, Mistake, Inaccuracy, and Best
What the move grades in a game review actually mean, how engines decide them, and why a "good" move in one position is a blunder in another.
What Is a Good Chess Accuracy? Understanding Your Game Review Score
What the accuracy percentage in a game review means, how it is calculated, and what counts as a good score at your level.
How to Analyze Your Own Chess Games (A Step-by-Step Guide)
A practical, repeatable process for reviewing your games so that every loss actually makes you stronger.
Free Chess.com Game Review Alternatives (2026)
Chess.com limits free game reviews to one per day. Here are the best free, unlimited ways to analyze your games in 2026.