Go back
How do I

How do I "read" an analysis?

Only Chess

Vote Up
Vote Down

I just recently got a program that will analyze a chess position for me, but I have no idea how to use it.

It spit out something like "+0.06%" followed by a series of moves in chess notation.

Can anyone help me understand how to read this?

3 edits
Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Bofaschwa
I just recently got a program that will analyze a chess position for me, but I have no idea how to use it.

It spit out something like "+0.06%" followed by a series of moves in chess notation.

Can anyone help me understand how to read this?
the unit of that evaluation is a hundredth of a pawn. That means, +0.06 shows a 6% of a pawn advantage for white. But of course that means absolutely nothing, computer evaluations are rather understood this way:

0 - 0.25: both sides have equal chances
0.26-0.70: white has slightly better winning chances.
0.71-1.50: white is clearly better
1.50+: white has a winning advantage.

(a negative score is the same thing, but in favor of black)
remember, this is of course only what the engine thinks. You need to evaluate the engine evaluations too.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Bofaschwa
I just recently got a program that will analyze a chess position for me, but I have no idea how to use it.

It spit out something like "+0.06%" followed by a series of moves in chess notation.

Can anyone help me understand how to read this?
That means white has a .06 advantage.

1.00 would be the advantage of a pawn and so on.

Vote Up
Vote Down

So a positive advantage is always white, and a negative one is advantage black?

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Bofaschwa
So a positive advantage is always white, and a negative one is advantage black?
yes.

Vote Up
Vote Down

And is this the extent of the information an analysis of a position will give me?

Or in other words... is that all this thing does?

1 edit
Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Bofaschwa
And is this the extent of the information an analysis of a position will give me?

Or in other words... is that all this thing does?
Yes, an evaluation score and the variations are basically all this thing does. But believe me, if you have a positionally trustworthy engine, this is one huge thing. It all depends on how efficiently you'll be using this.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Thank you for the help.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Bofaschwa
Thank you for the help.
no problem. What program have you got? It'd better not be crafty or something.

1 edit
Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by Bofaschwa
And is this the extent of the information an analysis of a position will give me?

Or in other words... is that all this thing does?
The engine is also telling you what it thinks are the best moves for both sides in the positon being analysed. That's far more useful than its evaluation score.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by diskamyl
no problem. What program have you got? It'd better not be crafty or something.
The program I am taking about was just a small app I downloaded for my iphone.

But I have several on my computer including Chessmaster and Shredder.

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by David Tebb
The engine is also telling you what it thinks are the best moves for both sides in the positon being analysed. That's far more useful than its evaluation score.
I was wondering what the moves were for.

thank you

Vote Up
Vote Down

.... a 6% of a pawn advantage for white.

What exactley is 6% of a pawn advantage?

You have won 6% of a pawn?

Conversation not heard in chess clubs

"Hi, how did your game go last night?"

"I was 6% of a pawn ahead...."

Can someone please fen a position where White is 6% of a pawn ahead?

Vote Up
Vote Down

Originally posted by greenpawn34
.... a 6% of a pawn advantage for white.

What exactley is 6% of a pawn advantage?

You have won 6% of a pawn?

Conversation not heard in chess clubs

"Hi, how did your game go last night?"

"I was 6% of a pawn ahead...."

Can someone please fen a position where White is 6% of a pawn ahead?
the engines don't come out and say "hey, you are 6% of a pawn ahead! hurray!" 0.06 means "both sides have equal winning chances."

and engine developers don't present their work as an objective truth. you just need to know the relative weaknesses and strengths of your engine, and this corresponds to knowing when to try to go deeper into a line to be sure or even try a different engine, and when to just reach a conclusion.


Originally posted by greenpawn34
What exactley is 6% of a pawn advantage?
I think that's the felt underneath the pawn. 😛