Explanation
A single exclamation mark, !, is placed after a move when the annotator considers it good. It may highlight accuracy, strength, creativity, or an idea that was difficult to find.
This is an editorial judgment, not a rule of chess. A legal and strong move may receive no mark, and ! does not guarantee that the move is the only choice or the top choice of a , a program that analyzes positions.
The threshold varies by author. Traditionally, gives stronger praise, while expresses criticism. A program may read ! in Portable Game Notation (PGN), the plain-text game format. When saving the file in standard form, it replaces ! with $1, a dollar sign followed by the number 1.
Common confusions
Good and brilliant
! marks a good move; !! is usually reserved for an exceptional move.
View termOnly correct move
! does not necessarily mean that every alternative loses or that there is only one correct reply.
Sources
- 1.Standard: Portable Game Notation Specification and Implementation Guide, rec.games.chess contributors; coordinated by Steven J. Edwards
- 2.System of Signs, Chess Informant
- 3.Chess annotation symbols, Wikimedia Foundation
