# Chess question - help deciphering computer game analysis

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-question-help-deciphering-computer-game-analysis/605809>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [December 11, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-question-help-deciphering-computer-game-analysis/605809 "2011-12-11T06:18:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-question-help-deciphering-computer-game-analysis/605809/1 "2011-12-11T06:18:12Z")

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I am trying to figure out how to decipher the game analysis results from some chess software (Shredder Classic 4 demo for Mac OS X) so entered a basic Scholar’s mate, and have a few questions about the results…

First off it I gave it a time per move of 10 seconds (OK?); I left the “Threshold Value” at the default of 50 (what is this?)

Results were as follows (in color - which I hope I have transcribed accurately here):

1.e4 +0.24/9 0s e5 +0.18/10 1s

2.Qh5 -0.39/13 2s [2.Nf3 +0.33/8 0s Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bb5 Nf6 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nxe5]

1. … Nc6 -0.33/12 3s

3.Bc4 -0.18/12 5s Nf6 +M1/16 0s [3. … g6 -0.30/5 0s 4.Qf3 Qf6 5.c3 h5]

4.Qxf7# +M1/1 0s

After the first e4 move I understand the +0.24 in blue indicates White theoretically being up approx. 1/4 piece point value…what does the “9” after the slash mean? What does the “0s” mean?

After White brings out the Queen the computer decides this is a bad move for white (-0.39) and suggests a preferable alternate line (+.033, in grey) beginning with Nf3, correct? Again I do not know what /X and Xs indicates.

Things pick back up with the actual game line and continue until black moves Nf6 - a fatal error indicated in red, with +M1 meaning mate for White in 1, and the suggested line for Black beginning with g6 alternate line indicated in grey? At game end I still am unsure about the /X and Xs notations.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-question-help-deciphering-computer-game-analysis/605809/2 "2011-12-11T09:59:56Z")

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From the manual, page 15:

• evaluation  
• search depth  
• time  
• best line so far  
• number of the evaluated positions per second

So it looks like evaluation of position / search depth, and calculation time in seconds.

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**Author:** ![TATG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@TATG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TATG)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-question-help-deciphering-computer-game-analysis/605809/3 "2011-12-11T10:23:27Z")

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> [@zombywoof](#):
>
> First off it I gave it a time per move of 10 seconds (OK?);

It should be long enough to do a basic blunder check; though you might need to be a little careful about trusting the results. It should at least pick out interesting points in the game. The ply level does seems a little low to me, though.

Personally I find looking over a game with “infinite analysis”, which is where the computer is telling you its best lines/current thinking (and you can have it give multiple lines) to be far more effective than game analysis in this fashion.

> [@zombywoof](#):
>
> I left the “Threshold Value” at the default of 50 (what is this?)

The difference between the evaluation of the game move, vs the move the engine thinks is best.

> [@Ximenean](#):
>
> • search depth

And search depth is measured in ply, i.e. moves by a single side, or half moves.