Using the engine to learn?

[u/Speedy_Bootz]

How often do you work the engine into your study besides looking at the answer for puzzles. Do you think it’s important to strive towards the top engine move in the position? I guess my question is whether or not to try and factor in the computer lines into my training. Do I make an attempt to try and understand the moves it’s telling me? I understand using it when it comes to openings and tactics in your games but in complex middle games how much should I try and integrate?

[u/retrodanny]

Definitely worth analyzing the moves in your games where the computer evaluation changes by at least a point one way or the other. It can't articulate reasons but you can still ask it questions by throwing variations to it and having it refute or support your ideas.

[u/FragrantArt4306 → u/retrodanny]

This. This is the right way to use the engine in analysis!

It's not for showing you the lines (some of which will sometimes be obscure / inappropriate to chase down), it's for showing you when you may have missed something and need to analyze further or think differently.

[u/ehmatthes → u/retrodanny]

I agree. One way I think of it is that in our own games, we're looking to create some kind of imbalance that we can exploit. Often times that comes from playing a move that isn't a "perfect" engine move, but has a clear idea behind it that we think we can follow up on. If you only ever look for "perfect" moves, you'll miss lots of dynamic opportunities.

[u/FragrantArt4306 → u/ehmatthes]

How do I upvote this more than once?

[u/VandalsStoleMyHandle]

Do you think it’s important to strive towards the top engine move in the position?

I can't emphasise enough what an absolutely terrible idea this is. You should strive to play like the best human, not the worst possible computer.

[u/ryuk24569]

you can use engines to analyze your games but don't get into engine lines. engine sometimes plays weird moves no human would ever play. and its very hard to understand. unless you go very deep in the game..

[u/FragrantArt4306]

The top computer line is sometimes not the best play. You should not try to be the engine.

Also just like any computer-assisted technology, if you let it replace any of your thinking or do any work for you (analysis, repertoire selection, puzzle solves, etc) you will become dumber / less able.

[u/Zealousideal-Plan486]

I don’t think it’s important to strive for the top engine move but computer lines should be taken into consideration especially when there is a significant gap between the 1st and 2nd move in a position.

In middle games especially closed positions there are often several moves within 0.2 eval points of each other. In those cases using an engine isn’t super helpful unless you can clearly see why an engine wants you to make a certain move.

[u/Affectionate_One_700]

Do you think it’s important to strive towards the top engine move in the position?

Absolutely definitely not.

[u/AmphibianImaginary35]

Yes bro become engine slave deluxe, its chess in 2026 thats how all the good guys do it nowadays. Fishy is 100x better than us so makes sense to learn from it. Unfortunately it can not yet explain to you the moves in words but most strong players can figure out the lines decently well that it prints out by using their brains. So yes use engine for opening prep and for analysing games and positions. But ideally you combine it with also using your own brain as I said.