Notation and standards

A system for recording each move with the piece, destination square, and any necessary symbols.

A compact system that records a legal move with the piece, destination square, and any information needed to remove ambiguity.

A form of algebraic notation that normally includes both the origin square and destination square of every move.

A format that writes the origin square first and the destination square second, normally without naming the piece.

A historical system that names files after the starting pieces and counts ranks from each player's own side.

A SAN variant that replaces piece letters with small graphical symbols for the king, queen, rook, bishop, and knight.

A four-digit code that represents a move through numeric origin and destination square codes.

The number that groups one White move and Black's reply within the written record of a game.

A ply is one move by one side, rather than the pair formed by White's move and Black's reply.

A variation is a legal sequence of moves that explores an alternative from a particular position.

A Recursive Annotation Variation is a parenthesized alternative line that may contain further nested variations.

The main line is the central sequence followed continuously while alternatives appear as branches.

In chess notation, three periods after a move number show that the displayed move belongs to Black.

A compact language for describing how a piece can move, especially in chess variants.

A tactile transcription system for recording and reading chess moves, positions, and commentary in braille.

An extension of Betza that can describe compound moves, intermediate conditions, and special effects for variant pieces.

A compact system created to record the placement of pieces in a chess position.

A numeric code summarizing the material in a position without showing where the pieces stand.

A move format recording origin, destination, and extra data so a game can be traversed backward.

A coordinate string used by the UCI protocol to communicate one move between a chess interface and an engine.

The + sign is appended to a move when that move leaves the opposing king in check.

The # sign is appended to a move that gives checkmate and ends the game.

The letter x marks a capture and appears immediately before the destination square.

The = sign introduces the chosen piece when a pawn reaches the last row at the opposite edge and promotes.

O-O is the standard notation for castling on the kingside.

O-O-O is the standard notation for castling on the queenside.

e.p. is an optional mark identifying an en passant capture in written chess notation.

A symbol written beside a move to record that a player offered a draw.

A result marker stating that White won the game.

A result marker stating that Black won the game.

A result marker stating that the game ended in a draw.

An asterisk used in Portable Game Notation when no final result is available.

An annotation stating that the commentator considers a move good.

An annotation stating that the commentator considers a move bad or mistaken.

A strong praise annotation for a move considered exceptional.

An annotation marking a blunder or an extremely poor move.

An annotation for an interesting or speculative move whose quality remains uncertain.

An annotation for a questionable move that is probably inferior but not necessarily disastrous.

An ambiguous symbol that can mean checkmate or double check under different conventions.

The + sign added to a move when it leaves the opposing king in check.

The # sign added to the move that delivers checkmate and ends the game.

The letter x used inside algebraic notation to show that a move captures a piece.

The notation that records the new piece chosen when a pawn reaches the far edge of the board.

The compact notation for castling, using two groups on the kingside and three groups on the queenside.

Symbols showing whether White won, Black won, the game was drawn, or no final result is available yet.

A PGN code made of a dollar sign and number that stores a brief judgment about a move or position.

A compact mark added to analysis to judge a move or summarize the state of a position.

An evaluation symbol stating that neither side has a meaningful overall advantage in the position.

An evaluation symbol showing a clear or moderate White advantage, but not a completed win.

An evaluation symbol showing a clear or moderate Black advantage without declaring the game finished.

An evaluation symbol showing a small White advantage in a position that remains close to balanced.

An evaluation symbol showing a small Black advantage in a position that remains close to balanced.

An evaluation symbol for a position that is difficult to judge and offers significant resources to both sides.

The FIDE result for an unplayed game in which White wins because Black forfeits.

The FIDE result for an unplayed game in which Black wins because White forfeits.

The FIDE result for an unplayed game in which both players lose by forfeit.

An evaluation symbol showing a decisive White advantage even though the game has not necessarily ended.

An evaluation symbol showing a decisive Black advantage even though the game has not necessarily ended.

An analysis symbol indicating that Black has a crushing advantage in the position.

An analysis symbol indicating that White has a crushing advantage in the position.

An annotation arrow indicates which side has an active attack in the position.

The ⌓ sign introduces an alternative that the annotator considers better than the move or line under discussion.

The sign indicates that one side has two bishops able to operate on both square colors.

The ⊞ sign marks one side's advantage in controlling the central squares.

It is an international vocabulary of signs that condenses chess comments and assessments without relying on one language.

It is the compact notation that states the exact task of a chess composition.

The sign identifies pawns belonging to the same side on neighboring files that can operate as a unit.

Opposing arrows indicate that one side is creating active threats while answering the opponent's pressure.

Curved arrows show that one side has activated its pieces more quickly and effectively.

The ⇗ sign highlights a diagonal that plays an important role in the positional analysis.

The sign marks two or more pawns belonging to the same side on the same file.

The ⊥ sign indicates that a variation enters an endgame or that the analysis refers to that phase.

The sign highlights a board file that forms an important strategic line.

Vertical arrows identify the side directing play by creating threats that demand replies.

Pointed signs mark a control advantage in the half of the board where each king begins.

The sign indicates that non-material advantages offset a material deficit to some degree.

The □ square marks a move the annotator considers the only reasonable choice in the position.

The sign indicates that the relevant bishops of the two sides travel on opposite square colors.

A glyph marking a pawn with no opposing pawns ahead on its file or either neighboring file.

A symbol indicating that one side has more pawns than the other in the annotated position.

A family of signs marking a control advantage on the part of the board called the queenside.

A glyph indicating that the relevant bishops move on squares of the same color.

A glyph marking friendly pawns that do not form a connected, mutually supporting unit.

A circle indicating that one side controls more useful territory and has greater room to maneuver.

The letter N marks a move presented as new within the known theory of an opening.

Signs recording that limited clock time is materially affecting a player's decisions.

The Unicode range U+1FA00 to U+1FA6F for variant pieces and other specialized chess characters.

Twelve Unicode characters represent the six classical chess pieces in white and black forms.

The × mark identifies a vulnerable square, pawn, piece, or area that may become a target.

The triangle △ introduces the intention or continuation that explains the purpose of a move.

A glyph marking a position where the obligation to move harms the side whose turn it is.

A text format for exchanging chess games with headers, moves, comments, variations, and a result.

A six-field text line that lets software or a person reconstruct the state of a chess position.

A one-line format that describes a position and can attach structured operations for chess software.

A text protocol that lets a graphical interface control and query a chess engine.

A line-based text protocol used by XBoard, WinBoard, and other programs to control chess engines.

A binary format that maps opening positions to candidate moves, weights, and learning data.

Precomputed databases that give exact outcomes and progress information for endgames with up to seven pieces.

Endgame databases for up to five pieces that store exact results and distance-to-mate information.

A historic family of three- to six-piece endgame databases that provides exact distance-to-mate information.

The registered media type identifying PGN chess-game data when systems exchange it.

A specialized language for describing chess patterns and finding the games or studies that contain them.

A system that consistently assigns a number from 0 to 959 to every legal Chess960 starting position.

A ChessBase file family storing a working game database across several components sharing one base name.

A compressed ChessBase archive that gathers the components of a CBH database into one package.

ChessBase's native format for storing an opening book as a coordinated set of files.

A message protocol that lets a computer receive positions, square changes, and clock data from a DGT electronic board.

The empty square recorded after a two-square pawn advance to represent a possible en passant capture.

A data unit appended to an EPD position using an operation name, optional values, and a final semicolon.

A one-line text format through which FICS sends connected programs the current state of a chess game.

Precomputed databases that provide exact results for endgame positions containing no more than seven pieces.

A New In Chess opening-classification system using descriptive letters and numbers to identify families and variations.

PGN rules for inserting free text inside braces or from a semicolon to the end of a line.

A convention placing structured instructions in the form [%command parameter] inside a braced PGN comment.

The strict, canonical PGN profile for generating exchangeable and archival games with predictable text formatting.

The flexible PGN profile that lets a reader accept and normalize hand-prepared games or formatting variations.

The section of a PGN game containing moves, move numbers, optional annotations, and a final game-result marker.

A descriptive PGN data unit containing a tag name and a quoted text value inside square brackets.

A minimal PGN export subset for storing many games without comments, variations, or numeric annotations.

Scid's native database format, using coordinated files for indexes, game content, and names.

The mandatory ordered set of seven PGN tags identifying a game's basic descriptive data.

A FEN extension identifying Chess960 castling rights through letters for the eligible rooks' starting board columns.

A historical FICS mechanism recording thinking time so network latency is not charged against a player's clock.

A structured text format for exchanging tournament data such as players, pairings, results, and standings.

A configuration parameter that a chess engine advertises and a user interface can inspect or change through UCI.

An extension of FEN that accurately represents Chess960 positions and castling rights.