How to Read and Write Chess Moves
The Board Is a Grid
Every square has a name made of a letter and a number. The columns, called files, are lettered a through h from left to right from White’s side. The rows, called ranks, are numbered 1 through 8 starting from White’s side. So the square e4 means file e, rank 4.
Naming the Pieces
Each piece has a capital letter: K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop, and N for knight (N is used so it is not confused with the king). Pawns have no letter at all. A move is written as the piece letter plus the destination square, so Nf3 means a knight moves to f3, and e4 means a pawn moves to e4.
Captures, Check, and Mate
An x marks a capture: Bxe5 means a bishop captures whatever sits on e5. When a pawn captures, you write its starting file first, like exd5. A plus sign after a move means check, as in Qh5+. A hash mark means checkmate, the end of the game, as in Qxf7#.
Castling and Promotion
Castling has its own symbols: O-O means castling kingside (the short side), and O-O-O means castling queenside (the long side), written with the capital letter O joined by hyphens. When a pawn reaches the far end and promotes, you write the new piece with an equals sign, such as e8=Q for a pawn reaching e8 and becoming a queen.
A Few Extra Marks
En passant, the special pawn capture, is sometimes noted with e.p. after the move, as in exd6 e.p. If two identical pieces could reach the same square, you add the starting file or rank to clarify, like Nbd2 or R1e2. With these symbols you can read or record any game move by move.