Reading Algebraic Chess Notation: A Learner’s Guide

Reading algebraic chess notation lets you follow a lesson without stopping at every move label. Start by answering three questions: which piece moves, where does it go, and what do the extra symbols tell you?

This guide uses standard algebraic notation (SAN), as defined by the PGN specification. The examples below are separate vocabulary items, not a move sequence or claims about a particular position.

🧭 1. Read the piece and square

A square has a file letter and rank number. Files run a–h from White’s left to right; ranks run 1–8 from White’s side towards Black’s. The names stay fixed when you view the board from Black’s side.

The English piece letters in FIDE Appendix C are K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop and N knight. Pawns have no capital piece letter.

• Nf3: knight to f3.
• e4: pawn to e4.

Practise locating the destination before searching for the moving piece. Say the square aloud if you keep reversing its letter and number.

🔎 2. Read the extra symbols

• x: capture. Bxe6 means a bishop captures on e6.
• exd5: a pawn from the e-file captures on d5.
• +: the move gives check.
• #: the move gives checkmate.

If more than one same-colour piece of the same type can legally reach the destination, extra starting information identifies the mover: Nbd2 means the b-file knight goes to d2. SAN uses a file, a rank, or both when needed.

When reading a lesson, slow down at the extra character rather than guessing which piece the instructor intended.

An ! or ? expresses an annotator’s judgment about move quality. Capture and check symbols describe what the move does. Read the explanation behind a judgment.

♟️ 3. Recognise castling and promotion

In SAN, O-O means kingside castling and O-O-O means queenside castling. Both use the capital letter O. A promotion adds = and the new piece: e8=Q means a pawn reaches e8 and promotes to a queen.

Do not be surprised by different typography elsewhere: FIDE Appendix C shows zeroes for castling and promotion without an equals sign. This guide keeps the PGN spellings consistent.

🔢 4. Check whose turn it is

12. introduces White’s twelfth move; 12… introduces Black’s twelfth move. White’s move and Black’s reply share the number. Black’s reply can follow White’s move without another number.

Before resuming halfway through a lesson, check the move number and colour together. Do the same after an instructor returns from an explanation: do not assume the next move belongs to White just because a new paragraph begins.

🌿 5. Follow a branch and return

In PGN text, parentheses enclose an alternative line. It replaces the move immediately before the opening parenthesis; it does not continue after that move. When it ends, return to the position after the original outer-line move, then read on. Branches can contain further branches.

Before entering a sideline, note the decision being compared. On a physical board, record the branching point so you can rebuild it rather than trying to continue from the sideline’s final position.

For your first pass, choose one branch only. Ask what it explains, then return to the main discussion. You can explore the remaining alternatives once you can follow the lesson without losing your place.

✅ Try a short reading check

Read these isolated labels aloud before checking the answers:

1. Nxd4+
2. g8=N
3. 18…

Answers: a knight captures on d4 with check; a pawn promotes to a knight on g8; Black’s eighteenth move follows.

Now open a lesson you already use. Choose one move label and explain every character before moving the piece. If something is unclear, identify the symbol you need to check. Once reading feels comfortable, use the academy’s course-study guide to focus on the reasoning behind the moves.