Notation · 8 min read
Algebraic chess notation: the complete technique
Algebraic notation is a coordinate system plus five or six conventions. Once the conventions are automatic you can write a move in under a second and read any book, database or scoresheet in the world.
Every square has a file letter (a to h, left to right from White's side) and a rank number (1 to 8, from White's side upward). e4 is the fourth square up the e-file. That never changes, whichever colour you are.
The piece letters
- K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop, N knight (N because K is taken).
- Pawns get no letter: the destination square alone is the move, so e4 means a pawn to e4.
- The letters are English in international notation. Your national federation may use its own (D for dame, S for Springer) — databases still expect the English set.
Captures, checks and mate
- Capture: an x between the piece and the square, as in Bxc6 or Rxe8.
- Pawn capture: the pawn's file, then x, then the square: exd5.
- Check: + after the move, as in Qh5+.
- Checkmate: # (some sheets use ++ or mate). Qh5# ends the game.
- Do not write 'x' for a check or '+' for a capture — the two symbols carry different information and reviewers rely on both.
The special moves
- Castling short: O-O. Castling long: O-O-O. Use capital letter O, not zeros, and write it as one token.
- Promotion: destination square, then = and the new piece: e8=Q. With a capture and check: exd8=Q+.
- En passant: write it like a normal pawn capture to the square the pawn lands on, exd6. Adding 'e.p.' is optional and no longer standard.
When two pieces can reach the same square
This is where scoresheets go wrong most often. If two identical pieces can legally play to the same square, add just enough information to identify which one moved: first the file of departure, and only if the file does not distinguish them, the rank.
- Both knights can reach d2: write Nbd2 or Nfd2 (file of departure).
- Two rooks on the same file, both able to reach e4: write R1e4 or R4e4 (rank of departure).
- Same square, same file and same rank both needed — rare, with three queens — write the full square: Qh4e1.
- Captures follow the same rule: Nbxd2, R1xe4.
Annotation symbols you will meet
- ! strong move, !! brilliant, ? mistake, ?? blunder, !? interesting, ?! dubious.
- +- White is winning, +/- White is much better, = equal, unclear positions get an infinity-like symbol in print.
- 1-0 White won, 0-1 Black won, 1/2-1/2 draw. Write the result on the sheet, not just in your head.
- These marks are commentary, not part of the move. Databases ignore them; humans do not.
Long algebraic, figurine and PGN
Long algebraic notation writes both squares (Ng1-f3, Bb5xc6). It is slower to write but immune to disambiguation errors, which is why many arbiters and juniors prefer it on paper.
Figurine notation replaces the letters with piece symbols so a book reads the same in any language. PGN is the plain-text file format databases use: a header block of tags, then the moves in standard algebraic notation. Converting a scoresheet to PGN is what makes it searchable and reviewable.
Key takeaways
- Destination square for pawns, piece letter first for everything else.
- x capture, + check, # mate, O-O castling, = promotion.
- Disambiguate by file first, then rank, then the whole square.
- Write the result and sign the sheet.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Nf3 or Ng1-f3 correct?
- Both are legal ways to record a game. Nf3 is standard (short) algebraic and is what databases and books use; Ng1-f3 is long algebraic and is harder to misread.
- How do I write castling?
- O-O for kingside, O-O-O for queenside, using the letter O. Many scoresheets accept 0-0, but PGN requires the letter form.
- Do I need to write e.p. for en passant?
- No. Recording the pawn capture to the landing square, such as exd6, is complete and unambiguous.