Chess.com - Play and Learn: How to Use Analysis Tools

To analyze a position in Chess.com - Play and Learn, open a finished match from your archive or launch the dedicated Analysis board, turn on the computer evaluation engine, and adjust calculation depth and line counts to suit your review. The most effective way to analyze is to test your own candidate moves directly on the board before checking what the computer engine recommends.

Reading the Evaluation Bar and Scores

The analysis board features an interactive chessboard flanked by a move notation list and a visual evaluation bar. The evaluation bar shifts dynamically to show which player holds the advantage:

• White advantage: The bar fills upward with white.
• Black advantage: The bar fills downward with black.
• Positive numerical score (such as +1.50): Indicates White holds an advantage equivalent to approximately 1.5 pawns of material value.
• Zero score (0.00): Reflects dynamic or material balance.
• Negative numerical score (such as -2.20): Indicates Black holds an advantage equivalent to more than two pawns.
• Mate indicators (#3, -#2): Signals an unavoidable, forced checkmate in the stated number of moves (positive for White, negative for Black).

You can toggle the computer engine on or off beside the move list. Turning the engine off allows you to assess a position without visual spoilers, while turning it on provides immediate tactical verification.

Configuring Engine Depth and Displayed Lines

Relying on a single suggested move hides alternative defenses and candidate choices. Open the analysis settings menu to customize calculation depth and the number of simultaneous lines.

When multiple calculation lines show similar evaluations, the position offers several viable plans. When only one line preserves an advantage while all other lines drop severely, the position contains a critical, move-only tactical sequence.

Testing Branching Variations Manually

Rather than passively stepping through computer-flagged blunders, test alternative moves directly on the board to understand why a move failed.

1. Locate the turning point: Scroll through the notation list to find where the evaluation bar swung sharply or where you hesitated during live play.
2. Play your candidate move: Drag pieces on the board along the alternative line you considered during the game. The interface automatically creates a branched sub-variation in the notation panel.
3. Calculate the opponent's reply: Play the strongest defensive or attacking responses manually without viewing engine suggestions.
4. Enable the engine: Toggle evaluation on to verify whether your tactic works and where your line diverges from the engine's top choice.
5. Manage the variation tree: Use the backward arrow or delete icon to remove dead ends, or right-click an alternate move to promote it to the main line.

Setting Up Custom Positions with FEN or the Board Editor

To review positions from books, physical boards, or external games, select Set Up Position to access the board editor.

• Piece Palette: Clear the board and drag pieces directly onto any square.
• FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation): Paste a standard FEN string into the text box to load an exact snapshot of a board state instantly.
• PGN (Portable Game Notation): Paste PGN text to load an entire game score along with existing move timestamps and metadata.

Before starting analysis on a custom position, configure the auxiliary settings in the setup panel:

• Side to move: Assign whether White or Black moves next.
• Castling rights: Toggle kingside and queenside castling availability independently for both sides.
• En passant: Specify whether a valid en passant target square exists.

Leaving castling rights or turn order misconfigured will skew engine evaluations, especially in king-hunt tactics and technical endgames.

Exporting and Saving Analysis

Preserve your analysis sessions through the share menu below the notation panel:

• Download PGN: Saves your primary game, written notes, and sub-variations into an offline file compatible with external chess software.
• Copy FEN: Generates a single-line snapshot of the current position to share with study partners or coaches.
• Export GIF or Screenshot: Generates a visual capture of key move sequences for review notes and logs.