Files
Labeled a to h, left to right from White's side of the board.
Guide
Chess Notation Guide
Learn how to read and write chess games using algebraic notation
What is Chess Notation?
Chess notation is the language of chess. It's a standardized way to record moves, analyze games, and communicate chess positions. Whether you're studying grandmaster games, recording your own matches, or following online tutorials, understanding chess notation is essential.
The Chessboard Grid
Every square on the board has a unique address made of a file (a column) and a rank (a row).
Ranks
Numbered 1 to 8, bottom to top from White's side of the board.
Putting them together
The bottom-left square is
a1 and the top-right square is h8.
a8
b8
c8
d8
e8
f8
g8
h8
a7
b7
c7
d7
e7
f7
g7
h7
a6
b6
c6
d6
e6
f6
g6
h6
a5
b5
c5
d5
e5
f5
g5
h5
a4
b4
c4
d4
e4
f4
g4
h4
a3
b3
c3
d3
e3
f3
g3
h3
a2
b2
c2
d2
e2
f2
g2
h2
a1
b1
c1
d1
e1
f1
g1
h1
Piece Abbreviations
Every piece except the pawn is written as a single capital letter.
- K
- King
- Q
- Queen
- R
- Rook
- B
- Bishop
- N
- Knight - N, because K is already the king
- Pawn - written with no letter at all, just the square it moves to
Writing Moves
A move is the piece's letter followed by the square it lands on.
- Nf3
- Knight moves to f3
- e4
- Pawn moves to e4
- Bc4
- Bishop moves to c4
- Qd5
- Queen moves to d5
Visual examples
Here are two common opening moves on the board:
♜8
♞
♝
♛
♚
♝
♞
♜
♟7
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
6
5
4
♟
3
♟2
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♜1a
♞b
♝c
♛d
♚e
♝f
♞g
♜h
1. e4 - White's pawn advances to e4
♜8
♞
♝
♛
♚
♝
♞
♜
♟7
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
6
5
♟
4
♟
3
♞
♟2
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♜1a
♞b
♝c
♛d
♚e
♝f
g
♜h
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 - White's knight develops to f3
Capturing Pieces
A capture puts an x between the piece and the square it takes on.
- Nxe5
- Knight captures on e5
- exd5
- Pawn on the e-file captures on d5
- Bxf7+
- Bishop captures on f7 with check
- Qxd8#
- Queen captures on d8, checkmate
Special Moves
Castling
- O-O
- Kingside castling (short castling)
- O-O-O
- Queenside castling (long castling)
En passant
Written like a normal pawn capture, sometimes with "e.p." after it:
- exd6
- Pawn captures en passant on d6 - also written
exd6 e.p.
Pawn promotion
When a pawn reaches the eighth rank, the piece it becomes goes after an equals sign:
- e8=Q
- Pawn promotes to a queen
- d1=N+
- Pawn promotes to a knight, with check
- axb8=R
- Pawn captures and promotes to a rook
Check and Checkmate
- +
- Check - the opponent's king is under attack
- #
- Checkmate - the game is over
- Qh5+
- Queen to h5, check
- Rf8#
- Rook to f8, checkmate
When Two Pieces Can Move to the Same Square
If two identical pieces can reach a square, the move names where the mover came from.
- Nbd7
- The knight on the b-file moves to d7
- R1e2
- The rook on the first rank moves to e2
- Qh4e1
- The queen on h4 moves to e1 - the full specification, when neither file nor rank alone is enough
Annotation Symbols
Analysts and commentators use these to say what they think of a move or a position.
- !
- Good move
- !!
- Brilliant or excellent move
- ?
- Mistake or questionable move
- ??
- Blunder - a serious mistake
- !?
- Interesting or speculative move
- ?!
- Dubious move
- ±
- White has a slight advantage
- ∓
- Black has a slight advantage
- =
- The position is equal
PGN (Portable Game Notation)
The standard file format for a whole game: the tags that say who played, then the moves.
How a game ends
- 1-0
- White wins
- 0-1
- Black wins
- 1/2-1/2
- Draw
- *
- Game still in progress
Classical (Descriptive) Notation
The system English chess books used from the 19th century until the 1970s.
Before algebraic notation became the standard, classical or descriptive notation was widely used, especially in English-language chess literature. Understanding it is valuable for reading older chess books and historical game records.
How classical notation works
Unlike algebraic notation, which uses absolute coordinates, classical notation describes squares from each player's own perspective:
Files
Named after the piece that starts on them: QR, QN, QB, Q, K, KB, KN, KR.
Ranks
Numbered 1 to 8 from each player's own back rank, so both players count from themselves.
An example
e4 in algebraic is K4 in classical - the king's pawn on the fourth rank.
Comparing the two systems
| Algebraic | Classical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
e4 |
P-K4 |
King's pawn to the fourth square |
Nf3 |
N-KB3 |
King's knight to bishop three |
Bc4 |
B-B4 |
Bishop to bishop four |
d5 |
P-Q4 |
Queen's pawn to the fourth square |
O-O |
O-O |
Kingside castling - the same in both |
Nxe5 |
NxP |
Knight captures pawn |
Why algebraic notation won
Algebraic notation became the standard because it is more concise, unambiguous, and easier for a computer to read. Many classic chess books still use classical notation, so it is worth being able to recognize it.
The same game in both
Scholar's Mate, written each way:
♜8
♝
♛
♚
♝
♜
♟7
♟
♟
♟
♛
♟
♟
6
♞
♞
5
♟
4
♝
♟
3
♟2
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♜1a
♞b
♝c
d
♚e
f
♞g
♜h
4. Qxf7#Algebraic
1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Nc6
3. Qh5 Nf6??
4. Qxf7#
1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Nc6
3. Qh5 Nf6??
4. Qxf7#
Classical
1. P-K4 P-K4
2. B-B4 N-QB3
3. Q-R5 N-B3??
4. QxBP mate
1. P-K4 P-K4
2. B-B4 N-QB3
3. Q-R5 N-B3??
4. QxBP mate
Practice Exercises
Four questions to test what you have just read. Open each answer when you have one of your own.
Exercise 1: Reading notation
What does Bxf7+ mean?
Show answer
Bishop captures the piece on f7, giving check to the opponent's king.
Exercise 2: Special moves
How do you write kingside castling?
Show answer
O-O - that is the letter O, not a zero.
Exercise 3: Pawn promotion
A pawn on d7 captures a piece on e8 and promotes to a queen. Write the move.
Show answer
dxe8=Q
Exercise 4: Annotation
What does ?? after a move mean?
Show answer
A blunder - a serious mistake that usually loses the game or significant material.