The Chessboard and Chess Notation Explained
A chessboard is a square of 64 squares (8 × 8) in alternating light and dark colors, and algebraic notation is the system that gives every square a name — a letter from a to h for the file and a number from 1 to 8 for the rank — so that any move can be written down, like e4 or Nf3. With these two ideas you can set up the game correctly, read books and articles, and follow any game. If you've never played, start with how to play chess for beginners.
How to set up the board
First, turn the board the right way. The rule is short: the corner square on each player's right-hand side is light ("light on the right"). If it's dark, rotate the board 90 degrees.
Then the pieces:
- Back rank (left to right, from White's side): rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook.
- Second rank: the eight pawns.
- The queen starts on her own color: the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark one. The king stands next to her.
White always moves first.
💡 Tip: if the white queen is on a dark square, either the board is turned the wrong way or the king and queen have swapped places. Check before you start.
Files, ranks and diagonals
To talk about a square, chess players use three words:
- File: a vertical line of squares. There are eight, named a to h, from left to right as White sees the board.
- Rank: a horizontal line of squares. There are eight, numbered 1 to 8, starting from White's side.
- Diagonal: a line of same-colored squares that touch at the corners, such as a1–h8.
A square's name is its file letter followed by its rank number. Where the e-file meets the 4th rank is the square e4. Every square has exactly one name, and it doesn't change when you play Black: e4 is still e4, even if from your side of the board it looks upside down.
Some areas of the board have names too:
- The center: the four squares d4, e4, d5 and e5. Whoever controls the center usually gets more space.
- Kingside: the e- to h-files, where the king starts.
- Queenside: the a- to d-files, where the queen starts.
Algebraic notation
Algebraic notation is FIDE's official standard (FIDE is the International Chess Federation), and it's what you'll see in books, on websites and at tournaments. Each move is written as the piece letter + the destination square.
The piece letters in English are:
| Piece | Letter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| King | K | Ke2 |
| Queen | Q | Qh5 |
| Rook | R | Rd1 |
| Bishop | B | Bc4 |
| Knight | N | Nf3 |
| Pawn | (none) | e4 |
Pawns get no letter: e4 means "a pawn moves to e4". The knight is N because K is already taken by the king. Other languages use other letters (in Portuguese a knight is C and a queen is D), but the squares are always the same, so a game written in any language stays readable.
The symbols
- x — capture:
Bxf7(the bishop captures on f7). For pawn captures you write the file the pawn came from:exd5. - + — check:
Qh5+. - # — checkmate:
Qxf7#. - O-O — kingside (short) castling; O-O-O — queenside (long) castling.
- =Q — promotion:
e8=Q(the pawn reaches e8 and becomes a queen). - e.p. — an en passant capture (optional).
Move numbers
Moves are numbered in pairs: each number covers one White move and Black's reply. That's why we write 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6: on move 1, White played e4 and Black played e5. When a text shows only Black's move, it uses an ellipsis: 2...Nc6. When a puzzle says "mate in 1" or "mate in 2", it counts only the moves of the side delivering mate.
When two pieces can reach the same square
Sometimes two knights (or two rooks) can go to the same square. Then you add the file the piece is leaving from; if both are on the same file, you add the rank:
Nbd2— the knight on the b-file goes to d2 (not the one on f3).R1e2— the rook on the 1st rank goes to e2.
Annotation marks
Books and analysis add marks after a move: ! (good move), !! (brilliant move), ? (mistake), ?? (blunder), !? (interesting) and ?! (dubious). They're the annotator's opinion, not part of the rules.
Why notation is worth learning
- You can study. Every chess book, article and video uses notation — including the other lessons on this site, such as the rules of chess.
- You can review your games. Writing down what happened is the first step to finding where things went wrong.
- At over-the-board tournaments, recording the moves is mandatory in slower games. The scoresheet is the official record of the game.
⚠️ Watch out: a common mistake is swapping file and rank, writing "4e" instead of "e4". The letter always comes first.
Exercises
Read the move and play it on the board. Tap (or click) the piece, then the destination square.
Hint
"N" is the knight. Which white knight can reach f3?
Show solution
2.Nf3
2.Nf3 — the knight leaves g1 and lands on f3, attacking the pawn on e5. It's one of the most popular moves in this position.
Hint
The "e" tells you which file the pawn comes from, "x" means a capture, and "d5" is where the capture happens.
Show solution
2.exd5
2.exd5 — the e-pawn captures the black pawn on d5, moving one square diagonally, as every pawn does when it captures.
Hint
The rooks are on the same file, so a letter won't do: the "1" tells you which rank the rook comes from.
Show solution
1.R1e3
1.R1e3 — it's the rook on the 1st rank (the one on e1). The e5 rook could also reach e3 (that would be 1.R5e3); since both are on the e-file, the notation uses the rank number.
Frequently asked questions
Which way does a chessboard go?
The board is set up correctly when the corner square on each player's right is light. For White, that square is h1.
What's the difference between a file and a rank?
A file is a vertical line (letters a to h). A rank is a horizontal line (numbers 1 to 8). A square's name combines them: letter first, then number.
What do "x", "+" and "#" mean in chess notation?
"x" means a capture, "+" means check and "#" means checkmate.
Why is the knight "N" and not "K"?
Because "K" is already used for the king. Using N (the sound in "knight") avoids any confusion.
Do I need to write down my moves when playing online?
No. The site records every move for you. But being able to read notation helps you review your games and study.
To keep going, see how the chess pieces move and then the special moves, which have their own notation.