Chess Notation

Chess notation is the standard way to accurately record moves. Algebraic notation is used everywhere: clear, concise and universal.

The Board and Coordinates

The chessboard has a clear coordinate system that allows you to precisely identify any square:

Files: labeled with letters from a to h (left to right, from White's perspective)
Ranks: labeled with numbers from 1 to 8 (bottom to top, from White's perspective)

Example: Square e4 means file e and rank 4

Chess Coordinates Game

Practice recognizing chessboard coordinates. Click on the indicated square!

Piece Symbols

Piece	Letter	Example
King	K	Ke2 (king moves to e2)
Queen	Q	Qd5 (queen moves to d5)
Bishop	B	Bc4 (bishop moves to c4)
Knight	N	Nf3 (knight moves to f3)
Rook	R	Rd1 (rook moves to d1)
Pawn	(none)	e4 (pawn moves to e4)

Important: Pawns are not marked with a letter – just the square is written (e.g., e4).

International Letters (English)

In international games and software, English letters are commonly used:

Piece	Local	English	Example
King	K	K (King)	Ke2
Queen	Q	Q (Queen)	Qd5
Bishop	B	B (Bishop)	Bc4
Knight	N	N (Knight)	Nf3
Rook	R	R (Rook)	Rd1

Recording Moves

Standard format: piece + square

Nf3 – knight moves to f3
Bc4 – bishop moves to c4
e4 – pawn moves to e4

Captures

Indicated with the letter x:

Qxe5 – queen captures the piece on e5
Rxf7 – rook captures the piece on f7
exd5 – pawn from the e-file captures on d5

Check and Checkmate

Symbol	Meaning	Example
+	Check	Qd8+ (queen gives check)
#	Checkmate	Qf7# (queen delivers checkmate)

Castling

0-0 – kingside castling (with the h-file rook)
0-0-0 – queenside castling (with the a-file rook)

Pawn Promotion

When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, you indicate which piece it promotes to:

e8Q – pawn promotes to a queen
h1N – pawn promotes to a knight

Additional Symbols

When two pieces can move to the same square

The starting file or rank is specified:

Rae1 – rook from the a-file moves to e1
N5d4 – knight from the 5th rank moves to d4
Qhxh7 – queen from the h-file captures on h7

Game Result

Symbol	Result
1-0	White wins
0-1	Black wins
½-½	Draw

Example Game

Here is what a game looks like recorded using algebraic notation:

Practical Tips

Good to Know!

Chess notation is a universal language, the same worldwide. Once you learn it, you can read games recorded in any country, participate in international tournaments and analyze classic master games.

Keep Learning

Rules Basics

Notation Move Recording

Openings First Moves

Traps Tricks