For players · 8 min read
How to write chess notation on a scoresheet
Every square has a name, every piece has a letter, and a whole game fits on one sheet of paper. Algebraic notation in ten minutes.
By Castle Gambit · Updated
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On this page
The short answer
Chess notation (algebraic notation) names each square by its file, a to h from White’s left, and its rank, 1 to 8 from White’s side, and writes a move as the piece’s letter plus the square it lands on: Nf3 means a knight moves to f3. Pawns get no letter (e4), x marks a capture (Bxc6), + a check, # checkmate, and O-O castling.
Key takeaways
- A square is a file letter plus a rank number: e4 is on the e-file, four ranks up from White’s side.
- Pieces: K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop, N knight. Pawns have no letter.
- x is a capture, + is check, # is checkmate, O-O castles kingside and O-O-O castles queenside.
- Write each move down after you’ve played it, never before.
- Both players keep score, so two sheets tell the same story at the end: that’s how clubs settle what happened.
Chess notation looks like a secret code until about the third time you read it, and then it’s just a sentence: Nf3 means “knight to f3.” That’s most of it. This guide covers the rest: how squares get their names, the letters for each piece, the handful of symbols, and how to fill in a scoresheet like you’ve done it for years.
Why write the moves down?
Writing your moves down takes a few seconds a move, and it pays you back three ways:
- You can learn from your games. Go over them later, on your own, with a friend, or with a computer. Most improvement happens after the game, not during it.
- It settles disagreements. What was the position? Did that repeat three times? The scoresheet knows.
- Tournaments require it. In standard (slow) games under FIDE rules, both players must record every move. In rapid and blitz, you don’t have to.
At a casual club night, keeping score is optional, and a lovely habit to pick up.
Every square has a name
The board is a grid, and every square has a two-character name. The columns, called files, are lettered a to h from White’s left to White’s right. The rows, called ranks, are numbered 1 to 8 starting from White’s side. A square’s name is its file, then its rank: e4, g1, b8. Always a lowercase letter, always file first.
Because the names are always from White’s side, they never change, whoever you are. Black’s king starts on e8 whether you’re playing White or Black. White’s pieces start on ranks 1 and 2; Black’s on 7 and 8.
Every piece has a letter
Every piece except the pawn has a capital letter:
| Letter | Piece | Example |
|---|---|---|
| K | King | Ke2: the king moves to e2 |
| Q | Queen | Qd4: the queen moves to d4 |
| R | Rook | Rf1: a rook moves to f1 |
| B | Bishop | Bc4: a bishop moves to c4 |
| N | Knight | Nf3: a knight moves to f3 (N, because K is already the king) |
| – | Pawn | e4: a pawn moves to e4 (no letter at all) |
Other languages use their own letters: a German scoresheet says S for knight (Springer) and D for queen (Dame). The squares are the same everywhere, which is why a game from any country is readable anywhere.
Writing a move
A move is the piece’s letter plus the square it lands on. That’s it: you don’t write where it came from (unless you need to; see below). Moves come in numbered pairs, White’s first: 1. e4 e5 means White played e4 and Black answered e5. When you write Black’s move on its own, three dots stand in for White’s: 1… e5.
Scoresheet
Board 4
| No. | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 |
Result
The starting position. White always moves first.
That game is worth knowing for its own sake. If you’re new, it’s the trap most likely to catch you on your first club night; the defense is simply to watch f7, the square only your king protects.
Captures, checks and mate
A few symbols do the rest of the work:
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| x | Captures | Bxc6: a bishop takes on c6. A pawn capture names the file it left: exd5 |
| + | Check | Qh5+ |
| # | Checkmate (some write ++) | Qxf7# |
| O-O | Castles kingside | The king’s side: the shorter castle |
| O-O-O | Castles queenside | The queen’s side: the longer castle |
| =Q | Promotes (here, to a queen) | e8=Q |
| e.p. | En passant (optional) | exd6 e.p. |
| 1-0, 0-1, ½-½ | The result | White won, Black won, a draw |
In books and magazines you’ll also see ! (a good move), ? (a mistake), !! and ?? (brilliant, and a blunder), and !? and ?! (interesting, and dubious). They’re opinions, not notation. Keep them off your scoresheet during a game and save them for the post-mortem.
Castling, promotion and en passant
Castling is the one move written without squares. Kingside castling is O-O; queenside, with one more O for the longer trip, is O-O-O. (FIDE’s own rulebook writes them with zeros, 0-0 and 0-0-0. Either is fine.)
Promotion: when a pawn reaches the far end of the board, it becomes another piece, and you write the square then what it became: e8=Q. (FIDE writes it without the equals sign, e8Q.) Most of the time it’s a queen, but it doesn’t have to be.
En passant is written like any pawn capture, by the square the capturing pawn lands on: exd6, sometimes with “e.p.” after it so nobody thinks you’ve made a mistake.
When two pieces can reach the same square
Sometimes two of the same piece could go to the same square: both knights can reach d2, say. Then you add the file the moving piece came from, just after its letter.
Different files: add the file. Knights on b1 and f3 can both reach d2, so write Nbd2 or Nfd2.
Same file: add the rank instead. Rooks on a1 and a5 can both reach a3, so write R1a3 or R5a3.
You only need it when there’s a real ambiguity. If only one of your knights can get there, plain Nd2 is right.
Filling in a scoresheet
A scoresheet is a form with the event details at the top, then numbered lines with a column for White’s move and a column for Black’s, and a result box at the bottom.
Fill in the top before you start: the event, date, round and board, and who’s White and who’s Black.
Play your move, then write it down. Never write a move before you’ve played it: under FIDE rules it’s forbidden, and it looks like taking notes.
Keep up with your opponent’s moves too. You can reply to their move before writing it down, as long as you’ve caught up before your next move.
Made a mistake? Cross it out neatly and write it again. Nobody’s marking your handwriting.
At the end, write the result (1-0, 0-1 or ½-½), and sign both sheets if the event asks you to.
Why clubs keep carbon copies
Tournament scoresheets often come as a little pad of carbonless copies: a white top sheet with a canary copy and a pink copy underneath, all written at once. When the game is over, the top copy goes to the organizer and the players keep theirs. Everyone has the same record, in the same handwriting.
It’s a quietly brilliant system: two copies of the same game, and they must match. If they don’t, the organizer sorts it out.
It’s also the idea Castle Gambit is built on. After a game, both players report the result on their phones: your copy and theirs. When they match, the result is confirmed; when they don’t, it goes to the organizer. No carbon paper required. There’s more on it in what to expect at your first club night.
