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Throughout
the years, some types of Chess notation
or languages were developed in order to
record the position of the pieces on the
Chessboard or the moves being made
during a Chess game. This is typically
done by indicating the current piece and
square location and where the piece is
being moved to. It also enables us to review
great games played by actual
Grandmasters and from other Chess
players of the past, allowing you to go back over
their games and learn from them. Also,
learning Chess notation is a must
to compose or study Chess problems and to be able to
understand
any kind of Chess book. |
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Piece symbols
and letters used in Chess diagrams |
K = King |
Q
= Queen |
R
= Rook |
B
= Bishop |
N = Knight |
(no letter) |
|
K,
Q,
R,
B,
and N
must always
be written down in capital letters |
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Other
shorthand symbols used in Chess notation |
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+/= |
Slight advantage for
white |
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+- |
White decisive
advantage |
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=/+ |
Slight advantage for
black |
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-+ |
Black decisive
advantage |
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Algebraic
Notation System |
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Based on a system developed by Philipp
Stamma, the Algebraic notation system uses the
coordinates of the 8x8 square grid of
the Chessboard and it is now the
standard among most Chess players and
organizations. The first
horizontal row of the white pieces is
used for the denomination of all
columns. The squares of such
columns are named from left to right
with the letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g,
and h. The first vertical column
is used for the denomination of all
ranks. The squares of such ranks
are named from down to up with the
numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, see Fig. 1. The diagram on Fig. 2 shows
the unique numeration for all the
squares on the Chessboard, and Fig. 3
illustrates the current coordinates position
on the board of
both white and black Kings. |
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Chessboard with
coordinates |
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Fig. 1 |
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Algebraic numeration for all
64 squares |
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Fig. 2 |
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White King is at c3
and black King is at f7 |
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Fig. 3 |
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Short Algebraic
Chess Notation |
|
This is
the most popular form of the Algebraic
system which is also called Standard
Algebraic notation. This type of notation omits
to annotate the starting file and rank
location of the piece
being moved and instead, the piece name
and destination square are only annotated, see Fig. 4. The
letters naming the
Chess pieces
are always written in upper-case letters
and the coordinates letters of the board are
always written in lower-case.
The letter 'P' for Pawn is never used
and only the destination file and rank
coordinates are recorded. |
Ruy Lopez Opening
Fig. 4
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Short Algebraic notation
of the above position: |
|
1. e4
e5 |
2. Nf3
Nc6 |
3. Bb5
... |
|
Move |
White |
Description |
Black |
Description |
|
1. |
e4 |
White
moves Pawn to e4 |
e5 |
Black
moves Pawn to e5 |
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2. |
Nf3 |
White
moves Knight to f3 |
Nc6 |
Black
moves Knight to c6 |
|
3. |
Bb5 |
White
moves Bishop to b5 |
... |
... |
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Long Algebraic
Chess Notation |
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Although
long Algebraic notation is no longer
recognized by FIDE as of 1981, computer
programs and some Chess players use this
variant of fully expanded Algebraic
notation because it has the benefit of
clarity, particularly for players
learning the game or less skilled. This
notation is almost identical to short
Algebraic but it has the advantage of
recording where a piece comes from in
addition to the one it moves to. A
hyphen is added between the two, for
example: 1. c2-c4 instead of short
Algebraic 1. c4. Also, an "x" is used to annotate a
capture: 12. Nf3xd4 versus short
Algebraic: 12. Nd4 (or Nxd4). |
English Opening
Fig. 5
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Long Algebraic notation
of the above position: |
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1. c2-c4 e7-e5 |
2. Nb1-c3
d7-d6 |
3. Ng1-f3
Bc8-g4 |
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Move |
White |
Description |
Black |
Description |
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1. |
c2-c4 |
White
moves Pawn to c4 |
e7-e5 |
Black
moves Pawn to e5 |
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2. |
Nb1-c3 |
White
moves Knight to c3 |
d7-d6 |
Black
moves Pawn to d6 |
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3. |
Ng1-f3 |
White
moves Knight to f3 |
Bc8-g4 |
Black
moves Bishop to g4 |
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Figurine Algebraic
Chess Notation |
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Another
Algebraic notation variation which is
gaining popularity, is called Figurine
Algebraic Notation. Twelve pictorial
representations or symbols to
represent the pieces are used
instead of letters: six for the white
pieces and six for the black pieces (Fig.
6). It was first used by Count Robiano in 1846 and
was called ‘notation parlante’. By
changing the letters to small
pictures representing the pieces, we can have an
international language understood by all Chess players worldwide. This method has
mostly been popularized by newspapers
and other periodicals in Chess published
articles and games.
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Fig. 6
Giuoco Piano
Fig. 7
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Figurine Algebraic notation
of the above position: |
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1. e4 e5 |
2.
 f3
 c6 |
3.
 c4
 c5 |
|
Move |
White |
Description |
Black |
Description |
|
1. |
e4 |
White
moves Pawn to e4 |
e5 |
Black
moves Pawn to e5 |
|
2. |
f3 |
White
moves Knight to f3 |
c6 |
Black
moves Knight to c6 |
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3. |
c4 |
White
moves Bishop to c4 |
c5 |
Black
moves Bishop to c5 |
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Descriptive
Chess Notation |
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This type
of Descriptive notation (also called
English notation), was once the most popular
notation in English and Spanish speaking
countries until at least the late 70's
and is still used by some older players.
Although Descriptive notation
is no longer as popular as Algebraic
notation, it is very useful to learn it
because there are hundreds of old books
from past Chess players using this
Descriptive system. Rather than using
letters for the columns, the board is
divided into King-side and Queen-side
squares, see figs. 8 and 9. Numbers are used
for the ranks but each player starts
from 1 to 8 from his relative position.
Thus, the Algebraic move 1. e4 e5 is
equal to 1. P-K4 P-K4 in Descriptive
notation and is represented
by the move number (1.), the piece's name (P), a hyphen (-),
and the destination square (K4).
Unlike Algebraic notation, Descriptive
notation
always uses the letter 'P' to name Pawns.
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Descriptive numeration for all
64 squares |
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Fig. 8 |
Gruenfeld Defense
Fig. 9
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Descriptive notation
of the above position: |
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1. P-Q4 N-KB3 |
2. P-QB4
P-KN3 |
3. N-QB3
P-Q4 |
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Move |
White |
Algebraic equivalent |
Black |
Algebraic equivalent |
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1. |
P-Q4 |
White
moves Pawn to d4 |
N-KB3 |
Black
moves Knight to f6 |
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2. |
P-QB4 |
White
moves Pawn to c4 |
P-KN3 |
Black
moves Pawn to g6 |
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3. |
N-QB3 |
White
moves Knight to c3 |
P-Q4 |
Black
moves Pawn to d5 |
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Regardless of the Chess notation a
player chooses or likes, he should have
the means to write down his Chess moves
and games. In Chess tournaments, players
are required to record the moves in a
Chess score sheet. This effectively
allows players and officials to visually
follow and recreate all moves made
during a game in case there is a
discrepancy or a dispute such as an
illegal move, three-fold repetition,
fifty-move rule, etc. Another good reason
for writing down your Chess games is
that enables you to replay your moves
later
for a further study and analysis by
pointing out mistakes and improving your
Chess. Fig. 10 below shows a copy of the
original Score sheet from "The
Game of the Century" played between
Byrne and Fischer written in Descriptive
notation. |
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Donald Byrne vs. Bobby Fischer / Rosenwald Memorial 1956 |
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Fig. 10
Click
here
to download a free printable blank Chess
score sheet |
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More about Chess
Notation
Promotion
is annotated in Algebraic notation using
an equal sign, e.g., d8=Q. In
Descriptive notation there are several
accepted ways of doing so: with
parentheses: P-K8(Q), or a slash:
P-K8/Q, or with an equal sign: P-K8=Q.
In
Descriptive, the move 1. KP-K4 ... can always
be written as 1. P-K4 ... since only that Pawn
can move to K4. The normal full
designation for the piece or a file can
be shortened to just the last part
providing this does not produce
ambiguity.
When
annotating moves during a game, the move
number is written first, followed by the
white move and then the black move. When
white or black makes a move and the
sequence needs to be interrupted to
embed a follow up or a commentary, an
ellipsis (...) should be placed to
denote it: Algebraic Notation - 12. Bxd6
... (for white) or 12. ... Ne5 (for
black), and in Descriptive notation -
12. BxQ6 ... (white) or 12. ... N-K4
(black).
In both
Algebraic and Descriptive notation, when
a player has the option to capture a
piece with two own pieces, e.g., with two
Knights, an extra character should be
added to avoid confusion: Algebraic -
Nfxd4 (if both Knights are on rank 3) or
N6xd4 (if both Knights are on c column),
and in Descriptive notation - N(K)xP and
N(6)xP respectively.
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