To analyze your own chess games effectively, review each game once on your own first, then check it with an engine, and focus on the moments where you had a decision, not just the moves the engine dislikes.
- Review before the engine. Replay the game and note where you felt unsure. Write down what you were trying to do and which replies you considered. Then compare your reasoning with the engine’s line.
- Then check with Stockfish. Look for changes in the evaluation, then replay the continuation. Give critical positions more analysis time and check whether the suggested line explains the change.
- Ask "why," not just "what." At each mistake, figure out the idea you missed: a tactic, a better plan, a structural issue. Naming the reason is what transfers to your next game.
- Track patterns across games. Compare several games. Look for the same kind of mistake, and keep checking as you play more.
- Turn findings into drills. Practice the corrected idea in that position and in related positions. Check the opponent’s replies each time.
Mainline automates the tedious parts (engine analysis, pattern-finding, and turning mistakes into a spaced-repetition queue) while keeping the "why" front and center with plain-English explanations on every drill.