Chess notation
How to read and write chess moves. Once you can read notation, the entire chess library opens up — every book, every game in history, every opening line ever published.
The coordinate grid
If a term on this page is unfamiliar, our chess glossary defines every piece of jargon used across the site in one place.
Why notation matters
Algebraic notation is the universal language of chess. World championship games are recorded in it, opening books are written in it, online databases are searched with it. If you want to read about chess — or one day be read about — you need to be fluent in it.
Good news: it's simple. The whole system can be learned in 10 minutes.
1. Every square has a name
The board has 64 squares, each labeled by a letter and a number:
- Files (columns): labeled
athroughh, starting from White's left. - Ranks (rows): labeled
1through8, starting from White's side.
So the square in White's bottom-left corner is a1. The square in Black's bottom-left corner (top-right from White) is h8. White's queen starts on d1; Black's king starts on e8.
The center of the board — those four critical squares — are d4, e4, d5, and e5.
2. Pieces are abbreviated by uppercase letters
| Piece | Letter | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| King | K | King |
| Queen | Q | Queen |
| Rook | R | Rook |
| Bishop | B | Bishop |
| Knight | N | "K" was taken — N for kNight |
| Pawn | (no letter) | Pawn moves are written without a piece letter |
3. A basic move
The format is: [Piece letter][destination square]
4. Pawn moves: just the square
Pawns don't get a letter. Just write the square the pawn moves to.
5. Captures are marked with "x"
An "x" is inserted between the piece and the destination square.
For pawn captures, write the file the pawn comes from (since the pawn has no letter):
6. Check and checkmate
A check is marked with + at the end of the move. Checkmate is marked with #.
Some notations use ++ for checkmate; both are acceptable.
7. Castling
Castling has its own notation, using uppercase letter O (the letter, not a zero):
Memory aid: O-O is two squares (the king moves two), O-O-O is three squares (the king moves two but the rook moves three).
8. Pawn promotion
When a pawn promotes, the new piece is added with an equals sign:
9. Disambiguation: which piece moved?
Sometimes two of the same piece can move to the same square. In that case, you add the file (or rank) of the piece that moved.
If both knights can go to d2, and you want the one on b1:
If both rooks on the d-file could go to d5 (one on d1, one on d8), you use the rank:
In the rare case where file and rank are both needed, you use both:
10. En passant
An en passant capture is written like a normal pawn capture. Some notations add e.p. for clarity but it's not required.
11. A complete game in notation (PGN)
Here's a famous miniature — Paul Morphy vs Duke Karl, Paris Opera 1858 — in PGN (Portable Game Notation) format, the standard for storing chess games:
Notice the format: move number, White's move, Black's move. The header in brackets stores game metadata. The final 1-0 indicates White won (Black would be 0-1; a draw is ½-½).
12. Annotation symbols
When commentators annotate games, they use symbols to evaluate moves:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
! | A good move |
!! | A brilliant move |
? | A weak move |
?? | A blunder |
!? | An interesting move, perhaps risky |
?! | A dubious move |
Example: 17. Rd8# in the Opera game above is often annotated as 17. Rd8#! — the killing blow at the end of a brilliant combination.
13. Descriptive notation (the old system)
You may run into chess books from before 1980 that use descriptive notation — e.g., "P-K4" for what we now write as "e4." This system is mostly obsolete but worth recognizing.
If you see something like 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. N-KB3, that translates to modern 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3. Don't worry about learning it unless you're working through a vintage chess book.
Practice on the board
The best way to internalize notation: play a game, then write down the moves on paper as you play. Within ten games, you'll read notation as fluently as you read English.