Chess Notation Explained
Algebraic notation in one page: the coordinate system, piece letters, captures, check, mate, castling, promotion, PGN, and every symbol you'll ever see on a scoresheet. No signup. No paywall.
TL;DR — Read Any Chess Move in 6 Bullets
- Files are a–h left to right, ranks are 1–8 from White's side. Square names like e4 never flip.
- Piece letters: K Q R B N (King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, kNight). Pawns have no letter.
- Nf3 = knight to f3. e4 = pawn to e4. Bb5 = bishop to b5.
- x = capture (Nxe5, exd5). + = check. # = checkmate.
- O-O = kingside castle. O-O-O = queenside castle. e8=Q = pawn promotes to queen.
- Result tags: 1-0 White won, 0-1 Black won, ½-½ draw.
What Is Chess Notation?
Chess notation is the written system for recording moves so a game can be replayed, analysed, or shared with anyone else who plays chess. The modern standard is algebraic notation — short, unambiguous, language-free, and used in every modern book, every PGN file, and every chess engine on earth.
If you can read four lines of algebraic notation, you can read every chess book ever published since 1990 and every game ever uploaded to Lichess, Chess.com, or chess.rodeo. This guide walks through the entire system in one page.
The Coordinate System
Every square on a chessboard has a unique two-character name made up of a file letter (a–h) and a rank number (1–8). This is the foundation algebraic notation is built on:
Files run a–h, left to right from White's side
The eight columns are labelled a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h. The a-file is on White's left (Black's right), the h-file is on White's right (Black's left). File letters are always lower case in modern algebraic notation. They never flip — 'a' is always White's left even when Black writes the move.
Ranks run 1–8 from White's side outward
The eight rows are numbered 1 through 8. White's back rank (where the king starts) is rank 1, Black's back rank is rank 8. Pawns start on rank 2 (White) and rank 7 (Black). Like file letters, rank numbers are absolute — rank 1 is always White's side, even from Black's perspective.
Every square has a unique two-character name
A square is identified by its file letter followed by its rank number. White's queen starts on d1, Black's queen starts on d8, the centre four squares are d4, e4, d5, and e5. The convention is file-then-rank, always lower-case for the file. 'E4' is wrong — write 'e4'.
If the coordinate system is new, set up the starting position in our free Board Editor and hover any square — the file and rank labels appear at the edges. See how to set up a chess board if you need the orientation rule (“white on right”) first.
Piece Letters
Five capital letters cover every piece except the pawn. Pawns have no letter — their move is identified by the destination square alone.
| Letter | Piece | Note |
|---|---|---|
| K | King | Always K. Never abbreviated to 'Ki'. |
| Q | Queen | Q so it does not clash with king. Same letter in every major language using English-style algebraic notation. |
| R | Rook | R for rook. The same letter is used in PGN files worldwide. |
| B | Bishop | B for bishop. Capitalised to distinguish it from a b-file pawn move (lower-case b is the file). |
| N | Knight | N — not K (that's the king). The 'k' was already taken, so knight uses 'N' (sometimes 'Kt' in very old books). |
| (none) | Pawn | Pawns have no letter. A pawn move is written using only the destination square (e4, d5, h6) — or the file letter for captures (exd5). |
The knight uses N, not K, because the King already took the letter K. In old English books you may still see “Kt” for knight, but no modern publication or PGN file uses it.
How to Write Every Move
Eight move types cover every legal chess move. Memorise these patterns and you can write any move on any board:
Piece moves
Format: Piece letter + destination square
Nf3Bb5Qd4Rxe1Kg2
Write the piece letter (K, Q, R, B, N) followed by the square it moves to. No starting square is needed unless two pieces of the same type can reach the destination — see 'disambiguation' below. Nf3 means 'knight to f3', Bb5 means 'bishop to b5'. The colour of the piece is inferred from whose turn it is.
Pawn moves
Format: Destination square only
e4d5h6c3
Pawns have no letter. A pawn push is written using only the destination square. e4 means 'pawn moves to e4'; d5 means 'pawn moves to d5'. Because only one pawn can ever push to a given empty square, the destination uniquely identifies the move.
Captures
Format: x between the moving piece (or file for pawns) and destination
Nxe5Bxh7exd5fxg6Qxd8+
An 'x' marks a capture. For pieces, write piece letter + x + destination (Nxe5 = knight captures on e5). For pawn captures, write the file the pawn is coming from + x + destination (exd5 = e-pawn captures on d5). The file letter is required for pawn captures because pawns can capture from either side.
Check
Format: + at the end of the move
Qh5+Nf7+Bb5+Rd8+
Append '+' to any move that puts the enemy king in check. Qh5+ means 'queen to h5, check'. Some books and engines use 'ch' or '†' but '+' is the FIDE standard and what every PGN viewer expects.
Checkmate
Format: # at the end of the move
Qh7#Nf7#Rd8#Bxh7#
Append '#' to a move that delivers checkmate. Qh7# means 'queen to h7, checkmate, game over 1–0' (or 0–1 if Black mates). Some older notation uses '++' or 'mate' but '#' is the modern standard.
Castling
Format: O-O (kingside) or O-O-O (queenside)
O-OO-O-OO-O+O-O-O#
Castling has its own symbol regardless of which colour castles. O-O (zero-O-zero or capital-O-O depending on the source) means kingside castling — the short one with one space between rook and king. O-O-O means queenside castling — the long one with two spaces. If castling delivers check or mate, append + or # as normal.
Pawn promotion
Format: Pawn move + = + new piece letter
e8=Qexd1=N+f8=Rgxh8=Q#
When a pawn reaches the last rank, write the normal pawn move and append '=Q', '=R', '=B', or '=N' for the new piece. e8=Q means 'pawn to e8, promotes to queen'. exd1=N+ means 'pawn captures on d1, promotes to knight, check'. The four legal suffixes are =Q, =R, =B, =N — never =K. See the full promotion guide for when to underpromote.
En passant
Format: Same as a normal pawn capture, optionally with 'e.p.'
exd6exd6 e.p.fxg3 e.p.
En passant uses the same notation as any pawn capture — the destination is the square the captured pawn skipped over, not the square it sat on. exd6 in a position where Black just played d7–d5 means 'e-pawn captures en passant'. Some books add 'e.p.' for clarity, but FIDE notation considers it optional.
The pawn-promotion piece is covered in detail in our pawn promotion guide (when to underpromote, the stalemate trap, multi-queen rules). En passant is its own rabbit-hole — see the en passant explainer for the three conditions and the “you have to capture this ply or never” rule.
Disambiguation
When two pieces of the same type can reach the same square, the notation needs extra information to identify which one moves. The rule is simple: add the smallest piece of origin information that removes the ambiguity:
Add the file when two pieces share a rank
If two knights can both reach d2 (say one on b1 and one on f1) and you want the b-knight, write 'Nbd2' — piece letter + file of the origin + destination. The file disambiguates because the two knights are on different files.
Add the rank when two pieces share a file
If two rooks on the same file can both reach the destination (say rooks on d1 and d8 and you want d1's rook on d5), write 'R1d5' — piece letter + rank of the origin + destination. The rank disambiguates because the two rooks share a file.
Add both file and rank in rare three-piece cases
When a side has three queens or three pieces of the same type that can reach one square (most often after multiple pawn promotions), use both the file and rank of the origin: Qa1d4 means 'the queen on a1 moves to d4'. This is rare but unambiguous.
Pawn captures always show the origin file
Even when there is no ambiguity, pawn captures always include the file the pawn is coming from. exd5 — not just 'xd5'. The file letter is part of the standard pawn-capture format.
Engines do the disambiguation for you when they output PGN — you only ever have to think about it when you're writing a scoresheet by hand.
A Sample Game, Move by Move
The first seven moves of a Ruy López, written in algebraic notation. Read across — White's move on the left, Black's on the right, both belong to the same numbered ply:
| # | White | Black | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | e4 | e5 | Both push king's pawns two squares — the open game. |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 | Knights develop attacking and defending the e-pawns. |
| 3. | Bb5 | a6 | Ruy López; Black plays the Morphy Defence with ...a6. |
| 4. | Ba4 | Nf6 | Bishop retreats; Black develops the kingside knight. |
| 5. | O-O | Be7 | White castles short; Black prepares to castle too. |
| 6. | Re1 | b5 | Rook on the e-file; Black kicks the bishop. |
| 7. | Bb3 | O-O | Both sides have castled — the opening phase ends here. |
In a single line of PGN this reads: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O. Paste it into our free PGN Viewer to step through it on a board. The opening is the Ruy López — Morphy Defence.
Full Symbol Reference
Every symbol you will ever see in algebraic notation or a PGN file, in one table:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| K Q R B N | Piece letters (King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight) |
| (no letter) | Pawn — destination square only |
| a–h | Files (columns), left to right from White |
| 1–8 | Ranks (rows), White's back rank is 1 |
| x | Captures (Nxe5, exd5) |
| + | Check |
| # | Checkmate |
| O-O | Kingside (short) castling |
| O-O-O | Queenside (long) castling |
| =Q =R =B =N | Pawn promotion suffix |
| e.p. | En passant (optional clarifier) |
| 1-0 / 0-1 / ½-½ | Game result (White wins / Black wins / Draw) |
| ! | Good move (annotation) |
| ? | Mistake (annotation) |
| !! | Brilliant move (annotation) |
| ?? | Blunder (annotation) |
| !? | Interesting move (annotation) |
| ?! | Dubious move (annotation) |
Algebraic vs Descriptive Notation
If you pick up an English-language chess book published before about 1980, you may run into descriptive notation — moves like “P-K4” (pawn to king's-fourth) or “N-KB3” (knight to king's-bishop-three). Descriptive names every square from each player's own perspective, so the same square has two different names depending on who is moving. Algebraic gives every square one universal name. Algebraic is faster, unambiguous, and used by every modern source — descriptive only appears in old reprints.
You do not need to learn descriptive notation. If you find an old book you want to study, paste the moves into our free notation converter and it will translate to algebraic for you.
What Is PGN?
PGN — Portable Game Notation — is the standard text format for a complete chess game. A PGN file lists the moves in algebraic notation along with metadata tags (event, date, players, result). Every chess engine, online platform, and database in the world reads and writes PGN — it is the file format that keeps the chess world interoperable.
A minimal PGN looks like this:
[Event "Casual Game"] [Site "chess.rodeo"] [Date "2026.06.26"] [White "Player A"] [Black "Player B"] [Result "1-0"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 1-0
The tags in square brackets are the header; the move list is the body; the result at the end closes the file. Paste any PGN into our free PGN Viewer and step through the moves on a real board — no account, no install. For static positions inside the file, see our FEN string guide — FEN encodes a single position, PGN encodes the whole game.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Five notation mistakes that show up over and over again on first scoresheets:
Writing 'E4' instead of 'e4'
File letters are always lower case in algebraic notation: a1, e4, h8. Piece letters (K, Q, R, B, N) are upper case. Mixing the two is the easiest way to spot a beginner's scoresheet.
Confusing 'B' (bishop) with 'b' (b-file pawn)
Capital B is the bishop; lower-case b is the b-file. 'Bb5' = bishop moves to b5. 'b5' = a pawn moves to b5. 'bxc5' = the b-pawn captures on c5. The capitalisation is what tells the two apart.
Forgetting that pawn captures need the origin file
Pawn captures always show which file the pawn comes from — 'exd5', not just 'xd5'. Without the origin file, two different pawns might be able to make the capture, and the move becomes ambiguous.
Writing 'Nxe5+' but the move is actually mate
Check is '+', checkmate is '#'. If the move ends the game, use '#'. Engines and PGN viewers will accept either, but '#' is the correct annotation and the score-sheet standard.
Confusing 'N' with the king
Knight is N, not K. The king is K because it came first; the 'k' was already taken when notation needed a letter for the knight, so the second letter ('N' for kNight) was used. Same in every English-language chess publication.
Practise Reading Notation for Free
Three tools, all free, no signup, all on chess.lc and chess.rodeo:
- Free PGN Viewer — paste any game, step through every move, see the algebraic notation update as the pieces move on the board.
- Free Notation Converter — translates between algebraic, long algebraic, and descriptive notation. Useful for old books or for clarifying ambiguous moves.
- chess.rodeo — no account, no paywall — play live games where every move is auto-recorded as algebraic notation. Export the game as PGN with one click and paste it back into the viewer for analysis.
Frequently asked questions
Everything beginners ask about chess notation — how to read it, how to write it, what each symbol means, and how PGN ties it all together.
What is chess notation?
Chess notation is the written system for recording chess moves so a game can be replayed, analysed, or shared. The modern standard is 'algebraic notation' — each square has a unique two-character name (file letter + rank number), each piece has a one-letter abbreviation (K, Q, R, B, N — pawns have no letter), and each move is written as the piece letter followed by the destination square (Nf3, Bb5, e4). Algebraic notation is used in every modern book, every PGN file, and every chess engine.
How do you read chess notation?
Read each move as 'piece letter + destination square' (and optionally a capture x, a check +, or a mate #). Examples: 'Nf3' = knight to f3; 'Bb5' = bishop to b5; 'e4' = pawn to e4 (pawns have no letter); 'Nxe5' = knight captures on e5; 'Qh7#' = queen to h7, checkmate; 'O-O' = castles kingside. Read moves in pairs: '1. e4 e5' means move 1 was White's e4 followed by Black's e5.
What are the letters in chess notation?
The six standard letters are: K = King, Q = Queen, R = Rook, B = Bishop, N = Knight (not K, because the king already took that letter), and no letter for pawns. Files are lower-case a through h; ranks are numbers 1 through 8. 'Nf3' is upper-case N (knight) plus lower-case f3 (the destination square). The letters are the same in every English-language chess publication and in every PGN file worldwide.
What does + mean in chess notation?
'+' at the end of a move means the move puts the enemy king in check. 'Qh5+' means 'queen moves to h5 and checks the enemy king'. The opponent's next move must escape check (move the king, block the check, or capture the checking piece). Some older books write 'ch' or '†', but '+' is the FIDE standard and what every PGN file uses.
What does # mean in chess notation?
'#' marks checkmate — the move ends the game with a winner. 'Qh7#' means 'queen to h7, checkmate, game over'. The game score then shows 1-0 (White won), 0-1 (Black won), or — for a draw — ½-½. Some older sources use '++' or 'mate' for checkmate, but '#' is the modern standard and what engines, PGN viewers, and arbiters expect.
What does x mean in chess notation?
'x' marks a capture. For piece captures, write the piece letter + x + destination square ('Nxe5' = knight captures on e5). For pawn captures, write the pawn's origin file + x + destination ('exd5' = e-pawn captures on d5). The file letter is always included in pawn captures because pawns can attack from either side. 'Bxh7+' means 'bishop captures on h7 with check'.
How is castling written in chess notation?
Castling has its own symbol: 'O-O' (kingside, the short castle with one square between king and rook) or 'O-O-O' (queenside, the long castle with two squares). The same notation is used for both colours — White's and Black's kingside castles both write 'O-O'. If castling gives check or mate, append + or #: 'O-O+' or 'O-O-O#'. In PGN files some software outputs '0-0' (zeros) instead of 'O-O' (capital letters) but both are accepted.
How is pawn promotion written?
Write the normal pawn move and append the new piece in capitals after an equals sign. 'e8=Q' means 'pawn to e8, promotes to queen'. 'exd1=N+' means 'e-pawn captures on d1, promotes to knight, delivers check'. The four legal suffixes are =Q, =R, =B, =N — you cannot promote to a king. Some older systems use parentheses (e8(Q)) or a slash (e8/Q), but '=Q' is the FIDE standard. See our pawn promotion guide for more.
What's the difference between algebraic and descriptive notation?
Algebraic notation is the modern standard — every square has one universal name (e4 is always e4, no matter who is moving). Descriptive notation, used in English-language chess books before about 1980, names squares from each player's own perspective: e4 is 'P-K4' (pawn to king's-fourth) for White and 'P-K5' for Black describing the same square. Descriptive is ambiguous and slow; algebraic is unambiguous and fast. Every chess book published since the 1990s uses algebraic; descriptive only appears in old reprints.
What is PGN?
PGN — Portable Game Notation — is the standard text format for storing a complete chess game. A PGN file lists the moves in algebraic notation along with metadata tags (event, date, players, result). Example: '1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 1/2-1/2'. PGN is what every chess engine, every online platform, and every database uses to share games. Open any PGN in our free PGN viewer to step through it move by move.
Do I need to disambiguate every move?
Only when two pieces of the same type can reach the same square. If the king-side knight and queen-side knight can both legally move to d2, you have to specify which one: 'Nbd2' (the b-file knight) or 'Nfd2' (the f-file knight). If the two pieces share a file instead of a rank, use the rank: 'R1d5' vs 'R8d5'. If they share both, use both: 'Qa1d4'. When only one piece can reach the destination, no disambiguation is needed.
What do !, ?, !!, and ?? mean?
These are move annotations added by analysts (or engines) to grade moves: '!' = a good move, '?' = a mistake, '!!' = a brilliant move, '??' = a blunder, '!?' = interesting/risky, '?!' = dubious but not losing. They are not part of the move itself — they are commentary appended to the notation. 'Nf3!' means 'knight to f3, a good move'. Engine evaluations like Stockfish display these symbols in the post-game review at chess.rodeo.
Why does the knight use N, not K?
The king took the letter K first, so when notation needed a single letter for each piece, the knight got N — the second letter of 'kNight'. Some very old English books use 'Kt' for knight, but every modern publication and every PGN file uses 'N'. In other languages the letter is different — German uses S for knight (Springer) and French uses C (Cavalier) — but English-language algebraic notation and PGN always use N.
Where can I practise reading chess notation for free?
Paste any game's PGN into our free PGN viewer at chess.lc to step through the moves move by move with the notation highlighted on the board. Then play live games at chess.rodeo with the notation auto-recorded as you move — every game is exported as PGN with one click, ready to paste back into the viewer. No account, no signup, no paywall on either tool. Once you can read 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O at a glance, you can read any chess book or engine analysis.
Read any chess book or engine analysis in 10 minutes
Open any PGN in our free viewer, step through the moves on a board, and watch the algebraic notation light up as you go. Then play live games at chess.rodeo and let Stockfish analyse them for free — no account, no paywall.