Chess notation
Those numbers and letters represent chess notation, the universal language of chess. Each move in a game is described by a combination of letters and numbers. Once you understand this notation, you will be able to identify the moves played just by looking at them.
♟️ Check out our lesson on chess notation to learn more: Advanced Chess Notation.
Understanding chess notation
The chessboard grid
The chessboard is a grid composed of rows and columns, where rows are numbered 1-8 and columns are lettered a-h. Any square on the chessboard can be identified with a combination of a letter and a number. For instance, the square e4 is located at the intersection of the e-column and the fourth row:
Piece representation
Each chess piece is represented by a specific letter in chess notation:
K: King
Q: Queen
R: Rook
B: Bishop
N: Knight
When you see a move like "Be2" in chess notation, it means the bishop has moved to the square e2:
📝 Depending on your settings, you might see images of the pieces instead of letters in your chess notation. If you prefer text notation, you can change the setting to "Text" under your board and pieces settings.
Special notations
Chess notation also includes symbols for other actions on the board:
x: captures
0-0: kingside castle
0-0-0: queenside castle
+: check
#: checkmate
For example, "Qxg2" indicates that the queen has moved to g2 and captured a piece, while "Qg2+" means the queen moved to g2, putting the opponent in check. You can combine these symbols as needed, such as "Qxg2#" for a move where the queen captures a piece on g2 and delivers checkmate.
Differentiating between similar moves
If multiple pieces can move to the same square, the notation includes additional details to clarify which piece moved.
Consider the position below where it's White's turn and both white rooks can capture the bishop on d5:
Simply writing "Rxd5" would be ambiguous. To clarify, we add another identifier:
Raxd5: The rook on the a-file captures the piece on d5.
Similarly, if instead both rooks were on the d file, we would give them a number to differentiate:
R4xd5: The rook on the 4th row captures the piece on d5.
♟️ Try our Vision Trainer to practice remembering each square: Vision Trainer.
📰 Check out this article to learn more about chess notation: Chess Notation - The Language of the Game