How to Read and Write Chess Moves: A Beginner's Guide to Notation
What does "Nf3" mean? Learning algebraic chess notation is essential for studying games and improving. This simple guide will teach you how to read and write moves like a pro.
Algebraic notation is the universal language of chess. It allows players to record their games, study master games, and analyze positions with computers. It might look intimidating at first, but the system is actually very simple and logical.
The Board
The board is a grid. Each square has a unique name. The files (columns) are labeled 'a' through 'h' from left to right from White's perspective. The ranks (rows) are numbered 1 through 8, starting from White's side.
The Pieces
Each piece is represented by a single capital letter:
- K: King
- Q: Queen
- R: Rook
- B: Bishop
- N: Knight (K is already used for King)
- Pawn: Pawns are not given a letter. The absence of a letter means it's a pawn move.
Reading a Move
A move is written as the piece letter followed by the square it moves to. For example:
- Nf3: A Knight moves to the f3 square.
- Bc4: A Bishop moves to the c4 square.
- e4: A pawn moves to the e4 square (no piece letter).
Captures: An 'x' is placed between the piece and the destination square. For example, Bxc4 means a Bishop captures a piece on the c4 square. For pawns, you use the file letter, e.g., exd5 means a pawn on the e-file captures on d5.
Special Symbols: `+` means check, `#` means checkmate, and `O-O` means kingside castling.
With just these simple rules, you can now read and understand any chess game. On ChessNcam, you can see the move history in notation to help you practice!