Have you ever looked at a chess book, website, or tournament sheet and seen lines of code like 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6? This is algebraic chess notation, the universal language of the royal game.

Learning how to read and write chess notation is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. It allows you to study classic games, record your own play to analyze later, and solve chess puzzles. Fortunately, the system is highly logical and easy to learn.

The Grid: Files and Ranks

Think of the chess board as a coordinate grid. Each of the 64 squares has a unique name consisting of a letter and a number:

  • Files are the vertical columns, labeled a through h (from left to right from White's perspective).
  • Ranks are the horizontal rows, numbered 1 through 8 (starting from White's side up to Black's side).

For example, White's light-squared bishop starts on f1, while Black's king starts on e8. When locating a square, always state the letter first, then the number (e.g., e4 or c6).

Piece Abbreviations

To describe a move, we combine the piece's abbreviation with its destination square. Each piece uses its first letter capitalized:

  • K for King
  • Q for Queen
  • R for Rook
  • B for Bishop
  • N for Knight (since K is already taken by the King)

Pawns are unique: they do not use a capital letter. If a move lists only a square (like e4), it means a pawn moved there.

Writing a Move

When a piece moves to a square, write the piece's letter followed by the coordinate of the destination:

  • Nf3: Knight moves to the f3 square.
  • Be4: Bishop moves to the e4 square.
  • d4: Pawn moves to the d4 square.

If two identical pieces can move to the same square, we add the starting file or rank to clarify. For example, Rad1 means the rook on the a-file moves to d1.

Captures and Special Symbols

Chess notation also tells you when pieces are captured or when special events occur:

  • Captures (x): An x is inserted between the piece and the square. For example, Bxf7 means the Bishop captured a piece on f7. For pawn captures, write the starting file first: exd5 means the pawn on the e-file captured a piece on d5.
  • Check (+): A plus sign is added to the end of the move, such as Qh5+.
  • Checkmate (#): A hash symbol denotes the end of the game, like Qxf7#.
  • Castling (O-O / O-O-O): O-O represents kingside castling, while O-O-O represents queenside castling.
  • Pawn Promotion (=): If a pawn reaches the back rank, we show its promotion piece with an equals sign, such as e8=Q.

Try Recording Your Game

Understanding notation makes it easy to follow along with famous games and spot patterns. A typical sequence looks like this:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6

Ready to put your reading skills to the test? Open up a game on LocalChess, play a few moves against the computer, and see if you can write down your first few turns using algebraic notation!