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Chess Rules & Algebraic Notation

Once you can read notation, every chess book, video, and game review opens up to you. It takes about ten minutes to learn.

How the board is labelled

The eight columns (called files) are lettered a to h from White's left to right. The eight rows (called ranks) are numbered 1 to 8, starting from White's side. Every square has a unique name from its file and rank — the square in White's near-left corner is a1, and the far-right corner is h8. White's pieces start on ranks 1 and 2; Black's on ranks 7 and 8.

Writing a move

In standard algebraic notation, a move is the piece's letter plus the destination square:

• Pieces use capitals: K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop, N knight (N is used so it isn't confused with the king).
• Pawns have no letter — you just write the destination square. e4 means "a pawn moves to e4."
• Nf3 means "a knight moves to f3."

A few symbols carry the rest of the information:

• Captures use an x: Bxe5 ("bishop takes on e5"). For a pawn capture, write the starting file first: exd5.
• Check adds + (e.g. Qh5+); checkmate adds # (e.g. Qf7#).
• Castling is written O-O (kingside) or O-O-O (queenside).
• Promotion shows the new piece after an equals sign: e8=Q.
• When two identical pieces could reach the same square, add the file or rank of the one that moves: Nbd2 or R1e2.

A full game is just numbered pairs of moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 is the start of the famous Ruy Lopez.

The special moves, precisely

Castling requires that the king and the chosen rook have never moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not currently in check, does not move through an attacked square, and does not end in check. En passant can only be played on the move immediately after an enemy pawn advances two squares and lands beside your pawn. Promotion happens the instant a pawn reaches the last rank, and you may choose any piece except a king or another pawn.

How games end in a draw

Not every game is won or lost. A game is drawn when:

• Stalemate — the player to move has no legal move but is not in check.
• Insufficient material — neither side has enough pieces to checkmate (for example, king versus king, or king and bishop versus king).
• Threefold repetition — the same position occurs three times with the same player to move.
• The fifty-move rule — fifty consecutive moves by each side pass with no pawn move and no capture.
• Agreement — both players simply agree to a draw.

Understanding draws is practical, not academic: knowing that king-and-bishop cannot mate, or that you can save a lost game by forcing a repetition, wins (and saves) real points.

Move annotation symbols

When you read game commentary — including ChessAlive's own move-by-move review — moves are graded with punctuation. A single ! marks a strong move and !! a brilliant one; ? flags a mistake and ?? a blunder that drops material or the game. Two mixed symbols add nuance: !? is an interesting, double-edged try, while ?! is a dubious move that isn't quite a mistake. These marks let you scan an annotated game and jump straight to its turning points.

The touch-move rule

In serious play the touch-move rule applies: if you touch one of your own pieces you must move it (when it has a legal move), and if you touch an enemy piece you must capture it (when you legally can). Once you release a piece on a new square, the move is final. If you only want to straighten a piece on its square, say "j'adoube" (French for "I adjust") before touching it. Following this even in casual games is good etiquette — it stops disputes before they start.