Chess.com - Play and Learn: How to Read and Write Chess Notation

Reading and writing chess notation in Chess.com - Play and Learn relies on the standard algebraic system. Each move combines a piece's capital letter abbreviation with its destination square on the 64-square grid, while pawn moves are identified solely by their destination coordinate.

The Board Grid: Files, Ranks, and Squares

Algebraic notation assigns every square a unique two-character coordinate combining a lowercase file letter and a rank number.

• Files: Eight vertical columns labeled with lowercase letters a through h, moving left to right from White's perspective.
• Ranks: Eight horizontal rows numbered 1 through 8, starting at White's back rank (rank 1) and ending at Black's back rank (rank 8).

The letter always precedes the number. For example, White's bottom-left corner is a1, and the top-right corner is h8. The four central squares are d4, d5, e4, and e5.

Piece Abbreviations and Standard Moves

Uppercase letters represent non-pawn pieces:

• K: King
• Q: Queen
• R: Rook
• B: Bishop
• N: Knight (uses N to avoid confusion with the King)

To write a regular piece move, list the piece's letter followed by the destination square:

• Moving a knight to f3 is written as Nf3.
• Moving a bishop to c4 is written as Bc4.

Pawns do not receive a piece letter. Standard pawn advances record only the destination square. Moving a pawn from e2 to e4 is recorded simply as e4.

Captures and Disambiguation

Captures use a lowercase x placed between the moving unit and the landing square. The captured piece itself is never named.

• Piece Captures: A bishop capturing on d5 is written as Bxd5. A queen capturing on h7 is written as Qxh7.
• Pawn Captures: Specify the pawn's departure file, followed by x, and then the arrival square. A pawn on e4 capturing an opponent on d5 is written as exd5.

Resolving Identical Moves (Disambiguation)

When two identical pieces can move to the same square, add clarifying departure coordinates immediately after the piece abbreviation:

1. Departure File: If rooks on a1 and f1 can both move to d1, moving the a-file rook is written as Rad1, while moving the f-file rook is Rfd1.
2. Departure Rank: If two knights share the d-file on d2 and d4 and both can jump to f3, specify the rank as N2f3 or N4f3.
3. Full Square: If identical promoted pieces share both a file and a rank, use the full coordinate of departure, such as Qh4xe1.

Special Moves

Special moves follow dedicated notation rules:

• Kingside Castling (Short): Recorded as 0-0. The king moves two squares toward the h-file.
• Queenside Castling (Long): Recorded as 0-0-0. The king moves toward the a-file.
• Pawn Promotion: Write the destination square, an equals sign, and the chosen piece letter. Moving a pawn to e8 to become a queen is written as e8=Q.
• En Passant: Follow standard pawn capture formatting using the landing square behind the bypassed pawn, such as exd6. The suffix e.p. is sometimes appended in older texts but is typically omitted in modern digital logs.

Punctuation and Analysis Symbols

Move lists and analysis logs use standard operational punctuation and evaluation marks appended to the end of a move:

• +: Check (for example, Qh5+).
• #: Checkmate (for example, Qxf7#; historically written as ++ in older texts).
• !: Strong or best move.
• !!: Brilliant move.
• ?: Mistake.
• ??: Blunder.
• !?: Interesting move.