Chess Notation Guide

Understanding the Chess Board Coordinates

Every square on the chess board has a unique name based on its coordinates. The board uses a grid system with files (columns, labeled a through h from left to right from White's perspective) and ranks (rows, numbered 1 through 8 from White's side to Black's side).

• Files (a-h): The vertical columns. File "a" is the leftmost column from White's view (the queenside rook file), and file "h" is the rightmost (the kingside rook file).
• Ranks (1-8): The horizontal rows. Rank 1 is White's back rank (where White's pieces start), and rank 8 is Black's back rank.
• Square names: Each square is identified by its file letter followed by its rank number. For example, "e4" is the square where the e-file and 4th rank intersect. White's king starts on e1, and Black's king starts on e8.

When you see a move like "e4," it tells you exactly which square a piece moves to. The starting square is usually not written because it can be deduced from the position.

Piece Symbols in Algebraic Notation

Each piece (except the pawn) is identified by a single capital letter:

• K = King
• Q = Queen
• R = Rook
• B = Bishop
• N = Knight (not "K" to avoid confusion with King)
• Pawns: No letter is used. A pawn move is simply the destination square (e.g., "e4" means pawn to e4).

In some publications, you may see figurine algebraic notation, which uses piece symbols (icons) instead of letters. This is common in international publications because it avoids language-specific differences (in German, for instance, the knight is "S" for Springer and the bishop is "L" for Laufer).

Writing Basic Moves

A basic move in algebraic notation consists of the piece letter followed by the destination square:

• Nf3: Knight moves to f3
• Bb5: Bishop moves to b5
• Qd1: Queen moves to d1
• Rd1: Rook moves to d1
• Ke2: King moves to e2
• e4: Pawn moves to e4 (no piece letter for pawns)
• d5: Pawn moves to d5

Moves are numbered sequentially. White's move is written first, followed by Black's move. For example: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 means White plays e4, Black plays e5, White plays knight to f3, Black plays knight to c6, and White plays bishop to b5. This is the opening of the famous Ruy Lopez.

Captures

Captures are indicated by the letter "x" between the piece and the destination square:

• Bxe5: Bishop captures the piece on e5
• Nxd4: Knight captures on d4
• Qxf7: Queen captures on f7
• exd5: Pawn on the e-file captures on d5 (for pawn captures, the file letter of the pawn is listed before the "x")

Note that for pawn captures, you must include the file the pawn is coming from. This is because multiple pawns on different files could potentially capture on the same square, so the file letter disambiguates. For example, "exd5" means the pawn on the e-file captures on d5, while "cxd5" would mean the pawn on the c-file captures on d5.

Special Move Notation

Chess has several special moves with their own notation:

Castling

Kingside castling (short castle) is written as O-O. The king moves two squares toward the h-file rook, and the rook jumps to the other side. Queenside castling (long castle) is written as O-O-O. The king moves two squares toward the a-file rook, and the rook jumps over to the other side. Learn more about castling in our interactive castling lesson.

En Passant

En passant is written like a normal pawn capture: the capturing pawn's file, "x," and the destination square. For example, if a White pawn on e5 captures a Black pawn that just moved from d7 to d5, it is written as exd6 (the pawn moves to d6, not d5). Some notation styles add "e.p." after the move for clarity, but this is optional.

Pawn Promotion

When a pawn promotes, write the destination square followed by "=" and the piece letter. For example: e8=Q means the pawn promotes to a queen on e8. If it involves a capture: dxc8=N means the d-file pawn captures on c8 and promotes to a knight (a rare but sometimes tactical choice called underpromotion).

Check and Checkmate

A move that puts the king in check is followed by +. A move that delivers checkmate is followed by #. For example: Qxf7# means the queen captures on f7 and delivers checkmate. Bb5+ means the bishop moves to b5 and gives check.

Disambiguation: When Two Pieces Can Go to the Same Square

When two identical pieces can move to the same square, you must disambiguate by adding extra information after the piece letter:

• Add the file letter if the pieces are on different files: Nbd2 (the knight on the b-file moves to d2, not the other knight).
• Add the rank number if the pieces are on the same file: R1e3 (the rook on rank 1 moves to e3, not the rook on another rank).
• Add both in the rare case of three or more identical pieces (possible with promoted pieces): Qh4e1 (the queen on h4 moves to e1).

Annotation Symbols

Chess annotators use symbols to comment on the quality of moves:

• ! = Good move
• !! = Brilliant or best move
• ? = Mistake
• ?? = Blunder (serious mistake)
• !? = Interesting or speculative move
• ?! = Dubious move

PGN: Portable Game Notation

PGN (Portable Game Notation) is the standard file format for storing complete chess games. A PGN file contains metadata tags in square brackets followed by the moves. Here is an example:

• Tag pairs: Enclosed in square brackets, containing metadata like event name, player names, date, and result.
• Seven Tag Roster: The standard requires Event, Site, Date, Round, White, Black, and Result tags.
• Result codes: "1-0" = White wins, "0-1" = Black wins, "1/2-1/2" = draw, "*" = ongoing or unknown.
• Comments: Text in curly braces like this is a comment and is ignored by software.
• Variations: Alternative lines are enclosed in parentheses within the move text.

You can paste PGN directly into our chess analysis tool to analyze any recorded game move by move with Stockfish evaluation.

Game Result Notation

At the end of the game, the result is recorded:

• 1-0: White wins
• 0-1: Black wins
• 1/2-1/2: Draw (by agreement, stalemate, repetition, 50-move rule, or insufficient material)

Tips for Learning Chess Notation Quickly

Here is how to become fluent in chess notation:

• Practice naming squares: Look at any square on a board and name it instantly. With practice, you will know the coordinates without thinking.
• Replay master games: Take a famous game in notation form and play through it on a board. Start slowly and speed up as you get comfortable.
• Record your own games: Write down your moves after playing. This reinforces notation while helping you review your games later.
• Use our analysis tool: Paste any game into our AI game analyzer to see the moves played out visually while reading the notation.
• Read chess blogs: Follow along with annotated games in our chess blog to practice reading notation in context.

Start Reading Chess Today

Chess notation is a skill that opens up the entire world of chess learning. Once you can read and write moves, you gain access to millions of recorded games, centuries of chess literature, and powerful analysis tools. The investment of a few hours to learn notation pays dividends for your entire chess career.

Begin with our interactive lessons to see notation in action, or explore our opening database where every move is presented in algebraic notation. For a deeper understanding of the game itself, read our guide on how to play chess.