Ep 15: Why is Game Analysis so hard to stick with in Chess?

Update: 2025-08-24

Description

In this episode, Dalton and Varun explore why analyzing your own games is one of the most powerful yet challenging habits to develop in chess. They explore the emotional and practical reasons most players avoid it, and introduce chessalyz.ai - A new platform designed to make analysis simple, focused, and habit-forming.

Takeaways

Self-analysis is crucial for identifying recurring mistakes and developing more nuanced pattern recognition.
Emotional resistance and lack of structure are major barriers to consistent game review.
You don’t need to analyze every move—just focus on key moments to make it sustainable.

chessalyz.ai leverages GenAI to encourage thoughtful question and response-based analysis over dry engine evals

Sound Bites

"Game analysis is the toughest habit to form—but the most transformative." – Dalton

"When the feedback is about your own move, it sticks." – Varun
"Even one key takeaway per game adds up if you do it consistently." – Dalton
"Chessalyz made me slow down, reflect, and realize what I missed—not just what was wrong." – Varun

Chapters
[00:00 ] – Long time no see! Why have we been doing?

Building something interesting?

[01:45 ] – Why Analyzing Your Own Games Is So Powerful

Going from theory to practice, understanding your decision-making

[03:50 ] – Emotional Barriers to Analysis

Why reviewing mistakes can feel painful and easy to skip

[06:00 ] – The Value of Recurring Patterns

Using volume to spot trends in your weaknesses

[09:30 ] – Should You Analyze Every Game?

Finding the balance between effort and outcome

[12:10 ] – Introducing Chessalyz.ai

The tool they built to make game analysis easier and habit-friendly

[16:40 ] – How Chessalyz Works

Critical moments, guided prompts, and feedback through “Matty,” the AI coach

[19:54 ] – Building the Habit

Tactics to stick with it: tagging, journaling, and one takeaway per game

[24:50 ] – Final Thoughts & Call to Action