How to Read and Write Algebraic Chess Notation
Systems of Notation
If you have ever used a map or atlas, you will notice there are horizontal and vertical lines across the map. On the sides you will see letters and numbers that correspond to these lines. To find a place you look it up in an index. Each location is assigned a letter and number. The square where that letter and number intersect is where you find the place you are looking for.
A similar mapping method is used in chess notation. These are the figures you may see in the sports page when a chess match is reported. It is not as confusing as you may think. Now you will learn how to read and write chess notation.
Full Algebraic Chess Notation
If you recall, a chess board is an equilateral surface made up of 64 squares. The columns (vertical lines of squares) are called files. The rows (horizontal lines of squares) are known as ranks. The files are assigned letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. The ranks are labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
In the illustration below, the piece marked "x" is in d6.
A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 X 5 4 3 2 1
Chess Notation Symbols
Now here are symbols used in chess notation:
Significance Notation Symbol
King K Queen Q Rook R Bishop B Knight N Check + Checkmate ++ or # Castle Short O-O Castle Long O-O-O Captures x
For pawns, no symbol is used.
Chess action is recorded in the following way:
White Black 1. d2-d4 e7-e5 2. Nb1-c3s 3. ...
First, the symbol for the chessman is given, and then the square it starts from. This is followed by a dash and then the square it moves to. In case of a capture, an "x" is used instead of a dash as in
bf4xg3
if a bishop in f4 captures a piece in g3.
To describe a black move, the number of the move plus three dots are used, as in
3 … Ng8-f6
means that on the third move, the black knight moved from g8 to f6.
What if there is a plus sign?
Rh5xc5+
means that the rook captured a piece while moving from h5 to c5 and that this caught the opponent's king in a check.
If the symbol were ++ or #, it means a checkmate. Naturally you would only find a checkmate at the end of a chess match notation.