Algebraic chess notation
Encyclopedia
Algebraic notation is a method for recording and describing the moves in a game of chess
. It is now standard among all chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers. In English-speaking countries, AN replaced the parallel method of descriptive chess notation
, which became common in the 19th century and continued with sporadic use as recently as the 1980s or 1990s. European countries, except England, used algebraic notation before the period when descriptive notation was common.
Algebraic notation is based on a system developed by Philipp Stamma. It exists in various forms and languages, as described below. Stamma's system used the modern names of the squares, but he used "p" for all pawn moves, and the original file (a through h) of the piece instead of the initial letter of the piece name.
is identified by a unique coordinate pair consisting of a letter and a number. The vertical rows of squares (called files) from White's left (the queenside) to his right (the kingside) are labeled a through h. The horizontal rows of squares (called ranks) are numbered 1 to 8 starting from White's side of the board. Thus, each square has a unique identification of file letter followed by rank number. (For example, the white king starts the game on square e1, while the black knight on b8 can move to open squares a6 or c6.)
(other than pawns) is identified by an uppercase letter, usually the first letter in the name of the piece in whatever language is spoken by the player recording. English-speaking players use K for king
, Q for queen
, R for rook
, B for bishop
, and N for knight
(since K is already used). S was also used for the knight in the early days of algebraic notation, from the German Springer, and is still used in chess problem
s (where N stands for the nightrider
, a popular fairy chess piece
).
Different letters may be employed in other languages, for example, French players use F for bishop (from fou). In chess literature written for an international audience, the language-specific letters are replaced by universal icons for the pieces, resulting in figurine notation.
Pawns are not indicated by a letter, but rather by the absence of any letter—it is not necessary to distinguish between pawns for moves, since only one pawn can move to a given square. (Pawn captures are an exception and indicated differently; see below.)
A colon
(:) is sometimes used instead of an x, either in the same place the x would go (B:e5) or at the end (Be5:). Often, the x or colon are omitted: ed5. When it is unambiguous to do so, a pawn capture is often described by specifying only the files involved: exd or ed.
En passant
captures are notated by specifying the capturing pawn's file of departure, the x, the destination square (not the square of the captured pawn), and the suffix e.p. indicating the capture was en passant. For example, exd6e.p.
Some texts, such as the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, omit indication that any capture has been made. (For example, Be5 instead of Bxe5; ed6 instead of exd6 or exd6e.p.)
For example, with knights on g1 and d2, either of which might move to f3, the move is specified as Ngf3 or Ndf3, as appropriate. With knights on g5 and g1, the moves are N5f3 or N1f3. As above, an x can be inserted to indicate a capture, for example: N5xf3.
, the piece promoted to is indicated at the end of the move notation, for example: e8Q (promoting to queen). Sometimes an equals sign (=) or parentheses are used: e8=Q or e8(Q), but neither format is a FIDE standard. (An equals sign is also sometimes used to indicate the offer of a draw when written on the scoresheet next to a move, but this is not part of algebraic notation.) In Portable Game Notation
(PGN), pawn promotion is always indicated using the equals sign format (e8=Q).
In older books, pawn promotions can be found using a forward slash: e8/Q.
is indicated by the special notations 0-0 (for kingside castling) and 0-0-0 (queenside castling).
While the FIDE Handbook, appendix C.13 uses the digit zero (0-0 and 0-0-0), PGN
requires the uppercase letter O (O-O and O-O-O).
in check usually has the notation "+" appended. Or sometimes a dagger
is used: "†". Or the abbreviation: ch. Double check
is commonly notated the same as check, but is sometimes represented specially as dbl ch, or in older books as "++". The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings omits any indication of check.
Checkmate
at the completion of moves can be notated as "#" (some use "++" instead, but the USCF
recommends "#"). Or the word mate is commonly used. Occasionally the double dagger is seen: "‡".
.
Often there is no indication regarding how a player won or lost (other than checkmate, see above), so simply 1–0 or 0–1 may be written to show that one player resigned or lost because of time control
. Sometimes direct information is given by the words White resigns or Black resigns, but this is not considered part of the notation, rather a return to the surrounding narrative text.
Moves may be interspersed with commentary. When the score resumes with a Black move, an ellipsis
(...) fills the position of the White move, for example:
An ellipsis is also used when the series of moves starts with a Black move (when the score is not of a complete game but starts from a given position). However, helpmate
s usually use an opposite convention; Black moves first by default and White moves are indicated with an ellipsis if no Black move precedes.
, played over the internet by Garry Kasparov
(as White) against the rest of the world (playing Black), with the World Team's moves being chosen by popular vote under the guidance of a team of grandmasters. The game demonstrates several of the notations described above.
for the letter representing a piece, for example: in place of Nc6. (Pawns are omitted.) This enables moves to be read independent of language.
The Unicode Miscellaneous Symbols
set includes all the symbols necessary for FAN. In order to display or print these symbols, one has to have one or more font
s with good Unicode
support installed on the computer, that the Web page, or word processor document, etc., uses.
The long notation takes more space and thus is not as commonly used. However, it has the advantage of clarity, particularly for less-skilled players or players learning the game. Some books using primarily short algebraic notation use the long notation instead of the disambiguation forms described earlier.
the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages employ different names (and therefore different letters) for the pieces; hence the standard for transmitting moves in this form of chess is ICCF numeric notation
.
(PGN),
which uses algebraic chess notation as well as additional markings to describe a game. As mentioned, PGN requires uppercase letter O to represent castling (e.g. O-O), while the FIDE Handbook uses digit zero (0-0).
and many others.
The symbol chosen is simply appended to the end of the move notation, for example: 1.d4 e5?!
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. It is now standard among all chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers. In English-speaking countries, AN replaced the parallel method of descriptive chess notation
Descriptive chess notation
Descriptive notation is a notation for recording chess games, and at one time was the most popular notation in English-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries , . It was used in Europe until it was superseded by abbreviated algebraic notation, which was introduced by Philipp Stamma in 1737...
, which became common in the 19th century and continued with sporadic use as recently as the 1980s or 1990s. European countries, except England, used algebraic notation before the period when descriptive notation was common.
Algebraic notation is based on a system developed by Philipp Stamma. It exists in various forms and languages, as described below. Stamma's system used the modern names of the squares, but he used "p" for all pawn moves, and the original file (a through h) of the piece instead of the initial letter of the piece name.
Naming squares on the board
Each square of the chessboardChessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
is identified by a unique coordinate pair consisting of a letter and a number. The vertical rows of squares (called files) from White's left (the queenside) to his right (the kingside) are labeled a through h. The horizontal rows of squares (called ranks) are numbered 1 to 8 starting from White's side of the board. Thus, each square has a unique identification of file letter followed by rank number. (For example, the white king starts the game on square e1, while the black knight on b8 can move to open squares a6 or c6.)
Naming the pieces
Each type of pieceChess piece
Chess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
(other than pawns) is identified by an uppercase letter, usually the first letter in the name of the piece in whatever language is spoken by the player recording. English-speaking players use K for king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
, Q for queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
, R for rook
Rook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
, B for bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
, and N for knight
Knight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
(since K is already used). S was also used for the knight in the early days of algebraic notation, from the German Springer, and is still used in chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s (where N stands for the nightrider
Nightrider (chess)
A nightrider is a fairy chess piece that can move any number of steps in a direction that a knight can move. For example, a nightrider on b2 can reach square c4 and forward to d6 and e8, but cannot jump over pawn f4 to h5...
, a popular fairy chess piece
Fairy chess piece
A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece. It is not used in conventional chess, but is used in certain chess variants and some chess problems...
).
Different letters may be employed in other languages, for example, French players use F for bishop (from fou). In chess literature written for an international audience, the language-specific letters are replaced by universal icons for the pieces, resulting in figurine notation.
Pawns are not indicated by a letter, but rather by the absence of any letter—it is not necessary to distinguish between pawns for moves, since only one pawn can move to a given square. (Pawn captures are an exception and indicated differently; see below.)
Notation for moves
Each move of a piece is indicated by the piece's uppercase letter, plus the coordinate of the destination square. For example, Be5 (move a bishop to e5), Nf3 (move a knight to f3), c5 (move a pawn to c5—no piece letter in the case of pawn moves). In some publications, the pieces are indicated by icons rather than by letters, for example: . This is called figurine algebraic notation (or FAN) and has the advantage of being language-independent.Notation for captures
When a piece makes a capture, an x is inserted between the piece's letter and the destination square. For example, Bxe5 (bishop captures the piece on e5). When a pawn makes a capture, the file from which the pawn departed is used to identify the pawn, rather than a letter representing the pawn itself. For example, exd5 (pawn on the e-file captures the piece on d5).A colon
Colon (punctuation)
The colon is a punctuation mark consisting of two equally sized dots centered on the same vertical line.-Usage:A colon informs the reader that what follows the mark proves, explains, or lists elements of what preceded the mark....
(:) is sometimes used instead of an x, either in the same place the x would go (B:e5) or at the end (Be5:). Often, the x or colon are omitted: ed5. When it is unambiguous to do so, a pawn capture is often described by specifying only the files involved: exd or ed.
En passant
En passant
En passant is a move in the board game of chess . It is a special pawn capture which can occur immediately after a player moves a pawn two squares forward from its starting position, and an enemy pawn could have captured it had it moved only one square forward...
captures are notated by specifying the capturing pawn's file of departure, the x, the destination square (not the square of the captured pawn), and the suffix e.p. indicating the capture was en passant. For example, exd6e.p.
Some texts, such as the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, omit indication that any capture has been made. (For example, Be5 instead of Bxe5; ed6 instead of exd6 or exd6e.p.)
Disambiguating moves
When two (or more) identical pieces can move to the same square, the moving piece is uniquely identified by specifying the piece's letter, followed by (in descending order of preference):- the file of departure (if they differ); or
- the rank of departure (if the files are the same but the ranks differ); or
- both the rank and file (if neither alone is sufficient to identify the piece—which occurs only in rare cases where one or more pawns have promotedPromotion (chess)Promotion is a chess rule describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...
, resulting in a player having three or more identical pieces able to reach the same square).
For example, with knights on g1 and d2, either of which might move to f3, the move is specified as Ngf3 or Ndf3, as appropriate. With knights on g5 and g1, the moves are N5f3 or N1f3. As above, an x can be inserted to indicate a capture, for example: N5xf3.
Pawn promotion
When a pawn moves to the last rank and promotesPromotion (chess)
Promotion is a chess rule describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...
, the piece promoted to is indicated at the end of the move notation, for example: e8Q (promoting to queen). Sometimes an equals sign (=) or parentheses are used: e8=Q or e8(Q), but neither format is a FIDE standard. (An equals sign is also sometimes used to indicate the offer of a draw when written on the scoresheet next to a move, but this is not part of algebraic notation.) In Portable Game Notation
Portable Game Notation
Portable Game Notation is a computer-processible format for recording chess games ; many chess programs recognize this extremely popular format due to its being stored in plain text.-History:...
(PGN), pawn promotion is always indicated using the equals sign format (e8=Q).
In older books, pawn promotions can be found using a forward slash: e8/Q.
Castling
CastlingCastling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
is indicated by the special notations 0-0 (for kingside castling) and 0-0-0 (queenside castling).
While the FIDE Handbook, appendix C.13 uses the digit zero (0-0 and 0-0-0), PGN
Portable Game Notation
Portable Game Notation is a computer-processible format for recording chess games ; many chess programs recognize this extremely popular format due to its being stored in plain text.-History:...
requires the uppercase letter O (O-O and O-O-O).
Check and checkmate
A move which places the opponent's kingKing (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
in check usually has the notation "+" appended. Or sometimes a dagger
Dagger (typography)
A dagger, or obelisk. is a typographical symbol or glyph. The term "obelisk" derives from Greek , which means "little obelus"; from meaning "roasting spit"...
is used: "†". Or the abbreviation: ch. Double check
Double check
In chess, a double check is a check delivered by two pieces at the same time. In chess notation, it is often symbolized by "++".-Discussion:...
is commonly notated the same as check, but is sometimes represented specially as dbl ch, or in older books as "++". The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings omits any indication of check.
Checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
at the completion of moves can be notated as "#" (some use "++" instead, but the USCF
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
recommends "#"). Or the word mate is commonly used. Occasionally the double dagger is seen: "‡".
End of game
The notation 1–0 at the completion of moves indicates that White won, 0–1 indicates that Black won, and ½–½ indicates a drawDraw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
.
Often there is no indication regarding how a player won or lost (other than checkmate, see above), so simply 1–0 or 0–1 may be written to show that one player resigned or lost because of time control
Time control
A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
. Sometimes direct information is given by the words White resigns or Black resigns, but this is not considered part of the notation, rather a return to the surrounding narrative text.
Notation for a series of moves
A game or series of moves is generally written in one of two ways.- In two columns, as White/Black pairs, preceded by the move number and a period:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. Nf3 Nc6
- 3. Bb5 a6
- As horizontal text:
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
Moves may be interspersed with commentary. When the score resumes with a Black move, an ellipsis
Ellipsis
Ellipsis is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence...
(...) fills the position of the White move, for example:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. Nf3
- White attacks the black e-pawn.
- 2... Nc6
- Black defends and develops simultaneously.
- 3. Bb5
- White inducts the Spanish TortureRuy LopezThe Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del...
.
- White inducts the Spanish Torture
- 3... a6
- Black elects Morphy's Defence.
An ellipsis is also used when the series of moves starts with a Black move (when the score is not of a complete game but starts from a given position). However, helpmate
Helpmate
A helpmate is a type of chess problem in which both sides cooperate in order to achieve the goal of checkmating Black. In a helpmate in n moves, Black moves first, then White, each side moving n times, to culminate in White's nth move checkmating Black...
s usually use an opposite convention; Black moves first by default and White moves are indicated with an ellipsis if no Black move precedes.
Example
An example of a full game in algebraic notation follows. The game is Kasparov versus the WorldKasparov versus The World
Kasparov versus the World was a game of chess played in 1999 over the Internet. Conducting the white pieces, Garry Kasparov faced the rest of the world in consultation, with the World Team moves to be decided by plurality vote. Over 50,000 individuals from more than 75 countries participated in the...
, played over the internet by Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
(as White) against the rest of the world (playing Black), with the World Team's moves being chosen by popular vote under the guidance of a team of grandmasters. The game demonstrates several of the notations described above.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Nc6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.0-0 g6 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bg7 10.Nde2 Qe6 (a novelty suggested by Irina KrushIrina KrushIrina Krush is an American chess player who won the U.S. Women's Chess Championship in 1998, 2007, and 2010. Born in Odessa, USSR , she is widely known for her series of chess training videos, the "Krushing Attacks" series.Krush learned to play chess at age five, emigrating with her parents to...
and considered a turning point for the World Team) 11.Nd5 Qxe4 12.Nc7+ Kd7 13.Nxa8 Qxc4 14.Nb6+ axb6 15.Nc3 Ra8 16.a4 Ne4 17.Nxe4 Qxe4 18.Qb3 f5 19.Bg5 Qb4 20.Qf7 Be5 21.h3 Rxa4 22.Rxa4 Qxa4 23.Qxh7 Bxb2 24.Qxg6 Qe4 25.Qf7 Bd4 26.Qb3 f4 27.Qf7 Be5 28.h4 b5 29.h5 Qc4 30.Qf5+ Qe6 31.Qxe6+ Kxe6 32.g3 fxg3 33.fxg3 b4 (the World Team did not trust 33...Bxg3 34.h6 Be5 35.h7 Bg7 36.Rf8 b4 37.h8Q Bxh8 38.Rxh8) 34.Bf4 Bd4+ 35.Kh1 b3 36.g4 Kd5 37.g5 e6 38.h6 Ne7 39.Rd1 e5 40.Be3 Kc4 41.Bxd4 exd4 42.Kg2 b2 43.Kf3 Kc3 44.h7 Ng6 45.Ke4 Kc2 46.Rh1 d3 (46...b1Q 47.Rxb1 Kxb1 48.Kxd4 and White will win) 47.Kf5 b1Q 48.Rxb1 Kxb1 49.Kxg6 d2 50.h8Q d1Q 51.Qh7 b5 52.Kf6+ Kb2 53.Qh2+ Ka1 54.Qf4 b4 55.Qxb4 Qf3+ 56.Kg7 d5 57.Qd4+ Kb1 58.g6 Qe4 59.Qg1+ Kb2 60.Qf2+ Kc1 61.Kf6 d4 62.g7 1–0
Naming the pieces in various languages
Here are names for all the pieces as well as the words for chess, check, and checkmate in several languages:Kindred notations
Besides the FIDE standard algebraic notation (abbreviation: SAN) already described, several similar systems are in use for their own particular advantages.Figurine Algebraic Notation
Figurine Algebraic Notation (or FAN), as noted earlier, is a widely used variation of algebraic notation which substitutes a piece symbolChess symbols in Unicode
Chess symbols are part of Unicode.Instead of using images, one can represent chess pieces by symbols that are defined in the Unicode character set. This makes it possible to:...
for the letter representing a piece, for example: in place of Nc6. (Pawns are omitted.) This enables moves to be read independent of language.
The Unicode Miscellaneous Symbols
Miscellaneous Symbols
The Miscellaneous Symbols Unicode block contains various glyphs representing things from a variety of categories: Astrological, Astronomical, Chess, Dice, Ideological symbols, Musical notation, Political symbols, Recycling, Religious symbols, Trigrams, Warning signs and Weather.-Tables:Note: These...
set includes all the symbols necessary for FAN. In order to display or print these symbols, one has to have one or more font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
s with good Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
support installed on the computer, that the Web page, or word processor document, etc., uses.
Long algebraic notation
Some computer programs (and people) use a variant of algebraic chess notation termed long algebraic notation or fully expanded algebraic notation. In long algebraic notation, moves specify both the starting and ending squares separated by a hyphen, for example: e2-e4 or Nb1-c3. Captures are still indicated using x: Rd3xd7.The long notation takes more space and thus is not as commonly used. However, it has the advantage of clarity, particularly for less-skilled players or players learning the game. Some books using primarily short algebraic notation use the long notation instead of the disambiguation forms described earlier.
Numeric notation
In international correspondence chessCorrespondence chess
Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...
the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages employ different names (and therefore different letters) for the pieces; hence the standard for transmitting moves in this form of chess is ICCF numeric notation
ICCF numeric notation
ICCF numeric notation is the official chess game notation for all International Correspondence Chess Federation games. This is because in international correspondence chess the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages have different names for the pieces.In brief,...
.
PGN for computer storage
Chess games are often stored in computer files using Portable Game NotationPortable Game Notation
Portable Game Notation is a computer-processible format for recording chess games ; many chess programs recognize this extremely popular format due to its being stored in plain text.-History:...
(PGN),
which uses algebraic chess notation as well as additional markings to describe a game. As mentioned, PGN requires uppercase letter O to represent castling (e.g. O-O), while the FIDE Handbook uses digit zero (0-0).
Annotation symbols
Though not technically a part of algebraic notation, the following are some common symbols frequently used by annotators to give evaluative comment on a move:- ! (a particularly good—and usually surprising—move)
- !! (an excellent move)
- ? (a bad move)
- ?? (a blunderBlunder (chess)In chess, a blunder is a very bad move. It is usually caused by some tactical oversight, whether from time trouble, overconfidence or carelessness. While a blunder may seem like a stroke of luck for the opposing player, some chess players give their opponent plenty of opportunities to blunder.What...
) - !? (an interesting move that may not be best)
- ?! (a dubious move – one which may turn out to be bad)
- (only move)
- TN or N (a theoretical novelty)
and many others.
The symbol chosen is simply appended to the end of the move notation, for example: 1.d4 e5?!
Englund Gambit
The Englund Gambit is a rarely played chess opening that starts with the moves:Black's idea is to avoid the traditional closed queen's pawn games and create an open game with tactical chances, but at the cost of a pawn. The gambit is considered weak; Boris Avrukh writes that 1...e5 "seems to me...
External links
- FIDE rules on algebraic notation (see appendix C)
- Algebraic Chess Notation Exercise