Method to convey chess moves
Algebraic notation
is the standard method for recording and describing the moves in a game of
chess
. It is based on a system of
coordinates
to uniquely identify each square on the board.
[1]
It is now almost universally used by books, magazines, newspapers and software, and is the only form of notation recognized by
FIDE
, the international chess governing body.
An early form of algebraic notation was invented by the Syrian player
Philip Stamma
in the 18th century. In the 19th century, it came into general use in German chess literature, and was subsequently adopted in Russian chess literature. In English-speaking countries, the parallel method of
descriptive notation
was generally used in chess publications until the 1980s. Similar descriptive systems were in use in Spain and France. A few players still use descriptive notation, but it is no longer recognized by FIDE.
The term "algebraic notation" may be considered a
misnomer
, as the system is unrelated to
algebra
.
[1]
Naming the squares
Each square of the board is identified by a unique coordinate pair?a letter and a number?from White's point of view. The vertical columns of squares, called
files
, are labeled
a
through
h
from White's left (the
queenside
) to right (the
kingside
). The horizontal rows of squares, called
ranks
, are numbered
1
to
8
starting from White's side of the board. Thus each square has a unique identification of file letter followed by rank number. For example, the initial square of White's king is designated as "e1".
Naming the pieces
Each
piece type
(other than pawns) is identified by an uppercase letter. English-speaking players use the letters
K
for
king
,
Q
for
queen
,
R
for
rook
,
B
for
bishop
, and
N
for
knight
. Different initial letters are used by other languages.
In chess literature, especially that intended for an international audience, the language-specific letters are often replaced by universally recognized
piece symbols
; for example,
?c6
in place of
Nc6
. This style is known as
figurine algebraic notation
. The
Unicode
Miscellaneous Symbols
set includes all the symbols necessary for figurine algebraic notation.
[2]
Notation for moves
In standard (or short form) algebraic notation, each move of a piece is indicated by the piece's uppercase letter, plus the coordinates of the destination square. For example,
Be5
(bishop moves to e5),
Nf3
(knight moves to f3). For pawn moves, a letter indicating pawn is not used, only the destination square is given. For example,
c5
(pawn moves to c5).
Captures
When a piece makes a
capture
, an "x" is inserted immediately before the destination square. For example,
Bxe5
(bishop captures the piece on e5). When a pawn makes a capture, the
file
from which the pawn departed is used to identify the pawn. For example,
exd5
(pawn on the e-file captures the piece on d5).
En passant
captures are indicated by specifying the capturing pawn's file of departure, the "x", the destination square (not the square of the captured pawn), and (optionally) the suffix "e.p." indicating the capture was
en passant
.
[4]
For example,
exd6 e.p.
Sometimes a
multiplication sign
(×) or a
colon
(:) is used instead of "x", either in the middle (
B:e5
) or at the end (
Be5:
). Some publications, such as the
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
(
ECO
), omit any indication that a capture has been made; for example,
Be5
instead of Bxe5;
ed6
instead of exd6 or exd6 e.p.
When it is unambiguous to do so, a pawn capture is sometimes described by specifying only the files involved (
exd
or even
ed
). These shortened forms are sometimes called
abbreviated algebraic notation
or
minimal algebraic notation
.
Disambiguating moves
| a
| b
| c
| d
| e
| f
| g
| h
| |
8
| | 8
|
7
| 7
|
6
| 6
|
5
| 5
|
4
| 4
|
3
| 3
|
2
| 2
|
1
| 1
|
| a
| b
| c
| d
| e
| f
| g
| h
| |
1) ...Rdf8, 2) R1a3, 3) Qh4e1
When two (or more) identical pieces can move to the same square, the moving piece is uniquely identified by specifying the piece's letter, followed by (in descending order of preference):
- the file of departure (if they differ)
- the rank of departure (if the files are the same but the ranks differ)
If neither file nor rank alone is sufficient to identify the piece, then both are specified.
In the diagram, both black rooks could legally move to f8, so the move of the d8-rook to f8 is disambiguated as
Rdf8
. For the white rooks on the a-file which could both move to a3, it is necessary to provide the
rank
of the moving piece, i.e.,
R1a3
.
In the case of the white queen on h4 moving to e1, neither the rank nor file alone are sufficient to disambiguate from the other white queens. As such, this move is written
Qh4e1
.
As above, an "x" can be inserted to indicate a capture; for example, if the final case were a capture, it would be written as
Qh4xe1
.
Pawn promotion
When a pawn
promotes
, the piece promoted to is indicated at the end. For example, a pawn on e7 promoting to a queen on e8 may be variously rendered as
e8Q
,
e8=Q
,
e8(Q)
,
e8/Q
etc.
Draw offer
FIDE specifies draw offers to be recorded by an equals sign with parentheses "(=)" after the move on the
score sheet
.
[5]
This is not usually included in published game scores.
Castling
Castling
is indicated by the special notations
0-0
(for
kingside
castling) and
0-0-0
(
queenside
castling).
O-O
and
O-O-O
(letter O rather than digit 0) are also commonly used.
[a]
Check
A move that places the opponent's
king
in
check
usually has the symbol "+" appended. Alternatively, sometimes a
dagger
(†) or the abbreviation "ch" is used. Some publications indicate a
discovered check
with an abbreviation such as "dis ch", or with a specific symbol.
Double check
is usually indicated the same as check, but is sometimes represented specifically as "dbl ch" or "++", particularly in older chess literature. Some publications such as
ECO
omit any indication of check.
Checkmate
Checkmate
at the completion of moves is represented by the symbol "#" in standard FIDE notation and PGN. The word
mate
is commonly used instead; occasionally a double dagger (
‡
) or a double plus sign (++) is used, although the double plus sign is also used to represent "
double check
" when a king is under attack by two enemy pieces simultaneously. A checkmate is represented by "
≠
" (the
not equal sign
) in the
macOS chess application
. In
Russian
and ex-
USSR
publications, where captures are indicated by ":", checkmate can also be represented by "X" or "x".
End of game
The notation
1?0
at the completion of moves indicates that White won,
0?1
indicates that Black won, and
½?½
indicates a
draw
. In case of
forfeit
, the scores 0?0, ½?0, and 0?½ are also possible.
[7]
[8]
If player(s) lost by default, results are +/?, ?/+, or ?/?.
Often there is no indication regarding how a player won or lost (other than checkmate, see above), so simply 1?0 or 0?1 may be written to show that one player
resigned
or lost due to
time control
or forfeit. Similarly, there is more than one way for a game to end in a draw. Sometimes direct information is given by the words "White resigns" or "Black resigns", though this is not considered part of the notation but rather a return to the surrounding narrative text.
Similar notations
Besides the standard (or short) algebraic notation already described, several similar systems have been used.
Long algebraic notation
In long algebraic notation, also known as fully expanded algebraic notation, both the starting and ending squares are specified, for example:
e2e4
. Sometimes these are separated by a hyphen, e.g.
Nb1-c3
, while captures are indicated by an "x", e.g.
Rd3xd7
. Long algebraic notation takes more space and is no longer commonly used in print; however, it has the advantage of clarity. Both short and long algebraic notation are acceptable for keeping a record of the moves on a scoresheet, as is required in FIDE rated games.
A form of long algebraic notation (without piece names) is also used by the
Universal Chess Interface (UCI)
standard, which is a common way for graphical chess programs to communicate with chess engines, e.g. e2e4, e1g1 (castling), e7e8q (promotion).
[9]
ICCF numeric notation
In international
correspondence chess
the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages employ different names (and therefore different initial letters) for the pieces, and some players may be unfamiliar with the
Latin alphabet
. Hence, the standard for transmitting moves by post or email is
ICCF numeric notation
, which identifies squares using numerical coordinates, and identifies both the departure and destination squares. For example, the move 1.e4 is rendered as 1.5254. In recent years, the majority of correspondence games have been played on on-line servers rather than by email or post, leading to a decline in the use of ICCF numeric notation.
PGN
Portable Game Notation
(PGN) is a text-based file format for storing chess games, which uses standard English algebraic notation and a small amount of markup.
[10]
PGN can be processed by almost all chess software, as well as being easily readable by humans. For example, the
Game of the Century
could be represented as follows in PGN:
[Event
"Third Rosenwald Trophy"
]
[Site
"New York, NY USA"
]
[Date
"1956.10.17"
]
[EventDate
"1956.10.07"
]
[Round
"8"
]
[Result
"0-1"
]
[White
"Donald Byrne"
]
[Black
"Robert James Fischer"
]
[ECO
"D92"
]
[WhiteElo
"?"
]
[BlackElo
"?"
]
[PlyCount
"82"
]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d4 O-O 5. Bf4 d5 6. Qb3 dxc4 7. Qxc4 c6 8. e4 Nbd7 9. Rd1 Nb6 10. Qc5 Bg4 11. Bg5 Na4 12. Qa3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Qb6 15. Bc4 Nxc3 16. Bc5 Rfe8+ 17. Kf1 Be6 18. Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19. Kg1 Ne2+ 20. Kf1 Nxd4+ 21. Kg1 Ne2+ 22. Kf1 Nc3+ 23. Kg1 axb6 24. Qb4 Ra4 25. Qxb6 Nxd1 26. h3 Rxa2 27. Kh2 Nxf2 28. Re1 Rxe1 29. Qd8+ Bf8 30. Nxe1 Bd5 31. Nf3 Ne4 32. Qb8 b5 33. h4 h5 34. Ne5 Kg7 35. Kg1 Bc5+ 36. Kf1 Ng3+ 37. Ke1 Bb4+ 38. Kd1 Bb3+ 39. Kc1 Ne2+ 40. Kb1 Nc3+ 41. Kc1 Rc2# 0-1
Formatting
| a
| b
| c
| d
| e
| f
| g
| h
| |
8
| | 8
|
7
| 7
|
6
| 6
|
5
| 5
|
4
| 4
|
3
| 3
|
2
| 2
|
1
| 1
|
| a
| b
| c
| d
| e
| f
| g
| h
| |
Position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6
A game or series of moves is generally written in one of two ways; in two columns, as White/Black pairs, preceded by the move number and a period:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. Nf3 Nc6
- 3. Bb5 a6
or horizontally:
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
Moves may be interspersed with commentary, called
annotations
. When the
game score
resumes with a Black move, an
ellipsis
(...) fills the position of the White move, for example:
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
- White attacks the black e-pawn.
- 2... Nc6
- Black defends and develops simultaneously.
- 3. Bb5
- White plays the
Ruy Lopez
.
- 3... a6
- Black elects
Morphy's Defence
.
Annotation symbols
Though not technically a part of algebraic notation, the following are some symbols commonly used by annotators, for example in publications
Chess Informant
and
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
, to give editorial comment on a move or position.
The symbol chosen is simply appended to the end of the move notation, for example, in the
Soller Gambit
: 1.d4 e5?! 2.dxe5 f6 3.e4! Nc6 4.Bc4+/?
Moves
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
!!
|
A brilliant?and usually surprising?move
|
!
|
A very good move
|
!?
|
An interesting move that may not be the best
|
?!
|
A dubious move that is not easily refutable
|
?
|
A bad move; a mistake
|
??
|
A
blunder
|
?
|
A better move than the one played
|
□
|
A
forced move
; the only reasonable move, or the only move available
|
TN
or
N
|
A
theoretical novelty
|
Positions
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
=
|
Both players have
equal chances
.
|
+/= or
?
|
White has a slight plus.
|
=/+ or
?
|
Black has a slight plus.
|
+/? or ±
|
White has a clear plus.
|
?/+ or
?
|
Black has a clear plus.
|
+?
|
White has a winning advantage.
|
?+
|
Black has a winning advantage.
|
∞
|
It is unclear whether either side has an advantage; a "toss-up".
|
=/
∞
or ?
|
Whoever is down in
material
has
compensation
for it.
|
History
Descriptive notation was usual in the Middle Ages in Europe. A form of algebraic chess notation that seems to have been borrowed from Muslim chess, however, appeared in Europe in a 12th century manuscript referred to as "MS. Paris Fr. 1173 (PP.)". The files run from
a
to
h
, just as they do in the current standard algebraic notation. The ranks, however, are also designated by letters, with the exception of the 8th rank which is distinct because it has no letter. The ranks are lettered in reverse ? from the 7th to the 1st:
k
,
l
,
m
,
n
,
o
,
p
,
q
.
[11]
Another system of notation using only letters appears in a book of Mediaeval chess, Rechenmeister
Jacob Kobel
's
Schachzabel Spiel
of 1520.
[11]
Algebraic notation exists in various forms and languages and is based on a system developed by
Philipp Stamma
in the 1730s. Stamma used the modern names of the squares (and may have been the first to number the ranks), but he used
p
for pawn moves and the capital original
file
of a piece (
A
through
H
) instead of the initial letter of the piece name as used now.
[12]
Piece letters were introduced in the 1780s by
Moses Hirschel
, and
Johann Allgaier
with
Aaron Alexandre
developed the modern castling notation in the 1810s.
[13]
Algebraic notation was described in 1847 by
Howard Staunton
in his book
The Chess-Player's Handbook
. Staunton credits the idea to German authors, and in particular to "Alexandre,
Jaenisch
, and the
Handbuch
[
des Schachspiels
]
."
[14]
While algebraic notation has been used in German and Russian chess literature since the 19th century, the
Anglosphere
was slow to adopt it, using descriptive notation for much of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1970s, algebraic notation gradually became more common in English language publications, and by 1980 it had become the prevalent notation. In 1981, FIDE stopped recognizing descriptive notation, and algebraic notation became the accepted international standard.
Piece names in various languages
The table contains names for all the pieces as well as the words for
chess
,
check
, and
checkmate
in several languages.
[15]
Several languages use the Arabic
loanword
alfil
for the piece called
bishop
in English; in this context it is a chess-specific term which no longer has its original meaning of "elephant".
Overview of chess piece names
Language
|
King
|
Queen
|
Rook
|
Bishop
|
Knight
|
Pawn
|
Chess
|
Check
|
Checkmate
/Mate
|
figure
|
? ?
|
? ?
|
? ?
|
? ?
|
? ?
|
? ?
|
n/a
|
+
or
†
|
#
or
++
or
‡
|
Afrikaans
|
K
Koning
king
|
D
Dame
lady
|
T
Toring
tower
|
L
Loper
runner
|
R
Ruiter
rider
|
(P)
Pion
|
Skaak
|
Skaak
|
Skaakmat
|
Albanian
|
M
Mbreti
king
|
D
Dama / Mbreteresha
lady
/
queen
|
T
Torra
tower
|
F
Fili / Oficeri
elephant
/
officer
|
K
Kali
horse
|
(U)
Ushtari
soldier
|
Shahu
|
Shah
|
Shah mat
|
Arabic
|
?
????? (malik)
king
|
?
???? (wazir)
vizier
|
?
?? / ????? (rukhkh / ??biya)
fortress
/
castle
|
?
??? (f?l)
elephant
|
?
???? (ħi??n)
horse
|
?
???? / ????? (baidaq / `askar?)
pawn
/
soldier
|
?????
(sha?ranj)
|
??? ????? (kish malik)
|
??? ??? (kish m?t)
|
Azerbaijani
|
?
?ah
shah
|
V
V?zir
vizier
|
T
Top
cannon
|
F
Fil
elephant
|
A
At
horse
|
P
Piyada
foot soldier
|
?ahmat
|
?ah
shah
|
mat
mat
|
Armenian
|
?
???? (Ark?a)
king
|
?
??????? (T?agowhi)
queen
|
?
????? (Navak)
ship
|
?
??? (P?ił)
elephant
|
?
?? (Dzi)
horse
|
?
?????? (Zinvor)
soldier
|
??????
(?axmat)
?????? (?atrak)
|
??? (?ax)
|
??? (Mat)
|
Basque
|
E
Erregea
king
|
D
Dama
lady
|
G
Gaztelua
castle
|
A
Alfila
|
Z
Zalduna
knight
|
(P)
Peoia
pawn
|
Xake
|
Xake
|
Xake mate
|
Belarusian
(
Tara?kievica
)
|
К
кароль
king
|
Вз
в?зыр
vizier
|
Лд
ладзьдзя
boat
|
А
аф?цэр
officer
|
В
вершн?к
rider
|
(Л)
латн?к
pawn
|
Шахматы
|
Шах
|
Мат
|
Bengali
|
R
???? (r?j?)
King
|
M
??????? (montri)
Minister
|
N
???? (nouk?)
Boat
|
H
?? / ???? (goj / h?ti)
Elephant
|
G
??ড়? (gho??)
Horse
|
B
??ড়? / ????? (bo?e / ?oinno)
Walker
/
Troop
|
????
(d?b?)
|
?????? (kisti)
Check
|
????????? (kistim?t)
Checkmate
|
Bulgarian
|
Ц
цар
tsar
|
Д
дама / царица
lady
/
tsaritsa
|
Т
топ
cannon
|
О
офицер
officer
|
К
кон
horse
|
(П)
пешка
foot soldier
|
Шахмат
/ Шах
|
Шах
|
(Шах и) мат
|
Catalan
|
R
rei
|
D
dama / reina
lady
/
queen
|
T
torre
tower
|
A
alfil
|
C
cavall
horse
|
(P)
peo
|
Escacs
|
Escac / Xec
|
Escac i mat
|
Chinese
|
K
王
(wang)
king
|
Q
后
(hou)
queen
|
R
車
(j?)
chariot
|
B
象
(xiang)
elephant
|
N
馬
(m?)
horse
|
(P)
兵
(b?ng)
soldier
|
國際象棋
(guoji xiangqi)
international chess
|
將軍
(ji?ngj?n)
|
將死
(ji?ng s?)
|
Czech
|
K
kral
king
|
D
dama
lady
|
V
v??
tower
|
S
st?elec
shooter
|
J
jezdec
rider
|
(P)
p??ec
foot soldier
|
?achy
|
?ach
|
Mat
|
Danish
|
K
konge
king
|
D
dronning
queen
|
T
tarn
tower
|
L
løber
runner
|
S
springer
jumper
|
(B)
bonde
peasant
|
Skak
|
Skak
|
Skakmat
|
Dutch
|
K
koning
king
|
D
dame / koningin
lady
/
queen
|
T
toren / kasteel
tower
/
castle
|
L
loper / raadsheer
runner
/
counsellor
|
P
paard
horse
|
(pi)
pion
|
Schaken
|
Schaak
|
Mat / Schaakmat
|
English
|
K
king
|
Q
queen
|
R
rook, castle
|
B
bishop
|
N
knight
|
(P)
pawn
|
Chess
|
Check
|
Checkmate / Mate
|
Esperanto
|
R
re?o
king
|
D
damo
lady
|
T
turo
tower
|
K
kuriero
courier
|
?
?evalo
horse
|
(P)
peono
|
?ako
|
?ak
|
?akmato
|
Estonian
[16]
|
K
kuningas
king
|
L
lipp
flag
|
V
vanker
chariot
/
carriage
|
O
oda
spear
|
R
ratsu
riding horse
|
(E)
ettur
forwarder
|
Male
after
malev
|
Tuli / ?ahh
fire
|
Matt
|
Finnish
|
K
kuningas
king
|
D
daami / kuningatar
lady
/
queen
|
T
torni
tower
|
L
lahetti
messenger
|
R
ratsu
ride
|
(S)
sotilas
soldier
|
Shakki
|
Shakki
|
Matti / Shakkimatti
|
French
|
R
roi
king
|
D
dame
lady
|
T
tour
tower
|
F
fou
jester
|
C
cavalier
rider
|
(P)
pion
|
Echecs
|
Echec
|
Echec et mat
|
Galician
|
R
rei
king
|
D
dama / raina
lady
/
queen
|
T
torre
tower
|
B
bispo
bishop
|
C
cabalo
horse
|
(P)
peon
foot soldier
|
Xadrez
|
Xaque
|
Xaque mate
|
Georgian
|
??
???? (mep'e)
king
|
?
??????? (lazieri)
queen
|
?
???? (etli)
chariot
|
?
?? (ku)
tortoise
|
?
??????? (mkhedari)
rider
|
?
????? (paiki)
pawn
|
???????
(?adraki)
|
???? (K'ishi)
|
?????? (Shamat'i)
|
German
[17]
|
K
Konig
king
|
D
Dame
lady
/
queen
|
T
Turm
tower
|
L
Laufer
runner
|
S
Springer
jumper
|
(B)
Bauer
peasant
/
farmer
|
Schach
|
Schach
|
Matt / Schachmatt
|
Greek
|
Ρ
βασιλι?? (vasilias)
king
|
Β
βασ?λισσα (vasilissa)
queen
|
Π
π?ργο? (pyrgos)
tower
|
Α
αξιωματικ?? (axiomatikos)
officer
|
Ι
?ππο? (ippos)
horse
|
(Σ)
πι?νι (pioni)
pawn
|
Σκ?κι
(Skaki)
|
Σαχ (Sach) / Ρου? (Roua)
|
Mατ (Mat)
|
Hindi
|
R
???? (r?j?)
king
|
V
?ज़?? / ???? (vaz?r / r?n?)
vizier
/
queen
|
H
???? (h?th?)
elephant
|
O
??? (???)
camel
|
G
??ड़? (gho??)
horse
|
(P)
?????? (py?d?)
infantryman
|
?????
(
?atranj
)
|
?? (Shah)
|
????? (Shahm?t)
|
Hebrew
|
?
??? (Melech)
king
|
??
???? (Malka)
queen
|
?
???? (Tzariach)
tower
|
?
?? (Ratz)
runner
|
?
??? (Parash)
horseman
|
???? (Regli)
foot soldier
|
????
(Shakhmat)
|
?? (Shakh)
|
?? (Mat)
|
Hausa
|
S
sarki
king
|
Q
sarauniya
queen
|
R
sansanin
fortress
|
G
giwa
elephant
|
J
jarumi
mounted warrior
|
(P)
soja
soldier
|
ces
|
ceki
|
ceki mat
|
Hungarian
|
K
kiraly
king
|
V
vezer / kiralyn?
leader
/
queen
|
B
bastya
bastion
|
F
futo
runner
|
H
huszar / lo
hussar
/
horse
|
(Gy)
gyalog / paraszt
footman
/
peasant
|
Sakk
|
Sakk
|
Matt / Sakk-matt
|
Icelandic
|
K
kongur
king
|
D
drottning
queen
|
H
hrokur
rook
|
B
biskup
bishop
|
R
riddari
knight
|
(P)
peð
pawn
|
Skak
|
Skak
|
Skak og mat
|
Ido
|
R
rejo
king
|
D
damo
lady
|
T
turmo
tower
|
E
episkopo
bishop
|
K
kavalo
horse
|
(P)
piono
|
Shakoludo
|
Shako
|
Shakmato
|
Indonesian
|
R
raja
king
|
M
menteri
minister
/
vizier
|
B
benteng
castle
/
fortress
|
G
gajah
elephant
|
K
kuda
horse
|
(P)
pion
|
Catur
|
Sekak / Ster
|
Sekakmat
|
Interslavic
|
K
kralj
king
|
C
carica / dama
empress / lady
|
Z
zamok / v??a
castle / tower
|
L
lovec
hunter
|
J
jezdec / konj
rider / horse
|
(P)
p??ak
infantryman
|
?ahy
|
?ah
|
Mat
|
Irish
|
R
ri
king
|
B
banrion
queen
|
C
caiseal
bulwark
|
E
easpag
bishop
|
D
ridire
knight
|
(F)
fichillin
/
ceithearnach
little chess piece
/
kern
|
Ficheall
|
Sainn
|
Marbhshainn
|
Italian
|
R
re
king
|
D
donna / regina
lady
/
queen
|
T
torre
tower
|
A
alfiere
standard-bearer
|
C
cavallo
horse
|
(P)
pedone
foot soldier
|
Scacchi
|
Scacco
|
Scacco matto
|
Japanese
|
K
キング (kingu)
|
Q
クイ?ン (ku?n)
|
R
ル?ク (r?ku)
|
B
ビショップ (bishoppu)
|
N
ナイト (naito)
|
(P)
ポ?ン (p?n)
|
チェス
(chesu)
|
王手 (?te) /
チェック (chekku)
|
詰み (tsumi) /
チェックメイト (chekkumeito)
|
Javanese
|
R
raja
king
|
Q
ratu / perdhana mentri
queen
/
prime minister
|
B
benteng
fortress
|
M
mentri
minister
|
K
jaran
horse
|
(P)
pion
|
sekak
|
|
|
Kannada
|
??
??? (raaja)
king
|
?
?????? (mantri)
minister
|
?
??? (aane)
elephant
|
?
?? (ratha)
chariot
|
??
?????? (kudure)
horse
|
??
????? (padaati)
foot soldier
|
??????
(
cadura?ga
)
|
|
|
Kazakh
|
Кр
патша (pat?a)
king
|
У
у?з?р (uazır)
vizier
|
Т
тура (tura)
tower
|
П
п?л (pıl)
elephant
|
А
ат (at)
horse
|
(П)
пешка (pe?ka) /
(С)
сарбаз (sarbaz)
foot soldier
/
warrior
|
шахмат
(?ahmat)
|
шах (?ah)
|
мат (mat)
|
Korean
|
K
킹 (king)
|
Q
퀸 (kwin)
|
R
룩 (rug)
|
B
비숍 (bi syob)
|
N
나이트 (na i teu)
|
(P)
폰 (pon)
|
체스
(che seu)
|
체크 (che keu)
|
체크메이트 (che keu me i teu)
|
Latin
|
R
rex
king
|
M
regina
queen
|
T
turris / elephas
tower
/
elephant
[18]
|
A
signifer / cursor / stultus / alphinus
standard-bearer
/
messenger
/
fool
[18]
|
E
eques
knight
|
(
P
) pedes / pedo
foot soldier
|
Scacci
|
Scaccus
|
Mattus
|
Latvian
|
K
karalis
king
|
D
d?ma
lady
|
T
tornis
tower
|
L
laidnis
|
Z
zirgs
horse
|
(B)
bandinieks
peasant
|
?ahs
|
?ahs
|
?ahs un mats
|
Lithuanian
|
K
karalius
king
|
V
valdov?
queen
|
B
bok?tas
tower
|
R
rikis
Lithuanian military commander
|
?
?irgas
horse
|
(P)
p?stininkas
pawn
|
?achmatai
|
?ach
|
Matas
|
Lojban
|
Na
noltrunau
king
|
Ni
noltruni'u
queen
|
S
slanydi'u
castle
|
X
xanto
elephant
|
Xi
xirma
horse
|
(S)
sonci
soldier
|
caxmati
|
gunta
attack
|
lo nolraitru cu morsi
the king is dead
|
Luxembourgish
|
K
Kinnek
king
|
D
Damm
lady
|
T
Tuerm
tower
|
L
Leefer
runner
|
P
Paerd
horse
|
(B)
Bauer
farmer
|
Schach
|
Schach
|
Schachmatt
|
Macedonian
|
K
крал
king
|
D
кралица / дама
queen
/
lady
|
T
топ
cannon
|
L
ловец
hunter
|
S
ко? / скокач
horse
/
jumper
|
P
пешак / пион
infantryman
/
pawn
|
шах
|
шах
|
мат
|
Malayalam
|
K
?????? (raajavu)
king
|
Q
??????? (manthri)
minister
|
R
???? (theru)
chariot
|
B
?? (aana)
elephant
|
N/Kt
????? (kuthira)
horse
|
(P)
??????? / ??????
(kaalal / padayaali)
foot soldier
|
???????
(chathurangam)
|
??????
|
?????? ??????
|
Marathi
|
R
???? (r?j?)
king
|
V
???? (vaj?r)
vizier
|
H
????? (h?tti)
elephant
|
O
??? (Un?)
camel
|
G
???? (gho??)
horse
|
(P)
?????? (py?de)
foot soldier
|
???????? (buddhibal)
|
?? (shah)
|
????? (shahm?t)
|
Mongolian
|
Н
ноён
noyan
|
Б
бэрс (fers)
vizier
|
т
тэрэг (tereg)
chariot
|
Т
тэмээ (temee)
camel
|
М
морь (mor)
horse
|
(Х)
х?? (huu)
boy
|
Шатар
|
шаг / дуг / цод
|
мад
|
Norwegian Bokmal
|
K
konge
king
|
D
dronning
queen
|
T
tarn
tower
|
L
løper
runner
|
S
springer
jumper
|
(B)
bonde
peasant
|
Sjakk
|
Sjakk
|
Sjakkmatt
|
Norwegian Nynorsk
|
K
konge
king
|
D
dronning
queen
|
T
tarn
tower
|
L
løpar
runner
|
S
springar
jumper
|
(B)
bonde
peasant
|
Sjakk
|
Sjakk
|
Sjakkmatt
|
Odia
|
K
??? (roja)
king
|
Q
???? (ra?i)
queen
|
R
????? (?o?ga)
boat
|
B
???? (hati)
elephant
|
N
??ଡ଼? (gho?a)
horse
|
P
????? (soiniko)
soldier
|
????/?????? (chess/?otoronjo)
|
???? (check)
|
??????? (checkmate)
|
Oromo
|
M
Mootii
|
Mt
Mootittii
|
G
Gidaara, masaraa
|
A
abuunii
|
N
namkabajaa
|
Cheezii
|
Mirkaneeffannaa
|
Waayila / Mate
|
Persian
|
?
???
king
|
?
????
vizier
/
minister
|
?/?
????/??
castle
|
?
???
elephant
|
?
???
horse
|
?/?
?????/?????
soldier
|
?????
(shatranj)
|
??? (kish)
|
??? (mat)
|
Polish
|
K
krol
king
|
H
hetman
/ krolowa
general (hist.)
/
queen
|
W
wie?a
tower
|
G
goniec / laufer
courier
/
(ger. derived)
|
S
skoczek / ko?
jumper
/
horse
|
(P)
pion / pionek
pawn
|
Szachy
|
szach
|
mat / szach-mat
|
Portuguese
|
R
rei
king
|
D
dama / rainha
lady
/
queen
|
T
torre
tower
|
B
bispo
bishop
|
C
cavalo
horse
|
(P)
peao
foot soldier
|
Xadrez
|
Xeque
|
Xeque-mate
|
Romanian
|
R
rege
king
|
D
dam? / regin?
lady
/
queen
|
T
turn / tur?
tower
|
N
nebun
fool
|
C
cal
horse
|
(P)
pion
|
?ah
|
?ah
|
Mat / ?ah mat
|
Russian
|
Кр
король (korol')
king
|
Ф
ферзь / королева (ferz' / koroleva)
vizier
/
queen
|
Л
ладья (ladya)
boat
|
С
слон (slon)
elephant
|
К
конь (kon')
horse
|
(П)
пешка (peshka)
|
шахматы
(shakhmaty)
|
шах (shakh)
|
мат (mat)
|
Scottish Gaelic
|
R
righ
king
|
B
banrigh
queen
|
T
tur
tower
|
E
easbaig
bishop
|
D
ridir
knight
|
(P)
pan
pawn
|
feoirne
|
casg
|
tul-chasg
|
Serbo-Croatian
|
K
kralj (
К
кра?)
king
|
D
kraljica / dama (
Д
кра?ицa / дама)
queen
/
lady
|
T
top / kula (
Т
топ / кула)
cannon
/
tower
|
L
lovac / strijelac / laufer (
Л
ловац / стрелац / лауфер)
hunter
/
archer
/
runner
|
S
skaka? / konj (
С
скaкaч / ко?)
jumper
/
horse
|
(P)
pje?ak / pion / pijun (
(П)
пешак / пион / пи?ун)
footman
/
pawn
|
?ah
(Шах)
|
?ah (Шах)
|
Mat (Мат)
|
Northern Sotho
|
К
Kgo?i
|
Kg
Kgo?igadi
|
N
Ntlosebo / Moshate
|
Mp
Mopi?opo
|
M
Mogale
|
S
Seit?hirelet?o
|
T?he?e
|
Check
|
Checkmate
|
Sicilian
|
R
re
king
|
D
riggina
queen
|
T
turru
tower
|
A
alferu
|
S
scecc[h]u
donkey
|
(P)
pidinu
foot soldier
|
Scacchi
|
|
|
Slovak
|
K
kra?
king
|
D
dama
lady
|
V
ve?a
tower
|
S
strelec
shooter
|
J
jazdec
rider
|
(P)
pe?iak
infantryman
/
pawn
|
?ach
|
?ach
|
Mat / ?achmat
|
Slovene
|
K
kralj
king
|
D
dama
lady
|
T
trdnjava
castle
|
L
lovec
hunter
|
S
skaka?
jumper
|
(P)
kmet
farmer
|
?ah
|
?ah
|
Mat / ?ahmat
|
Spanish
|
R
rey
king
|
D
dama / reina
lady
/
queen
|
T
torre
tower
|
A
alfil
|
C
caballo
horse
|
(P)
peon
foot soldier
|
Ajedrez
|
Jaque
|
Jaque mate
|
Swedish
|
K
kung
king
|
D
dam / drottning
lady
/
queen
|
T
torn
tower
|
L
lopare
runner
|
H
springare / riddare
horse/knight
|
(B)
bonde
peasant
|
Schack
|
Schack
|
Schack matt
|
Tamil
|
K
????? (arasa?)
king
|
Q
???? (araci)
queen
|
R
?????? (k???ai)
castle
|
B
???????? / ??????? (amaicchar / manthiri)
minister
|
N/Kt
?????? (kutirai)
horse
|
(P)
?????? / ???????? (k?l?? / cipp?y)
foot soldier
/
sepoy
|
?????????
(sathurankam)
|
???????? (mu??ukai)
|
????? ???????? (i?uti mu??ukai)
|
Telugu
|
???? (r?ju)
king
|
?????? (ma?tri)
minister
|
????? (?nugu)
elephant
|
???? (?aka?u)
|
?????? (gurra?)
horse
|
???? (ba??u)
soldier
|
??????
(cadara?ga?)
|
???? (d??i)
|
????? (ka??u)
|
Thai
|
?
??? (khun)
king
|
?
???? / ??? / ????? (met / tri / montri)
counselor
|
?
???? (ruea)
ship
|
?
??? (khon)
|
?
??? (ma)
horse
|
(?)
????? (bia)
menial
|
???????
(makruk)
|
??? (ruk)
|
?? (chon)
|
Turkish
|
?/K
?ah / kral
shah
/
king
|
V
vezir
vizier
|
K
kale
castle
|
F
fil
elephant
|
A
at
horse
|
(P)
er / piyon
soldier
/
pawn
|
Satranc
|
?ah
|
Mat
|
Ukrainian
|
Kр
король (korol)
king
|
Ф
ферзь (ferz)
vizier
|
T
тура (tura)
tower
|
C
слон (slon)
elephant
|
K
к?нь (kin)
horse
|
(П)
п?шак / п?шка (pishak / pishka)
foot soldier
|
Шахи
(shakhi)
|
Шах (shakh)
|
Мат (mat)
|
Urdu
|
??????
(b?dsh?h)
|
????
(vaz?r)
|
??
(rukh)
|
????
(fiyalah)
|
?????
(gh???)
|
?????
(py?dah)
|
?????
(?a?ranj)
|
??
(sheh)
|
?????
(shehm?t)
|
Vietnamese
|
V
vua
king
|
H
h?u
queen
|
X
xe
chariot
|
T
t??ng / t?nh / voi
elephant
|
M
ma / ng?a
horse
|
t?t / ch?t / binh
soldier
|
C? vua
|
Chi?u / Chi?u t??ng
|
Chi?u bi / Chi?u h?t / Sat c?c / Tuy?t sat
|
Welsh
|
T
teyrn / brenin
lord
/
king
|
B
brenhines
queen
|
C
castell
castle
|
E
esgob
bishop
|
M
marchog
rider
|
(G)
gwerinwr
peasant
|
Gwyddbwyll
|
Siach
|
Siachmat
|
See also
Notes
- ^
The main differences from standard Algebraic are that there is both a dot and a space after each move number, and an upper case "O" is used, instead of a zero, in the notation for castling. Presumably these were initially just one individual's personal foible (or error) in the early days of chess on the Internet, but the standard is
now established. ? Burgess (1997)
[6]
References
- ^
a
b
Hooper, David
;
Whyld, Kenneth
(1996) [First pub. 1992]. "standard notation".
The Oxford Companion to Chess
(2nd ed.).
Oxford University Press
. p. 389.
ISBN
0-19-280049-3
.
- ^
"Test for Unicode support in Web browsers"
.
- ^
a
b
"FIDE Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2018"
.
FIDE
. 2018-01-01
. Retrieved
12 July
2020
.
- ^
see
FIDE Laws of Chess
[3]
: Apdx C.9.3
.
- ^
Article 9.1.2.2 in FIDE Laws of Chess
[3]
- ^
Burgess, Graham
(2000) [1997].
The Mammoth Book of Chess
. Carroll & Graph. p. 517.
ISBN
0-7867-0725-9
.
- ^
User's Manual
for Vega Chess Pairing Software (FIDE-approved), p. 16.
- ^
Geurt Gijssen
,
An Arbiter's Notebook
, no. 164.
- ^
"UCI protocol"
.
wbec-ridderkerk.nl
. Retrieved
2018-06-14
.
- ^
"Standard: Portable Game Notation Specification and Implementation Guide"
.
- ^
a
b
Murray, Harold James Ruthven (1913).
A History of Chess
. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press. pp. 469?470.
- ^
Davidson, Henry (1981).
A Short History of Chess
. David McKay. pp. 152?153.
ISBN
978-0679145509
.
- ^
Wall, Bill.
"Chess Notation"
.
- ^
Staunton, Howard (1866).
The Chess-Player's Handbook
(Second, revised ed.). London, UK: Bell & Daldy. p. 501 – via Google Books.
A popular and scientific introduction to the game of chess, exemplified in games actually played by the greatest masters, and illustrated by numerous diagrams of original and remarkable positions.
- ^
Sources for this section include Wikipedia articles in various languages.
Archived
2009-10-25.
- ^
The Estonian chess terms were coined by
Ado Grenzstein
.
- ^
"Handbook"
.
www.fide.com
. Retrieved
22 March
2019
.
The pieces bear the names: Koenig, Dame, Turm, Laeufer, Springer, Bauer
- ^
a
b
H. J. R. Murray,
A History of Chess
, ch. 11.
External links