Special indicators are added to the end of the sequence if relevant. Notation for moves Įach move is notated by a sequence of characters that is structured based on the move's type. This is also the method used in French descriptive notation. P-K4 P-QB4 in English) would be written 1. In Spanish descriptive notation the Sicilian Defence ( 1.

'4R' is equivalent to 'K4' (e4 in algebraic notation). The numerical rank is identified before the file, e.g.The dash, which in English descriptive notation symbolizes the word 'to', is omitted.From White's left to right along the first rank this yields: TD, CD, AD, D, R, AR, CR, TR. The files are named after the initials of the pieces on the first rank, with those on the queen's side being suffixed by the letter 'D', and those on the king's side suffixed by the letter 'R'. The initials to identify the pieces are taken from the equivalent Spanish words: R = rey (king), D = dama (queen), T = torre (rook), C = caballo (knight), A = alfil (bishop) and P = peón (pawn).Spanish descriptive notation uses a similar system, with a few differences: When recording a move by White, the naming from White's point of view is used when recording a move by Black, the naming from Black's point of view is used. square a1 in algebraic notation) is called 'queen's rook 1' (QR1) by White and 'queen's rook 8' (QR8) by Black. For example, the corner square nearest White's left hand (i.e. This method of naming the squares means that each square has one name from White's point of view and another from Black's. The rank is given a number, ranging from 1 to 8, with rank 1 being closest to the player.

'king's rook', 'king's knight' and 'king's bishop' and have the shortened names 'KR', 'KN' and 'KB'. Similarly, the pieces on the king's side (White's right Black's left) are named with respect to the king, i.e. 'queen's rook', 'queen's knight' and 'queen's bishop' and have the shortened names 'QR', 'QN' and 'QB', respectively. The pieces on the queen's side of the board (to White's left to Black's right) are named with respect to the queen, i.e. Since there are two each of the remaining pieces on the first rank, it is necessary to distinguish between them. Thus, in English descriptive notation the queen's file is named 'Q' and the king's file is named 'K'. Each file is given a name corresponding to the piece that occupies the first rank at the start of the game. Names of the squares in English descriptive notationĮach square has two names, depending on the viewpoint of White or Black. In 1944, Chess Review received many letters debating the change from Kt to N. As knight begins with the same letter as king, it is abbreviated as either N or Kt, the former being the modern convention. With the exception of the knight, each piece is abbreviated as the first letter of its name: K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop, and P for pawn. Since 1981, FIDE no longer recognizes descriptive notation for the purposes of dispute resolution, and algebraic notation is now the accepted international standard.ĭescription Nomenclature In most other languages, the more concise algebraic notation was in use. It was common in English, Spanish and French chess literature until about 1980. Its distinctive features are that it refers to files by the piece that occupies the back rank square in the starting position and that it describes each square two ways depending on whether it is from White or Black's point of view. Descriptive notation is a chess notation system based on abbreviated natural language.

Chess piece move names