Algebraic notation (chess)
Algebraic notation is the standard method of chess notation, used for recording and describing moves. It is based on a system of coordinates to identify each square on the board uniquely. It is now almost universally used by books, magazines, newspapers and software, and is the only form of notation recognized by FIDE, the international chess governing body.
An early form of algebraic notation was invented by the Syrian player Philip Stamma in the 18th century. In the 19th century, it came into general use in German chess literature and was subsequently adopted in Russian chess literature. Descriptive notation, based on abbreviated natural language, was generally used in English language chess publications until the 1980s. Similar descriptive systems were in use in Spain and France. A few players still use descriptive notation, but it is no longer recognized by FIDE, and may not be used as evidence in the event of a dispute.
The term "algebraic notation" may be considered a misnomer, as the system is unrelated to algebra.
Naming the squares
Each square of the board is identified by a unique coordinate pair—a letter and a number—from White's point of view. The vertical columns of squares, called ', are labeled a through h from White's left to right. The horizontal rows of squares, called ', 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 initial square of White's king is designated as "e1".Naming the pieces
Each piece type is identified by an uppercase letter. English-speaking players use the letters K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop and N for knight. Different initial letters are used by other languages.In modern chess literature, especially that intended for an international audience, the language-specific letters are usually replaced by universally recognized piece symbols; for example, ♞c6 in place of Nc6. This style is known as figurine algebraic notation. The Unicode Miscellaneous Symbols set includes all the symbols necessary for figurine algebraic notation.
Notation for moves
In standard algebraic notation, each move of a piece is indicated by the piece's uppercase letter, plus the coordinates of the destination square. For example, Be5, Nf3. For pawn moves, a letter indicating pawn is not used, only the destination square is given. For example, c5.Captures
When a piece makes a, an "x" is inserted immediately before the destination square. For example, Bxe5. When a pawn makes a capture, the from which the pawn departed is used to identify the pawn. For example, exd5.En passant captures are indicated by specifying the capturing pawn's file of departure, the "x", the destination square and the suffix "e.p." indicating the capture was en passant. For example, exd6 e.p.
Sometimes a multiplication sign or a colon is used instead of "x", either in the middle or at the end. Some publications, such as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, omit any indication that a capture has been made; for example, Be5 instead of Bxe5; ed6 instead of exd6 or exd6 e.p.
When it is unambiguous to do so, a pawn capture is sometimes described by specifying only the files involved. These shortened forms are sometimes called abbreviated algebraic notation or minimal algebraic notation.
Disambiguating moves
When two identical pieces can move to the same square, the moving piece is uniquely identified by specifying the piece's letter, followed by :- the file of departure ;
- the rank of departure.
In the diagram, both black rooks could legally move to f8, so the move of the d8-rook to f8 is disambiguated as Rdf8. For the white rooks on the a-file which could both move to a3, it is necessary to provide the of the moving piece, i.e., R1a3.
In the case of the white queen on h4 moving to e1, neither the rank nor file alone are sufficient to disambiguate from the other white queens. As such, this move is written Qh4e1.
As above, an "x" can be inserted to indicate a capture; for example, if the final case were a capture, it would be written as Qh4xe1.
Pawn promotion
When a pawn promotes, the piece promoted to is indicated at the end. For example, a pawn on e7 promoting to a queen on e8 may be variously rendered as e8Q, e8=Q, e8, e8/Q etc.Castling
is indicated by the special notations 0-0 and 0-0-0. O-O and O-O-O are also commonly used.Check
A move that places the opponent's king in check usually has the symbol "+" appended. Alternatively, sometimes a dagger or the abbreviation "ch" is used. Some publications indicate a discovered check with an abbreviation such as "dis ch", or with a specific symbol. Double check is usually indicated the same as check, but is sometimes represented specifically as "dbl ch" or "++", particularly in older chess literature. Some publications such as ECO omit any indication of check.Checkmate
at the completion of moves is represented by the symbol "#" in standard FIDE notation and PGN. The word mate is commonly used instead; occasionally a double dagger or a double plus sign is used, although the double plus sign is also used to represent "double check" when a king is under attack by two enemy pieces simultaneously. A checkmate is represented by "" in the macOS chess application. In Russian and ex-USSR publications, where captures are indicated by ":", checkmate can also be represented by "X" or "x".Draw offer
FIDE specifies draw offers to be recorded by an equals sign with parentheses "" after the move on the. This is not usually included in published game scores.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 draw. In case of, the scores 0–0, ½–0 and 0–½ are also possible. In case of loss by default, results are +/−, −/+ or −/−.Except in the case of checkmate, there is no information in the notation regarding the circumstance of the final result. Merely 1–0 or 0–1 is written whether a player resigned, lost due to time control or forfeited; in the case of a draw ½–½ is written whether the draw was decided by mutual agreement, repetition, stalemate, 50-move rule or dead position. Sometimes direct information is given by words such as "resigns", "draw agreed" etc., but this is not considered part of the notation, rather a part of the narrative text.
Similar notations
Besides standard algebraic notation already described, several similar systems have been used.Long algebraic notation
In long algebraic notation, also known as fully expanded algebraic notation, both the starting and ending squares are specified, for example: e2e4. Sometimes these are separated by a hyphen, e.g. Nb1-c3, while captures are indicated by an "x", e.g. Rd3xd7. Long algebraic notation takes more space and is no longer commonly used in print; however, it has the advantage of clarity. Both short and long algebraic notation are acceptable for keeping a record of the moves on a scoresheet, as is required in FIDE rated games.A form of long algebraic notation is also used by the Universal Chess Interface standard, which is a common way for graphical chess programs to communicate with chess engines, e.g. e2e4, e1g1, e7e8q.
ICCF numeric notation
In international correspondence chess the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages employ different names for the pieces, and some players may be unfamiliar with the Latin alphabet. Hence, the standard for transmitting moves by post or email is ICCF numeric notation, which identifies squares using numerical coordinates, and identifies both the departure and destination squares. For example, the move 1.e4 is rendered as 1.5254. In recent years, the majority of correspondence games have been played on on-line servers rather than by email or post, leading to a decline in the use of ICCF numeric notation.PGN
is a text-based file format for storing chess games, which uses standard English algebraic notation and a small amount of markup. PGN can be processed by almost all chess software, as well as being easily readable by humans. For example, the Game of the Century could be represented as follows in PGN:Formatting
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:or horizontally:
Moves may be interspersed with commentary, called annotations. When the resumes with a Black move, an ellipsis fills the position of the White move, for example:
Annotation symbols
Though not technically a part of algebraic notation, the following are some symbols commonly used by annotators, for example in publications Chess Informant and Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, to give editorial comment on a move or position.The symbol chosen is appended to the end of the move notation, for example, in the Soller Gambit: 1.d4 e5?! 2.dxe5 f6 3.e4! Nc6 4.Bc4+/−.