±

The ± symbol says that White stands clearly better. The PGN specification associates it with a moderate White advantage, stored as NAG $16.

The edge may come from extra material, safer king, more active pieces, a better pawn structure, or several smaller factors. The sign identifies neither a single cause nor an exact quantity. It also does not guarantee a White win: accurate play is still required, and the assessment can change.

On the traditional scale, ± is stronger than ⩲, which gives White only a slight edge, and weaker than +−, which indicates a decisive advantage. Its color-reversed counterpart is ∓.

The ASCII form is ambiguous

When ± is unavailable, some software writes +/-. The same three characters have a different meaning in the FIDE Laws for an unplayed game: White wins by forfeit. Placement resolves the ambiguity. After an analysis line it is usually an evaluation; in an official result table it may be an administrative result.