Guide
Chess Accuracy Percentage — What It Means
Accuracy scores summarize move quality in one number. Learn how they are calculated, typical scores by level, and how to use them without obsession.
Updated 2026-06-15 · Part of improvement series
What accuracy measures
Accuracy is a derived score from per-move centipawn loss — usually shown as a percentage per player per game. 90%+ sounds impressive; context matters. A 85% game with one blunder still lost you the rating point.
Typical accuracy by time control
Bullet accuracy is noisy. Rapid and classical reviews are more stable for tracking improvement. Compare your accuracy in the same time class over weeks, not against Hikaru's stream overlay.
Use accuracy as a trend line
MAZChess shows accuracy per color on the review page and aggregates phase accuracy (opening, middlegame, endgame) in the insights dashboard for Premium users. If middlegame accuracy lags opening accuracy every week, that is your study target.
Frequently asked questions
- Why did I lose with higher accuracy?
- Accuracy averages many moves. One blunder at the critical moment outweighs dozens of best moves. Always review eval swings, not only the headline percentage.