Chess Variation: Meaning and How to Read One

Explanation

Analysis does not always follow only what happened in the game. A variation begins when a move differs from the continuation on the . Legal replies are then added to show what could follow.

The first different move opens the branch, and later moves develop it. A variation may contain one move or continue for many moves. It can record human analysis, ideas studied for the opening, meaning the first phase of a game, a solution to a concrete position, or a line calculated by software. The word does not by itself say that the alternative is better, only that it is being examined.

In annotated notation, variations commonly appear in parentheses. Portable Game Notation (PGN), the plain-text format used to exchange games between programs, encodes these branches as , which may also contain subvariations.

Usage and context

In opening names, Variation can also be the established name of a branch. In an annotated game, any legal alternative line can function as a variation.

Common confusions

Variation and main line

The main line is the central path chosen for presentation. A variation leaves that path at a particular position and explores another continuation.

View term

Sources

1.Standard: Portable Game Notation Specification and Implementation Guide, rec.games.chess contributors, coordinated by Steven J. Edwards
2.Variations, ChessBase