Explanation
In the glossary of the FIDE Laws, -/+ means that Black wins by forfeit in an unplayed game. The - marks White's administrative loss, and the + marks the win awarded to Black.
The symbol does not describe a position or claim that Black delivered checkmate. It summarizes a result ruling whose specific cause depends on the event regulations or arbiter, such as failure to appear within the allowed time.
The same text also appears in analysis
Some programs use -/+ as an ASCII form of , meaning a moderate Black advantage. It must also be distinguished from , without a slash, which means a decisive Black advantage. In an unplayed-game result table, -/+ is a forfeit; after a variation, it is usually an evaluation.
Standard does not include -/+ among its four final markers. A PGN database normally records the result as 0-1 and preserves the administrative reason in metadata or software-specific fields.
Common confusions
-/+ versus ∓
-/+ is a forfeit result in the FIDE context; ∓ evaluates a moderate Black advantage.
-/+ versus −+
-/+ contains a slash and records a forfeit; −+ has no slash and evaluates a decisive advantage.
Sources
- 1.FIDE Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2023, FIDE
- 2.Portable Game Notation Specification and Implementation Guide, Steven J. Edwards
