Descriptive notation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:39, 14 December 2024

Revision as of 20:53, 14 December 2024

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* The numerical rank is identified ''before'' the file, e.g. "4R" is equivalent to "K4" (e4 in algebraic notation).

In Spanish descriptive notation the [[Sicilian Defence]] ('''1. P-K4P–K4 P-QB4P–QB4''' in English) would be written '''1. P4R P4AD'''. This is also the method used in French descriptive notation.<ref>{{harvcol|Hooper|Whyld|1996|p=106}}</ref>

===Notation for moves===

Each move is notated by a sequence of characters that is structured based on the move's type. Special indicators are added to the end of the sequence if relevant.

* ''Non-capturing move'': A move without capture is notated by the piece's name, a hyphen and the destination square, e.g. '''N-QB3N–QB3''' (knight to queen's bishop 3) and '''P-QN4P–QN4''' (pawn to queen's knight 4).

* ''{{chessgloss|capture|Capture}}'': A capture is notated by the piece's name, a cross ("x"), and the name of the piece captured, e.g. '''QxN''' (queen captures knight).

* ''[[Castling]]'': The notation '''O-O''' is used for castling {{chessgloss|kingside}} and '''O-O-O''' for castling {{chessgloss|queenside}}. The word "Castles" is sometimes used instead, particularly in older literature, in which case it may be necessary to disambiguate between kingside and queenside castling; this may be done by specifying the rook or side, i.e. "Castles KR" or "Castles QRqueenside".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Reinfeld|first=Fred|title=The Seventh Book of Chess|publisher=Barnes & Noble|year=1963|isbn=9780064632744|___location=U.S.}}</ref>

* ''[[Promotion (chess)|Promotion]]'': Parentheses are used to indicate promotion, with the promotion piece enclosed in parentheses, e.g. '''P-R8(Q)'''. Sometimes a slash or an equal sign is used, e.g. '''P-R8P–R8/Q''', '''P-R8P–R8=Q'''.

* ''Special terms and symbols'': Special indicators that are appended to the move include "e.p." (''[[en passant]]''), "ch" or "+" ([[Check (chess)|check]]), "?" (a [[question mark]] for a bad move), "!" (an [[exclamation mark]] for a good move), "mate" or "++" ([[checkmate]]), "[[Rules of chess#Resigning|resigns]]" and "[[draw (chess)|draw]]".

Typically, the full designation for a piece or a file is shortened to just the last part (indicating type of piece) whenever this does not produce ambiguity. For example, the move KP-K4KP–K4 would always be written '''P-K4P–K4''' since only one pawn can move to K4 without capturing; the move Q-QB4Q–QB4 would be written '''Q-B4Q–B4''' whenever Q-KB4Q–KB4 is not a legal move. A pawn capturing a pawn may be shown as '''PxP''' if it is the only one possible, or as '''BPxP''' if only one of the player's bishop's pawns can capture a pawn, or as '''QBPxP''', '''PxRP(R6)''' or '''PxQBP''' or other such variations.

Disambiguation of pieces using notations like QBP and KR becomes awkward once the pieces have left their starting positions (or for pawns, left their starting files), and is impossible for pieces created by promotion (such as a second queen). So as an alternative, moves may also be disambiguated by giving the starting square or the square of a capture, delimited by parentheses or a slash, e.g. '''BxN/QB6''' or '''R(QR3)-Q3–Q3'''. Sometimes only the rank or file is indicated, e.g. '''R(6)xN'''.

When listing the moves of a game, first the move number is written, then the move by White followed by the move by Black. If there is no appropriate move by White to use (e.g. if the moves are interrupted by commentary) then an ellipsis ("...…") is used in its place.

==History==

In the earliest chess literature, natural language was used to describe moves. This is the ultimate source of all forms of descriptive notation. Over time, abbreviations became common, and a system of notation gradually evolved. For example, the common opening move [[King's Pawn Game|1.e4]] was originally recorded as "Pawn to King's Fourth" or similar; by the time of [[Howard Staunton]]'s ''The Chess-Player's Handbook'' (1847), this had been abbreviated to "P. to K's 4th."which was later further reduced to "P-K4P–K4".

==Comparison to algebraic notation==

While descriptive notation is largely regarded as obsolete, it does have a few minor advantages over algebraic notation. By identifying each square with reference to the player on move, descriptive notation better reflects the symmetry of the game's starting position (e.g. "both players opened with P-QB4P–QB4 and planned to play B-KN2B–KN2 as soon as possible"). Generic descriptions which refer to all four sectors of the board are also possible, e.g. "all four bishops were developed on N2." Maxims such as "a pawn on the seventh is worth two on the fifth" make sense from both players' perspectives. Because the type of each captured piece is specified, it is easier to visualize the material balance at any point in the game when skimming over a {{chessgloss|game score}}.

On the other hand, algebraic notation has several advantages. The notation for any given move is almost always more concise in algebraic notation than in descriptive notation; this can reduce the length of chess books and magazines by several pages. While confusion can arise in descriptive notation because each square has two names, no such problem exists in algebraic notation. Algebraic notation specifies a capturing piece's destination square; meanwhile, because unambiguous captures lack coordinate information in descriptive notation, visualization is more taxing, since it requires remembering exactly which pieces are attacking which.

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English descriptive notation:

{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|

#P–K4 P–K4

#P-K4 P-K4

#N–KB3 N–QB3

#N-KB3 N-QB3

#B–B4 B–B4

#B-B4 B-B4

#P-QN4P–QN4 BxNP

#P–B3 B–R4

#P-B3 B-R4

#P-Q4P–Q4 PxP

#O–O P–Q6

#O-O P-Q6

#Q–N3 Q–B3

#Q-N3 Q-B3

#P–K5 Q–N3

#P-K5 Q-N3

#R–K1 KN–K2

#R-K1 KN-K2

#B–R3 P–N4

#B-R3 P-N4

#QxP R-QN1R–QN1

#Q–R4 B–N3

#Q-R4 B-N3

#QN–Q2 B–N2

#QN-Q2 B-N2

#N–K4 Q–B4

#N-K4 Q-B4

#BxQP Q-R4Q–R4

#N-B6N–B6 ch PxN

#PxP R-N1R–N1

#QR-Q1QR–Q1 QxN

#RxN ch NxR

#QxP ch KxQ

#B-B5B–B5 dbl ch K-K1K–K1

#B-Q7B–Q7 ch K-B1K–B1

#BxN mate

}}

English descriptive notation with variant notationvariants:

{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|

#P–K4 P–K4

#P-K4 P-K4

#Kt–KB3 Kt–QB3

#Kt-KB3 Kt-QB3

#B–B4 B–B4

#B-B4 B-B4

#P-QKt4P–QKt4 BxKtP

#P–B3 B–R4

#P-B3 B-R4

#P-Q4P–Q4 PxP

#Castles P-Q6P–Q6

#Q–Kt3 Q–B3

#Q-Kt3 Q-B3

#P–K5 Q–Kt3

#P-K5 Q-Kt3

#R–K.Sq. KKt–K2

#R-KSq KKt-K2

#B–R3 P–Kt4

#B-R3 P-Kt4

#QxP R-QKtSqR–QKt.Sq.

#Q–R4 B–Kt3

#Q-R4 B-Kt3

#QKt–Q2 B–Kt2

#QKt-Q2 B-Kt2

#Kt–K4 Q–B4

#Kt-K4 Q-B4

#BxQP Q-R4Q–R4

#Kt-B6Kt–B6+ PxKt

#PxP R-KtSqR–Kt.Sq.

#QR-QSqQR–Q.Sq. QxKt

#RxKt+ KtxR

#QxP+ KxQ

#B–B5+ K–K.Sq.

#B-B5+ K-KSq

#B–Q7+ K–B.Sq.

#B-Q7+ K-BSq

#BxKt++

}}

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#P3A A4T

#P4D PxP

#O-OO–O P6D

#D3C D3A

#P5R D3C

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# c3 Ba5

# d4 exd4

# 0-00–0 d3

# Qb3 Qf6

# e5 Qg6