Understanding Chess Notation: Algebraic

Chess notation may look complicated, but in reality it is very simple to learn and use!

While there are several different forms of chess notation, almost all chess publications now use the "algebraic" method. Don't let the
fancy name fool you; algebraic is the standard because it is the easiest of all chess notation formats.

The fundamental idea behind algebraic notation is that every square has its own, unique, letter-number combination:

The pieces are identified by single letters:

 King=K
 Queen=Q
 Rook=R
 Bishop=B
 Knight=N

Note that to avoid confusion the Knight is refered to as "N", and the King as "K".

Pawns don't have a letter to indentify them. So, for example, when you see "1. e4 e5", you know that both players have begun the
game by moving their king pawns two squares forward:

If one piece captures another, that is indicated by using an "x". Castling is indicated by "0-0" for the kingside,
and "0-0-0" for the queenside.

Follow through these pages to see, step-by-step, how a game is written out in chess notation. This is a fun, and famous game, so
enjoy!

White moves: 1. d4

White has the first move, and places a pawn on the "d4" square -- the square on the "d" file, and the 4th rank.

Since only one White pawn could legally move to d4, there's no need to specify which pawn made the move. Simply writing "d4" tells
you that the pawn originally on d2 has now moved forward two squares.

Black moves: 1. ...f5

Black follows by moving one of his pawns to the "f5" square.

Notice how pawn moves are shown just by giving the square the pawn lands on. You can always recognize a pawn move, as they are
only ones that are given without a capital letter at the beginning.

White moves: 2. Nc3

White moves his queenside knight to the c3 square. Once again, there is no need to say which knight, as only the one originally on b1
can make the leap to c3.

Black moves: 2. ...Nf6

Black follows up by moving his kingside knight to f6.

Notice that the knight moves are designated by "N", as "K" is reserved for the King.

White moves: 3. Nf3

Another knight move for White.

Black moves: 3. ...e6

And another pawn move for Black.

White moves: 4. Bg5

Now the bishops make their appearance.

"B" tells you that a White bishop moves, and "g5" tells you which square it lands on.
Black moves: 4. ...Be7

Similarly, "...Be7" tells you that the counterpart in the Black army has traveled to the e7 square.

White moves: 5. Bxf6

Whenever you see an "x" in chess notation, you know that one piece has captured another.

"Bxf6" tells you that a White bishop has captured the enemy piece -- in this case a knight -- that was sitting on f6. There's no need to
say which White bishop captures the knight, as only one is able to make a legal move to f6.

Black moves: 5. ...Bxf6

The second "...Bxf6" tells you that a Black bishop has now captured the White piece that was on f6. Once again, only one Black
bishop can legally move to f6.

White moves: 6. e4

White's move -- a pawn jumping two squares forward from it's orginal position -- is one we've seen before.

Black moves: 6. ...fxe4

Black's move is something new: a capture -- "x" -- by a pawn.

Since there is no capital letter at the beginning of this move notation, we know that the capturing unit has to be a pawn, in this case the
one that was on the "f" file. It takes the White "e" pawn.

White moves: 7. Nxe4

White uses his c3 knight to take the black pawn that was on e4.

Black moves: 7. ...b6

Black then moves his "b" pawn forward one square.

White moves: 8. Ne5

White makes another knight move, this time switching the one on f3 to the e5 square.

Black moves: 8. ...0-0

Black castles. "O-O" indicates castling on the kingside.

(Just for information, queenside castling is shown by "O-O-O".)

White moves: 9. Bd3

White's light-square bishop ventures to the d3 square...

Black moves: 9. ...Bb7

...and Black's bishop heads to b7.

White moves: 10. Qh5

White's queen takes up a post at h5.

Black moves: 10. ...Qe7?

Black's queen goes to "e7". In many books this move is followed by a question mark. This means that in the opinion of the writer, the
move is questionable or even flat-out bad. Keep reading to find out why!

White moves: 11. Qxh7+!

White's queen takes the black pawn at h7.

The plus sign -- "+" -- indicates that with this move, the Black king is now in check.

In most books this move by White is followed by an exclaimation mark, to show that it is both very good, and very surprising.

Black moves: 11. ...Kxh7

Black's king, represented by the letter "K", takes the queen on h7.

White moves: 12. Nxf6+

White's e4 knight takes the bishop on f6. Only the e4 knight can legally make this move. After capturing, the knight on f6 puts the
Black king in check, as does the bishop at d3.

Black moves: 12. ...Kh6

The Black king moves to h6 to escape check.

(As an aside, if the king had moved to h8, the result would have been Ng6, checkmate.)

White moves: 13. Neg4+

A White knight hops to g4 to once again check the Black king. However, both knights can legally make that move.

To clarify which knight goes to g4, the notation tells you that it's the knight on the e file that makes the move: Neg4+.

Black moves: 13. ...Kg5

Black's king heads to g5 in an attempt to escape his attackers.

White moves: 14. h4+

White's pawn moves from h2 to h4 to check the Black king.

Black moves: 14. ...Kf4

The black monarch has no option but to go further down the board to f4.

White moves: 15. g3+

Another pawn check, this time on the "g" file.

Black moves: 15. ...Kf3

The Black king continues to be driven down the board by his persecutors.

White moves: 16. Be2+

White's bishop gives check from the e2 square.

Black moves: 16. ...Kg2

Black's king is forced to g2.

White moves: 17. Rh2+

Now White's rook checks the Black king from h2.

Black moves: 17. ...Kg1

The king reaches the end of his rope at g1.

The game ends on the next move -- can you see how?

White moves: 18. Kd2#

The White king moves up to the d2 square. This exposes Black's king to an attack by the White rook on a1. If you look carefully,
you'll see that the Black king has no more escape squares. The "#" symbol indicates that White has checkmated Black. The game is
over, and White wins!

Now that you've read through a whole game, you're ready to take on the wide world of chess literature. As you explore About Chess,
you'll find plenty of examples of chess notation that you'll now be able to read!