Unfinished game

An unfinished game contains actual play but lacks a recorded final outcome. It may still be in progress, have been interrupted, have been abandoned without a ruling, or have reached a database with its result missing.

In Portable Game Notation, abbreviated PGN, the asterisk is the termination marker for an incomplete game or one whose result is unknown or unavailable. It does not mean a draw and does not assess the position as equal. It only says that none of the normal final results can yet be recorded.

The distinction from an unplayed game is essential. An unfinished game has at least some actual play; an unplayed game has no played sequence to complete. Once reliable outcome information is available, the provisional marker should be replaced with the proper game result.