Chess Notation Guide
Learn to read and write the language of chess.
Why Keep Score?
If you play chess online, the software keeps track of all the moves for you using a combination of letters and numbers. However, when you play chess in an over-the-board (OTB) tournament, you are expected to keep track of your moves and the moves of your opponent. This detailed list is called notation.
Keeping score in chess is similar to keeping score while playing golf. After you play, you can review your game to see where you need to improve. It helps you identify trends, compare your openings to grandmasters, review games with a coach, and serves as official proof in tournaments if a dispute arises (like claiming a threefold repetition draw).
The Symbols
Before we learn how to write moves, you need to know the basic symbols used for the chess pieces and actions. The abbreviation for a piece is always capitalized.
Pieces
- ♚ King K
- ♛ Queen Q
- ♜ Rook R
- ♝ Bishop B
- ♞ Knight(Since K is the King)N
- ♟ Pawn (Pawns have no capital letter abbreviation)
Actions & Results
- Capture x
- Check +
- Checkmate #
- Kingside Castle 0-0
- Queenside Castle 0-0-0
- Pawn Promotion =Q
- White Wins 1-0
- Black Wins 0-1
- Draw 1/2-1/2
Algebraic Notation (The Modern Standard)
Algebraic notation is the official way to record chess moves today. Every square is a coordinate based on the intersection of a file (letter a-h) and a rank (number 1-8). We always look at this coordinate system from White's perspective, meaning the bottom-left square is always a1.
Moving Pieces
To write a move, you simply write the capitalized abbreviation of the piece, followed by the square it moves to.
- Nf3The Knight moves to the f3 square.
- e4Because pawns don't have a letter, you just write the destination square. So this means the pawn moves to e4.
1. e4 ... 2. Nf3
3. Bb5 ... 4. Bxc6
Captures
When a piece captures another piece, we insert the "x" symbol between the piece abbreviation and the destination square.
- Bxc6The Bishop captures the piece on c6.
- exd5When a pawn captures, you write its starting file (e), an "x", then the destination square (d5). So the e-pawn captures on d5.
Disambiguation
Sometimes two of your pieces can move to the same square (usually Knights or Rooks). To clarify which piece moved, you add the starting file (or rank) before the destination square.
- Nbd2You have knights on b1 and f3, both can move to d2. This specifies the Knight on the b-file moves to d2.
- R1e4You have rooks on e1 and e8. The Rook on the 1st rank moves to e4.
7. Nbd2
1. R1e4
1. Re1+
1... Qh2#
Checks & Checkmates
We also have notation for special actions in the game. You attach these to the end of the move.
- +Check: Append
+to the move. E.g., Re1+ (Rook to e1, Check). - #Checkmate: Append
#to the move. E.g., Qh2# (Queen to h2, Checkmate).
Castling & Promotion
Castling replaces the move notation entirely, while promotion appends the new piece to the destination square.
- 0-0Castling: Write
0-0for Kingside castling, and0-0-0for Queenside castling. - =QPromotion: Append
=followed by the piece being promoted to. E.g., e8=Q.
1. 0-0
1. e8=Q
Descriptive Notation (English Notation)
Descriptive notation was the widely used form of notation up until the 1970s. You will encounter it if you read older classic chess books. Instead of a fixed grid, descriptive notation is relative to the player whose turn it is, and based on the starting positions of pieces.
The files are named after the pieces that start on them. For example, the e-file is the King's File (K), the d-file is the Queen's File (Q), the c-file is the Queen's Bishop file (QB), and so on. Also, the ranks are counted from the perspective of the player making the move—White's 5th rank is Black's 4th rank.
Examples of Descriptive Notation:
- P-K4"Pawn to King 4". The King's Pawn moves forward two squares (equivalent to e4 in algebraic).
- Kt-KB3"Knight to King's Bishop 3". (Equivalent to Nf3). Notice "Kt" was often used instead of N.
- PxP"Pawn takes Pawn". Because descriptive tells you what happened, not necessarily exact squares.
Because descriptive notation requires you to mentally flip the board to count ranks from Black's perspective, and often leads to ambiguity ("Which Pawn taking which Pawn? PxP doesn't say!"), it was eventually replaced by algebraic notation. However, knowing the basics helps you enjoy wonderful classic books!
Tips to Remember
- Capital vs Lowercase: Always Capitalize the piece letter (N), but use lowercase for the square (f3).
- Pawns are invisible: The pawn is the simplest piece, so it doesn't get a letter! If a move starts with a lowercase letter (like `e4`), it's a pawn move.
- Night starts with N: Remember `N` is Knight, because `K` is reserved for the King.
- Use the board borders: On OTB boards and online, the letters and numbers are usually printed on the borders to help you. So take a glance at the edges!
The Path to Improvement
Writing down your moves feels tedious at first, but it is the easiest way to identify repeating mistakes! By writing moves down, you also force yourself to slow down and think instead of rushing.
When reviewing a game with a coach, or using an analyzer, your notation translates into meaningful strategic insights. Without notation, those learning opportunities vanish into thin air. Practice keeping score!