Chess Notation Part 1 – How to Read and Record a Game of Chess
chess beginners, chess rules May 22nd, 2009
How can you record your own chess games for later study (or to show your greatness to future generations)? The answer is in chess notation. This article (part 1 of 3 parts) will show you how to use algebraic notation to record your chess games and read the games of others.
Algebraic notation
I learned chess using English descriptive notation. I prefer it for sentimental reasons. A lot of the books in my library are printed with descriptive notation. But the modern chess world has abandoned descriptive notation for algebraic. Algebraic notation does have its advantages, and – best of all – it is easy to explain. 
So we’ll learn algebraic notation.
Each square has a name
First, each square of the chess board has a name. Each square is designated by a letter corresponding to the vertical columns (called “files”) and a number corresponding to the horizontal rows (called “ranks”). The dark square at White’s lower left is called “a1,” and the squares across White’s first rank (where White’s King, Queen, and other pieces are lined up in the starting position) are called a1, b1, c1, d1, e1, f1, g1, and h1. The second row (where White’s Pawns are lined up in the starting position) are called a2, b2, c2, … h2. The rest of the squares of the chess board are similarly labeled until we get to Black’s king-side Rook, which sits on h8 in the starting position.
The diagram of the chessboard below has letters along the right and left side of the chess board and numbers along the top and bottom of the chess board.
For any square, you can find the letter designation by looking along the top or bottom and the proper number by looking at the numbers along the sides. For example, the White Pawn in the diagram below has been moved to e4 and the Black Pawn has been moved to d5.
By the way … always use lower-case letters for designating the squares. The reason for this is that the pieces are designated using upper-case letters.
How the pieces are named
The pieces are labeled as follows:
- Rook = R
- Knight = N
- Bishop = B
- Queen = Q
- King = K
To record a move, you first write the piece that is moving and then put the name of the square that the piece is moving to. So if the King is moving to f1, you write “Kf1.” If the Rook is moving to e5, you write “Re5.”
Recording Pawn Moves
The Pawn is not normally given a label. For Pawn moves, only the destination square is named. So if White moves the Pawn in front of his King two squares forward on his first move, the notation to record that move is just “e4.”
In part 2, we will cover recording captures, castling, and checkmate. In part 3, we’ll review the chess notation of an entire game.
You can learn all the rules … including chess notation in the wonderful book that I recommend to new players: Learn Chess: A Complete Course
Searching for Bobby Fischer
reviews May 21st, 2009
For those of you who are new to chess, or wondering what chess players are like, I recommend the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. I was talking with some friends last night (hi Tracey and Stan!), and the subject of the movie came up. I told them I would have to blog about it … and I was right!
The movie is a heart-warming story of the relationship between a father and his precocious son. And if you have any interest in chess, it accurately portrays the feeling of chess as it is played in U.S. parks, clubs, and weekend tournaments.
The movie has a great story, a superb cast: Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley (superb!), Laurence Fishburne, Laura Linney, William H. Macy … it just doesn’t get any better!
And the movie has some real life chess stars in it. Bruce Pandolfini (one of the great chess teachers of our time, played beautifully by Ben Kingsley) and Asa Hoffman are portrayed in the movie, and real-life chess stars Joel Benjamin, Roman Dzindzichashvili, and Kamran Shirazi have a part in the movie (one of the tournament scenes); and Bruce Pandolfini even gets a cameo (I think he even has a line!).
The book on which the movie is based is even more wonderful, as it probes the life of the mind of a chess player and the relationship between father and son. I highly recommend the book; it’s even better than the movie. (Check out Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess at Amazon. And if you want the movie, click the pic!
How to Draw a Chess Game
checkmate, chess beginners, chess rules, chess tactics May 19th, 2009
This article is about the rules for how to draw a chess game.
A draw is a tie … neither player wins. Though a draw against a very strong player can feel very much like a win. You will often hear chess players brag of their draws … (”I got a draw against such and such grandmaster”).
How a chess game ends in a draw
There are five ways to end a chess game in a draw:
- Insufficient material to mate
- Stalemate
- Threefold repetition of position
- The fifty-move rule
- By agreement
Insufficient material to mate
In order to win the game, one side must have at least two minor pieces (the Bishop and the Knight are referred to as “minor” pieces; the Queen and Rooks are called “major” pieces), a Rook, or a Queen. Keep in mind, however, that if there is a Pawn on the board, there is always sufficient material for a mate because the Pawn could be promoted to a Queen. Bare Kings, King and Bishop against King, or King and Knight against King is a draw because there is not sufficient mating material. The stronger side must have at least King and Queen; King and Rook; King and two Bishops; or King, Bishop, and Knight. (King and two Knights against King is not enough to force mate, but that subject is beyond the scope of this article.)
Stalemate
The game is a draw if either King is stalemated. A stalemate occurs when the King is not in check, but has no legal moves. In the diagram below, if it is Black’s move, he has no legal move; Black is stalemated and the game is a draw. If it is White’s move, however, the game is not a draw, because Qe2 would be checkmate.
Threefold repetition of position
If the same position occurs three times on the chessboard with the same player to move (and the same castling and capturing privileges [the en passant capture might be a factor]), the game is a draw. “Perpetual check,” where one side repeatedly checks the enemy king over and over in an endless cycle, is a draw because of the threefold repetition rule.
The fifty move rule
If the players have made 50 moves without moving a Pawn, capturing a piece, or either side delivering checkmate, the game is a draw. This might occur in the more difficult checkmates (Bishop and Knight against King or King and Queen against King and Rook). It doesn’t occur very often.
By agreement of the players
By far the most common way of drawing a game is where the players agree to a draw. This occurs because the players foresee that the game will inevitably end in a draw by one of the other methods. In such a situation the rules allow the players to end the game as a draw by agreement.
How should I offer a draw?
The proper way to offer a draw to your opponent is to say, “I offer a draw,” then make your move, and punch your clock. The opponent then has as much time as he wishes to consider your draw offer … as long as his flag hasn’t fallen! Some players will offer a draw on their move and look at their opponent, expecting an answer. If you are going to wait for an answer, wait for it with your opponent’s clock running! And if you offer a draw, you have to wait for an answer.
If you have offered a draw and your opponent makes a move without responding, he has rejected the draw offer and it’s off the table. He can’t “accept” your draw offer two moves later.
Be sure to visit my chess store, Shop For Chess, for my recommended chess books and equipment!
Tags: chess beginner, chess draw, chess for beginners, chess rules, how to play chess
How to Play Chess – Rules of Checkmate
checkmate, chess beginners, chess rules May 18th, 2009
Today’s article is about the rules of checkmate.
Checkmate is the object of the game. The object is not to have more pieces than your opponent; it is not to play the most beautiful game; it is to checkmate your opponent’s King.
Checkmate occurs when the King is in check (hopefully your opponent’s King) and he cannot get out of check by any of the possible means.
Here is a typical checkmate pattern.
Notice that the Queen gives check to the King on the diagonal, and the Bishop guards the Queen against capture. Remember from our previous article about check that there are three ways to get out of check: move the King, interpose a piece, or capture the checking piece. Let’s apply those tests to this diagram to see if White can get out of check.
First, the King can has only two hypothetically possible moves: capture the Queen on h2 or move to the vacant square on h1. But both those squares are guarded – h2 by the Bishop and h1 by the Queen. White cannot move out of check.
Second, there is no possible interposition. Whenever the checking piece is in an adjoining square (or when the checking piece is the Knight) interposition is impossible. In those cases only moving the King or capturing the checking piece is a possible means of evading check. In this case the Queen gives check from an immediately adjoining square, so no interposition is possible.
Third, the King could get out of check if a piece (even the King) could capture the checking piece (the Black Queen in this case). But here there is no piece that could capture the Queen other than the King, and the King can’t capture it because the Bishop guards it. The King is not permitted by the rules to move into check.
The King is checkmated.
Have a look at the video to see ways that the King could avoid checkmate using variations on this basic position. And if you want to learn how to checkmate, there are some very good books to teach you just that. Learn Chess: A Complete Course
How to Play Chess – Rules of Check
chess beginners, chess rules, chess tactics May 16th, 2009
Before we finish our review of the rules of chess, we have to look at the concept of check.
What is check?
Check is any attack against a King. If a piece or pawn could capture the King on the next move, then the King is “in check.” The rules require that the King get out of check immediately. The rules also prohibit the King from moving into check or making any move that exposes him to check.
The rules of castling also prohibit the King from castling into check or through check (i.e., moving the King during the castling move across a square that is attacked by an enemy piece). The rules of castling also prohibit the King from castling out of check.
So in general, the King is in check whenever he could be captured by an enemy pawn or piece. A check must be dealt with immediately, and the King may never move into check.
How do I get out of check?
There are only three ways to get out of check:
- Move the King to a square that is not attacked by an enemy piece;
- Interpose a piece between the checking piece and the King (this doesn’t work against a check from a Pawn or Knight);
- Capture the checking piece.
Special checks
There are two types of check that are especially dangerous. One is the discovered check. A discovered check occurs when an enemy piece that was blocking a check against the enemy King moves out of the way, thus revealing or discovering the check. I show an example of this on the video. This is dangerous because the piece that discovers the check is often free to pick off material that would normally be off limits.
The other especially dangerous check is double check. Double check occurs when two pieces give check to the King at the same time. When this occurs, there is only one way out of the check … the King must move. That can be extremely dangerous to the enemy King’s health … or to yours if your opponent can deliver double check to your King.
Next time we’ll look at checkmate … and then start a series of articles on how to checkmate.
If you’re interested in getting ahead of your competitors on learning how to checkmate, be sure to get the wonderful book Learn Chess: A Complete Course
Special Chess Rules – Pawn Promotion
chess beginners, chess rules May 15th, 2009
Today’s article is about Pawn promotion. And along with the rules about Pawn promotion, we will take a little step into endgame strategy.
The pawn is the lowly foot soldier of chess. And though it is the weakest of the pieces, it can have a huge impact on the outcome of a game. The gain of a single pawn can be enough to ensure victory in many positions.
The big reason for this is that a pawn has an ace up its sleeve, so to speak. As you remember, the pawn can only move forward one step at a time (apart from its first move, when it can take two steps). But when it reaches the other side of the board (the “eighth rank”), it is allowed (required) to become a more powerful piece. On almost every occasion in practical play, the Pawn becomes a Queen.
Which piece should I promote the pawn to?
Which piece the Pawn becomes is up to the player. You can decide to make the Pawn into a Knight, a Bishop, a Rook, or Queen. You may not make a second King, and you may not elect to leave the Pawn unpromoted. (Put another way, you can’t elect to “promote” your Pawn to a Pawn.)
Underpromotion
There are occasions … rare occasions when you may wish to promote your Pawn to some piece other than the Queen. We call that “underpromotion.” You may never in your chess career have the occasion to underpromote; this comes up more often in chess puzzles and tactics quizzes. But it could come up, and you should be aware of the possibility.
In the position below, it is White’s move, and his Pawn is on his seventh rank, ready to promote. If he promotes the Pawn to Queen, he will actually lose the game. But if he “underpromotes” the Pawn, he can win the game. Do you see what underpromotion will save the game for White?
Who promotes first?
For our first foray into chess strategy, I want to show you a simple way to determine whether you or your opponent will Queen your Pawn first. There are very many occasions when you will have to carefully count the moves to determine when and under what circumstances you or your opponent will reach the queening square. But in many cases, where its simply a question of which Pawn is faster, there is an easy way to tell.
First, you should recognize that no Pawn is faster than any other Pawn; they all travel at the same rate: one square per turn. I often see players pushing their Pawns in a frantic race as if somehow or other through some magic, their Pawn will get to the eighth rank faster than their opponent’s. But you can tell right away without all the panic. If it is your turn and your Pawn is even with or farther advanced than your opponent’s, your Pawn will get there first (provided you move your pawn!).
It’s a simple rule, but it may spare you some agony in counting moves in simple Pawn races.
What happens after the “race”?
You should be very aware, however, of what happens after your Pawn promotes! Your opponent might very well lose the race, but win the game. You should especially beware of checks. In the diagram below, if it is White’s turn, he will promote first; he’s won the battle! But he loses the war, because though Black loses the race, he promotes with check and will then capture White’s brand new Queen.
If you’re interested in learning more about the rules and elementary chess tactics, be sure to get the wonderful book, Learn Chess: A Complete Course
This is the ninth in my series of articles about how the chess pieces move. This article will cover the rule about the en passant capture. My next article will cover the rule about pawn promotion, and then we’ll move on to the rules about check and checkmate. After that I plan to have a series of articles and videos on how to checkmate, which should be a lot of fun – be sure to look for that. Click the RSS feed button above to be notified through your favorite reader about updates to this blog!
The en passant rule
First, it is easiest to understand this rule by looking at the video. I have a couple of examples I go through, and you should have a good understanding by reviewing the video.
This is the rule (in my own words): when a Pawn is on its fifth rank (f5 for the white Pawn in the diagram below, c4 for the black Pawn) …
…if an enemy pawn makes a two-step first move, thereby crossing a square that the pawn attacks (a square where the pawn could capture an enemy piece that stands there), for the next move and the next move only, the pawn may capture the enemy pawn as if it had made only a one-step move. (If you want to check the official rule, get the United States Chess Federation’s Official Rules of Chess, Fifth Edition
The term en passant is French for “in passing.” Think of it this way: the enemy pawn is trying to “sneak past” your pawn by taking two steps instead of one. Your pawn grabs him by the collar, saying “not so fast!” You capture the enemy pawn “in passing” as it were.
So, if Black moves his Pawn at g7 to g5 … 
…for the next move ONLY, the White Pawn can capture the Black Pawn as if it stood on g6. 
.
The same goes for the Black Pawn at c4. If White moves his Pawn to b4 … 
…then Black may capture the White pawn as if it stood on b3. 
Where does your pawn go after the capture?
When your pawn makes its capture, it goes to the square that it would normally go to in the capture: forward one square diagonally. The enemy pawn is removed from the board and you put your pawn on the square where the enemy pawn would have been standing if it had moved only one step forward on the first move. Look at the video to see the examples.
Only on the next move
If you should come across this opportunity in a game, you must think carefully. In order to make the en passant capture, you must make the capture at the first opportunity. If you make a different move, you lose the right to make the capture. Should your pawn be pinned, or if you happen to be in check from a different piece, or if for any other reason you allow a move to go by without making the en passant capture, you forfeit the opportunity. The move must be made immediately or not at all.
Don’t make the en passant capture just because you can! Make sure that the move is a good one before making it. Don’t capture just because you have the opportunity to capture! Think about the move before you make it.
If you want to learn more about the basic chess rules, chess tactics, and basic strategies, Learn Chess: A Complete Course
The next article in this series will be on the rules for pawn promotion!
Special Chess Rules – Castling, part 2
chess beginners, chess rules May 12th, 2009
There are a couple of matters that chess beginners (and even some advanced players) don’t completely understand about the rules for castling; this article should clear up those misconceptions.
Can the King castle if it has been checked?
Some players … usually brand new players … mistakenly believe that if the King has ever been checked, he loses the right to castle. This is not true. In order to lose the privilege of castling, the King must have moved. And by the way, it doesn’t matter if the King moved because it was in check, or just because it felt like taking a stroll. If the King moves, it can no longer castle; but a King that has been checked may still castle – provided it hasn’t moved.
The King might be checked any number of times and still castle, provided that the King has never moved out of check. (Usually checks against the uncastled King are blocked by an interposing piece or the checking piece is captured to preserve the castling privilege.)
How about the Rook?
You remember that the King may not castle out of or “across” check. (Review my previous article on castling.)If the King is in check, he can’t castle out of the check. And if the square that the King crosses while castling is guarded by an enemy piece, he again can’t castle.
But this rule does not apply to the Rook. A Rook may castle out of an attack. And the Rook may astle “across” a square that is attacked. (This will only occur on queenside castling, and I explain that in the video.)
Can the Rook cross an attacked square during the castling move?
Also, the rule about castling out of or through check does not apply to the Rook. Castling may be carried out although the Rook is attacked or if the Rook happens to travel across an attacked square.
In fact, there’s a nifty little trap (a type of double attack) in which you castle long (to the queenside) across an attacked square, deliver check to the opposing King with your Rook, and attack the enemy Rook with your King. It’s pretty rare, but good to know about! Take a look at the video to see examples.
My next video will be on how the pawn “en passant” capture works.
If you want a great book for beginners that explains the rules and gives a good foundation for understanding basic chess tactics, be sure to get Learn Chess: A Complete Course. Click the link or find it in my chess store.
Special Chess Moves – Rules of Castling
chess beginners, chess rules May 2nd, 2009
This is the seventh in my series of articles for the absolute chess beginner. In this article, we will cover the whys and wherefores of castling.
But first … let me mention that you should never refer to a Rook as a “castle.” You castle when you move your King and Rook in the same move. “Castle” is a move, not a chess piece.
Castling
Castling is a special move of the King and one of his Rooks (it could be either one) in which the King moves two squares toward the corner, and the Rook toward which it moves jumps over the King and lands in the adjacent square. There are several reasons for making this move … besides it being cool.
Is castling for cowards?
Your King needs to be safe! (If you want to win the game, that is.) The first and most important reason to castle is to move your King away from the center of the board. The center is generally where all the action is and you want your King away from the center of activity. If the King is in the corner, the other pieces have a much easier job of defending the King, and it’s much harder for the enemy pieces to attack in the corner than in the center.
Get your Rook out of the corner!
The second reason to castle is because your Rook starts its life in the corner of the board. The Rook can work perfectly well from the corner (it’s the only piece that isn’t hampered by being in the corner), but castling helps your Rooks for two reasons: in the center, there are more likely to be pawn exchanges, and thus open files for your Rooks to travel on. Although the Rook is equally powerful on any square on an empty board, the board is usually not empty! Since center pawns get exchanged more quickly than the other pawns (usually), the Rook should get to the center to protect your center pawns and to benefit from the lines that open up when the center pawns are exchanged. And second, if you get all your pieces except the King off the first rank (where all your “officers” start the game), the King is the only piece preventing the Rooks from protecting one another. If you castle, the King goes toward the corner and the Rooks are suddenly mutually protecting one another.
Make two moves in one!
Castling is the only move that allows you to move two pieces in one move. If your object is to mobilize your forces more quickly than your opponent (and that should be your objective), then the ability to move two pieces in fell swoop has got to be appealing.
Castling Rules
Once during a game, a player may move his King two squares to the right or left and move the Rook on that side (the Rook toward which the King moved) over the King to the square adjacent to the King.
There are five conditions that must be met in order to castle:
- The squares between the King and the Rook used for castling must be empty. You can’t castle over your own or enemy pieces!
- The King may not castle into or through check. If the King would be in check at the end of the castling move, or if the square that the King passes over is guarded by an enemy piece, then castling is not allowed.
- The King may not castle out of check.
- The King may not have made a previous move. If the King has moved (even if it subsequently moved back to its home square), castling is not permitted.
- If one of the Rooks has moved, castling is prohibited with that Rook. Castling would still be permitted with the other Rook, provided it has not moved and the other conditions are met.
My next article will cover questions about castling that many beginners (and even some advanced players) might misunderstand.
Tags: Castling, chess beginner, chess for beginners, chess rules
How the Chess Pawn Moves
chess beginners, chess rules April 30th, 2009
This is the sixth in my series of articles for the absolute chess beginner. In this article, we’ll see how the chess pawns move and capture.
The Pawn in Chess
The pawn is the foot-soldier of chess. Each side has 8 pawns, and they start the game lined up in front of the more powerful “officers” of the chessboard. Although the pawn is the “weakest” of the chess pieces, each pawn is very important; the loss of even a single pawn without compensation may mean the loss of the game! And by advancing to the other side of the chessboard, the pawn may become the most powerful piece on the board! (See my article on pawn promotion.)
Normal pawn movement
The pawn normally moves one space vertically, i.e., “up” the board, toward your opponent’s first rank. The pawn never moves horizontally (i.e., from side to side) and never moves backward. If the pawn moves forward and meets another pawn or piece, it’s movement is blocked until the other piece is moved or captured.
Very often one pawn from each side will meet in the middle of the board and block each other’s movement. Unlike the other chess pieces, the pawn does not capture enemy pawns or pieces that obstruct its normal movement; if the pawn’s normal movement is obstructed, the pawn is effectively stopped in its tracks.
Normal pawn captures
Although the pawn does not capture if its normal movement is blocked, it can capture. The pawn captures ahead one square diagonally.
(The pawn never captures “backward” diagonally.) The pawn may capture any enemy piece (even the Queen!) that dares to stand one square diagonally from the pawn.
The initial two-square move
The first time that you move each of your pawns, you may move it ahead two square instead of one. This is optional; you may also move your pawns ahead one square on its initial move. This option only applies to the first move of each of your pawns, but it does apply to the first move of each of your pawns. Thus, you may make 8 two-square moves, one for each pawn.
If you’re interested in learning the basics of chess, I recommend Learn Chess: A Complete Course, which will teach you all about the fundamentals of good chess play. If you’re interested in some more advanced material on the pawn, I highly recommend Pawn Power in Chess, one of the great classic books on chess strategy! It will teach you about pawn structure in chess and how the other pieces depend on and use the pawns to their advantage.
Look for the next article in this series, about the “special” chess moves, including pawn promotion and the “en passant” pawn capture.
Tags: chess beginner, chess for beginners, chess pawn, chess rules
About