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How to Annotate Your Games for Long-Term Memory
Playing a game is only half the work. To actually improve, you must extract the lessons from it. Annotation is the process of adding notes, variations, and symbols to a game record. It turns a raw list of moves into a story that you can review years later to see how your thinking has evolved.
1. The Language of Annotation (Symbols)
Chess has a universal shorthand for describing the quality of a move. Using these correctly helps you classify your decisions.
- ! (Good Move)
- A strong move that improves the position or finds the best path. Not necessarily brilliant, just correct.
- !! (Brilliant Move)
- Reserved for hard-to-find sacrifices or deep tactical combinations. Use sparingly!
- ? (Mistake)
- A bad move that turns a win into a draw, or a draw into a loss. A significant error.
- ?? (Blunder)
- A catastrophic error. Hanging a piece, missing a mate-in-one, or ruining a completely won game.
- ?! (Dubious)
- A risky move. Objectively it might be bad, but it sets practical problems for the opponent.
- !? (Interesting)
- A move that deserves attention. It might not be the engine's top choice, but it creates an interesting imbalance.
2. Words vs. Variations
A common mistake beginners make is copying 20 moves of engine lines into their notes without writing a single word. This is useless for learning.
Your brain thinks in concepts, not just coordinates. Your annotation should follow this structure:
- The Narrative: "I played 15. h3 because I was afraid of his Knight coming to g4." (Explain your intent).
- The Calculation: "I calculated 15...Bxh3 but saw that 16. gxh3 leads to an open g-file." (Show your work).
- The Truth: "The engine points out that 15. h3 was slow, and I should have struck in the center with d5." (The correction).
3. What to Annotate?
You don't need to write a novel for every game. Focus on these three moments:
- The End of "Book": Mark exactly where you (or your opponent) left your known opening theory. This is your cue to study that line later.
- The Critical Moment: The turn where the advantage shifted. Why did it shift? Was it a tactical oversight or a strategic drift?
- The Calculation Error: If you calculated a line that didn't happen, write it down! "I thought he would play X, but he played Y." analyzing your own blind spots is vital.
4. Tools for Annotation
You can keep a physical notebook, but digital tools make this much easier.
- ChessWorld Game Archive: Use the "Notes" feature in your correspondence games to track your thoughts during the game.
- Lichess Studies: A free tool to create chapters, draw arrows on the board, and save your games to the cloud.
- ChessBase / SCID: Professional database software for storing thousands of annotated games.
Annotation is part of the analysis process. To learn the full method, read our guide on The Post-Mortem Analysis.