How to read and write chess moves in algebraic notation.
Chess notation is the standard written record of moves, and the system used today is algebraic notation. Each square has a name from its file letter (a to h) and rank number (1 to 8), so the square in White's bottom-left corner is a1. A move is written as the piece's letter plus the square it moves to, so Nf3 means a knight moves to f3. Pawn moves have no letter and are written as the destination square alone, such as e4.
After
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Position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, the Ruy Lopez. White: bishop on b5, pawn on e4, knight on f3, pawn on a2, pawn on b2, pawn on c2, pawn on d2, pawn on f2, pawn on g2, pawn on h2, rook on a1, knight on b1, bishop on c1, queen on d1, king on e1, rook on h1. Black: rook on a8, bishop on c8, queen on d8, king on e8, bishop on f8, knight on g8, rook on h8, pawn on a7, pawn on b7, pawn on c7, pawn on d7, pawn on f7, pawn on g7, pawn on h7, knight on c6, pawn on e5.The moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 written out. Pawn moves are just the square; piece moves carry the piece letter first.
The piece letters
Five pieces have a letter. Pawns have none, which is how you can tell a pawn move at a glance.
K for king
Q for queen
R for rook
B for bishop
N for knight, because K is already taken by the king
Pawns have no letter, so a move written as just a square is a pawn move
Symbols used in notation
A handful of symbols carry the rest of the meaning.
x marks a capture, as in Bxc6. A pawn capture names the file it came from, as in exd5.
+ marks check, as in Qh5+.
# marks checkmate, as in Qxf7#.
O-O is kingside castling and O-O-O is queenside castling.
= marks promotion and names the new piece, as in e8=Q.
!! and ! mark strong moves, ? and ?? mark weak ones. These are commentary, not part of the move.
When two pieces could reach the same square
If two identical pieces can legally move to the same square, the notation adds just enough information to tell them apart. It uses the file letter first, and only falls back to the rank number when the file does not settle it.
So Nbd2 means the knight on the b-file moves to d2, while R1e2 means the rook on the first rank moves to e2. If neither alone is enough, both are given, as in Qh4e1.
Reading a full game score
Moves are numbered in pairs, with White's move first. So 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 means White played the e-pawn to e4, Black replied with the e-pawn to e5, and White then played a knight to f3.
When a game score resumes at Black's move, the number is repeated with three dots, as in 2...Nc6. The result appears at the end: 1-0 for a White win, 0-1 for a Black win, and 1/2-1/2 for a draw.
Frequently asked questions
What is algebraic notation in chess?
Algebraic notation is the standard system for recording chess moves. Every square has a coordinate made of a file letter from a to h and a rank number from 1 to 8, and each move is written as the moving piece's letter followed by the destination square, such as Nf3.
Why is the knight written as N?
Because K is already used for the king. The knight takes N as the next most recognisable letter in its name, which keeps every piece to a single unambiguous character.
How do you write a pawn move in chess notation?
A pawn move is written as the destination square with no piece letter, so e4 means a pawn moves to e4. A pawn capture names the file the pawn came from first, so exd5 means a pawn on the e-file captures on d5.
What does 1-0 mean at the end of a chess game?
1-0 means White won, 0-1 means Black won, and 1/2-1/2 means the game was drawn. The numbers are the points each player scores from the game.
Know the rules and want to see where your games actually go wrong? Paste any game into the free analysis board for a move-by-move review, or explore how games begin in the opening explorer.