Thinking & Calculation
What does post mortem mean in chess?
- Thinking
- Calculation
- Review
A post-mortem is analysis after a game, often with the opponent. The goal is to find the turning points and understand the decisions, not to prove who was right.
What to look for on the board
- Candidate moves.
- The opponent's best reply.
- Whether this is a critical position.
Post mortem FAQ
What does post mortem mean in chess?
A post-mortem is analysis after a game, often with the opponent. The goal is to find the turning points and understand the decisions, not to prove who was right.
Post mortem: how do you spot it on the board?
Look for: Candidate moves.; The opponent's best reply.; Whether this is a critical position..
Post mortem: what is the most common mistake?
Using the term after the game but not as a question during the game.
Post mortem: how do you get better at it?
Turn the term into a question you can ask during a game.
Train this pattern on your own games
Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free PGN analysis runs Stockfish 19 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.
Free game review
See where this pattern decides your games
Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.
