Chess notation
Chess notation is the term for several systems that have developed to record either the moves made during a game of chess or the position of the pieces on a chess board. Currently algebraic chess notation is the accepted standard, and is widely used. Algebraic notation has a few variations. Descriptive chess notation was used in English and Spanish speaking literature until the late 20th century, but it is obsolete. There are some special systems for international correspondence chess. There is also PGN for use with computer programs.
Recording the moves
Some move-recording notations are designed mainly for use by humans players and others for use by computers.
Move notations for humans
In recognized competitions all players are required to record all the moves of both players in order to: resolve disputes about what the position should now be, whether a player has made an illegal move, etc.; keep an accurate count of the moves if, as in most serious competition, there is a time limit rule which requires each players to complete a specified number of moves in a specified time.[1] All chess coaches strongly recommend the recording of one's games so that one can look for improvements in one's play.[2] The algebraic and descriptive notations are also used in books about chess.
- Algebraic chess notation is more compact than the old descriptive chess notation, and is the most widely used method for recording the moves of a game of chess. It has been in use in some regions since the early 1800s, and is less prone to error than the English descriptive system. One of its variants, "short algebraic notation", is now the official standard which must be used in all recognized international competition involving human players; the U.S. Chess Federation prefers the use of algebraic notation but still permits descriptive notation.[3][4]
- "Figurine Algebraic Notation" (FAN) is a widely-used variation of algebraic notation which replaces the letter that stands for a piece by its symbol, i.e. ♞c6 instead of Nc6 or ♖xg4 instead of Rxg4. This enables the moves to be read independent of language. In order to display or print these symbols, one has to have a one or more fonts with good Unicode support installed on the computer, and the document (Web page, word processor document, etc.) must use one of these fonts.[5] For more information see Chess symbols in Unicode.
- Descriptive chess notation, English notation or English descriptive notation. Until the 1970s, at least in English-speaking countries, chess games were recorded and published using this notation. This is still used by a dwindling number of mainly older players, and by those who read old books (some of which are still important[6]). As of 2007 FIDE made it illegal to use this notation in competition.
- ICCF numeric notation. In international correspondence chess the use of algebraic notation may cause confusion, since different languages have different names for the pieces. The standard for transmitting moves in this form of chess is ICFF numeric notation.[7]
- Coordinate notation is similar to algebraic notation except that no abbreviation or symbol is used to show which piece is moving. It can do this without ambiguity because it always includes the square from which the piece moves as well as its destination. It has proved hard for humans to write and read, but is used internally by some chess-related computer software.[8]
Here is an example of the same moves in some of the notations which may be used by humans:[8]
Short Algebraic Long Algebraic Descriptive Coordinate ICCF 1. e4 e5 1. e2-e4 e7-e5 1. P-K4 P-K4 1. E2-E4 E7-E5 1. 5254 5755 2. Nf3 Nc6 2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6 2. N-KB3 N-QB3 2. G1-F3 B8-C6 2. 7163 2836 3. Bb5 a6 3. Bf1-b5 a7-a6 3. B-N5 P-QR3 3. F1-B5 A7-A6 3. 6125 1716 4. Bxc6 dxc6 4. Bb5xc6 d7xc6 4. BxN QPxB 4. B5-C6 D7-C6 4. 2536 4736 5. d3 Bb4+ 5. d2-d3 Bf8-b4+ 5. P-Q3 B-N5ch 5. D2-D3 F8-B4 5. 4243 6824 6. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6 6. N-B3 N-B3 6. B1-C3 G8-F6 6. 2133 7866 7. O-O Bxc3 7. O-O Bb4xc3 7. O-O BxN 7. E1-G1 B4-C3 7. 5171 2433
Annotators commenting on a game frequently use question marks and exclamation marks to label a move as bad or praise the move as a good one (see punctuation (chess)).[9]
Move notations for computers
The following are commonly used for chess-related computer systems (in addition to Coordinate notation, which is described above):
- Portable Game Notation (PGN). This is the most common of several notations that have emerged based upon algebraic chess notation, for recording chess games in a format suitable for computer processing.[10]
- Steno-Chess. This is another format suitable for computer processing. It sacrifices the ability to play through games (by a human) for conciseness, which minimises the number of characters required to store a game.
Recording the positions of pieces
  | King |
|---|---|
  | Queen |
  | Rook |
  | Bishop |
  | Knight |
  | Pawn |
Positions are usually shown as diagrams (images), using the symbols shown here for the pieces.
There is also a notation for recording positions in text format, called the Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN). This is useful for adjourning a game to resume later or for conveying chess problem positions without a diagram. A position can also be recorded by listing the pieces and the square upon which they reside, e.g. White: Ke1, Rd3, etc.
Endgame classification
There are also systems for classifying types of endgames. See Chess endgame#Endgame classification for more details.
History
The notation for chess moves evolved slowly, as these examples show (the last is in algebraic chess notation, the others show the evolution of descriptive chess notation):
- 1614: The white king commands his owne knight into the third house before his owne bishop.
- 1750: K. knight to His Bishop's 3d.
- 1837: K.Kt. to B.third sq.
- 1848: K.Kt. to B's 3rd.
- 1859: K. Kt. to B. 3d.
- 1874: K Kt to B3
- 1889: KKt -B3
- 1904: Kt-KB3
- 1946: N-KB3
- Modern: Nf3[11]
A text from Shakespeare's time uses complete sentences to describe moves, for example "Then the black king for his second draught brings forth his queene, and placest her in the third house, in front of his bishop's pawne" - which we would now write as 2 ... Qf6. The great 18th-century player Philidor used an almost equally verbose approach in his influential book "Analyse du jeu des Échecs".
Rather surprisingly, algebraic chess notation was used by Philipp Stamma (c. 1715-c. 1770) in an almost fully developed form before the now obsolete descriptive chess notation evolved. But Philidor defeated Stamma in a match, so his writings had more influence and the descriptive system based on his approach was dominant for a long time. Algebraic notation became dominant in the 20th century, although it did not become popular in the English-speaking countries until the 1970s.[12]
See also
References
- ^ Gijssen, G. "An Arbiter's Notebook". ChessCafé.com.
- ^ "How to Read and Write Algebraic Chess Notation". The Chess House. Includes sample hand-written score sheet.
- ^ "FIDE Handbook: Rules - Appendices". Fédération Internationale des Échecs.
- ^ "Rulebook Changes (as of August 2007)". The United States Chess Federation.
- ^ "Test for Unicode support in Web browsers".
- ^ McKim, D.K. "Great Chess Books". Jeremy Silman. Published by an International Master and prolific writer.
- ^ "ICCF Numeric Chess Notation". ChessNotation.com.
- ^ a b "Tutorial on Chess Notation". Exeter Chess Club.
- ^ "Algebraic and descriptive notations". Exeter Chess Club. See section "Symbols: evaluation and comment codes"
- ^ Edwards, S.J. (ed.). "ICC Help: PGN spec". The Internet Chess Club.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter|authors=(help) - ^ Robert John McCrary (editor), The Hall-of-Fame History of U.S. Chess, pp. 14-15.
- ^ McCrary , R.J. "The History of Chess Notation".