Rules · 5 min read

How to Read Chess Notation (Algebraic)

The grid of squares

Algebraic notation gives every square a name made of a letter and a number. The eight columns, called files, are labelled a through h from left to right as White sees the board. The eight rows, called ranks, are numbered 1 through 8 starting from White’s side. So the square in White’s near-left corner is a1, and the far-right corner from White is h8. Every square has exactly one name, and both players use the same names.

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, since K is already taken. Pawns get no letter at all. A move is usually written as the piece letter followed by the destination square. So Nf3 means a knight moves to the square f3, and e4 means a pawn moves to e4, no letter needed. When two identical pieces could reach the same square, you add the starting file or rank to make it clear, such as Rad1.

Captures, checks, and mates

An "x" marks a capture: Bxe5 means a bishop captures whatever sits on e5. For pawn captures you write the pawn’s starting file, then the x, then the square, like exd5. A plus sign shows check, as in Qh5+, and a hash mark shows checkmate, as in Qf7#. These little symbols let you read a whole game and know at every step when a king was under attack.

Castling and promotion

Castling has its own shorthand: O-O means kingside, or short, castling, and O-O-O means queenside, or long, castling, matching the number of squares the rook travels. Promotion is written by naming the square the pawn reaches and the new piece after an equals sign, so e8=Q means a pawn advances to e8 and becomes a queen. Put it all together and a line like 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 stops being a mystery and becomes a game you can replay in your head.