Cheat sheet
Chess notation symbols: the complete cheat sheet
Every symbol you will meet in a chess game score, grouped by what it does, with an example and how to say it out loud. If you want the system explained from the beginning instead, start with how to read chess notation.
Anatomy of a move
Raxd1+
Piece (Rook) · which one (from the a-file) · captures (x) · landing on d1 · giving check (+). Every move is some subset of those five parts, always in that order.
Piece letters
| Symbol | Meaning | Example | Said aloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| K | King ♚ | Kf1 | "king f1" |
| Q | Queen ♛ | Qd8 | "queen d8" |
| R | Rook ♜ | Re1 | "rook e1" |
| B | Bishop ♝ | Bc4 | "bishop c4" |
| N | Knight ♞ — K was already taken by the king | Nf3 | "knight f3" |
| (none) | Pawn ♟ — a bare square is always a pawn move | e4 | "e4" or "pawn to e4" |
Captures, checks and special moves
| Symbol | Meaning | Example | Said aloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| x | Captures. Notation never records what was taken. | Bxe5 | "bishop takes e5" |
| x | Pawn capture — the pawn is named by the file it left. | exd5 | "e takes d5" |
| + | Check — the king is attacked. | Qh5+ | "queen h5 check" |
| # | Checkmate — the game is over. | Qxf7# | "queen takes f7 mate" |
| ++ | Double check — two pieces attack the king, so only a king move answers it. Older books use ++ for mate. | Nf6++ | "knight f6 double check" |
| O-O | Castles kingside (short). | O-O | "castles short" |
| O-O-O | Castles queenside (long) — the longer symbol is the longer castle. | O-O-O | "castles long" |
| = | Promotion — the pawn becomes the piece named after it. | e8=Q | "e8 promotes to queen" |
| e.p. | Captured en passant. Optional — the move is valid without it. | exd6 e.p. | "e takes d6 en passant" |
| a–h, 1–8 | Disambiguation — added only when two identical pieces could reach the square. | Rad1 | "rook a to d1" |
Game results
| Symbol | Meaning | Said aloud |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0 | White won. | "one nil" |
| 0-1 | Black won. | "nil one" |
| ½-½ | Draw. | "draw" / "half a point each" |
| * | Game unfinished or still in progress. | "ongoing" |
Annotation marks
These are opinions, not moves. Someone reviewing the game adds them afterwards — they never appear in a live move list while you are playing.
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ! | A strong move. | Nd5! |
| !! | A brilliant move. | Qxh7!! |
| ? | A mistake. | Nf6? |
| ?? | A blunder — usually loses the game. | Nf6?? |
| !? | Interesting, worth a look. | Bc4!? |
| ?! | Dubious — probably not best. | h6?! |
| = | The position is equal. (After a move, = means promotion instead — context tells you which.) | = |
| ± | White is clearly better. | ± |
| ∓ | Black is clearly better. | ∓ |
| … | Marks a Black move quoted on its own, without White's. | 12… Nc6 |
Read one for practice
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O ½-½
Pawn to e4, pawn to e5. Knight f3, knight c6. Bishop b5, pawn to a6. Bishop takes on c6, and the d-pawn takes back — we know it was the d-pawn because a capturing pawn is named by the file it came from. White castles short, and the players agree a draw. Once those five lines read as plainly as a sentence, you can read any chess book ever printed.
Keep learning chess
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