Exercise 14.1Find the move
White to move
Play Nf3.
14
Chess from Zero · Kapilash Chess Academy
Writing Down Moves
How to read a chess book
In this lesson you will learn
- The letters for the pieces
- Captures, checks and castling
- How to read a game
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
14.1 The letters
Chess players write moves with algebraic notation: the letter of the piece and the square it moves to. In tournaments you must write down every move.
- K
- King
- Q
- Queen
- R
- Rook
- B
- Bishop
- N
- Knight (because K is taken by the king)
- (no letter)
- Pawn: only the square is written, e.g. e4.
On this site we often print a small picture instead of the letter: ♘f3 means Nf3.
14.2 Special signs
- x
- captures: Bxe5 = the bishop captures on e5; exd5 = the e-pawn captures on d5
- +
- check
- #
- checkmate
- O-O
- castles kingside
- O-O-O
- castles queenside
- =Q
- promotes to a queen: e8=Q
- !
- a good move
- ?
- a mistake
14.3 Reading a game
Moves are numbered. 1.e4 e5 means White’s first move was e4 and Black answered e5. When only Black’s move is shown, three dots are used: 1...e5.
Diagram 14.1White to move
Diagram 14.1 · A short game
Click the moves to follow this famous trap, called the Scholar’s Mate.
4.Qxf7# — the queen captures on f7 with checkmate. Black’s 3...Nf6? was a mistake; 3...g6 or 3...Qe7 would have stopped it. You will learn more in the next lesson.
Remember
- K Q R B N for the pieces; pawns have no letter.
- x captures, + check, # checkmate.
- O-O castles kingside, O-O-O queenside.
- Moves are numbered: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3.
Exercises · Lesson 14
Each prompt gives a move in chess notation. Play it on the board.
Play the move
Exercise 14.2Find the move
White to move
Play c4.
Exercise 14.3Find the move
Black to move
Black to move. Play Nc6.
Exercise 14.4Find the move
White to move
Play Bc4.
Exercise 14.5Find the move
White to move
Play Bb5.
Exercise 14.6Find the move
White to move
Play exd5.
Exercise 14.7Find the move
White to move
Play O-O.
Exercise 14.8Mate in 1
White to move
Play Re8#.
What does it mean?
Exercise 14.9Question
White to move
What does Nxe5 mean?
Exercise 14.10Question
White to move
What does O-O-O mean?
Exercise 14.11Question
White to move
What does Qh7# mean?
Exercise 14.12Question
White to move
What does exd5 mean?