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[[Image:English Descriptive Chess Notation.svg|thumb|360px|Names of the squares in English descriptive notation]]
[[File:Hoyles Games Modernized 344.png|thumb|1909 diagram showing the square names from the point-of-view of each player. Note the use of "Kt" for knight, and "Sq." (square) for the first rank.]]
Each square has two names, depending on the viewpoint of White or Black. Each {{chessgloss|file}} is given a name corresponding to the piece that occupies the first {{chessgloss|rank}} at the start of the game. Thus, in '''English descriptive notation''' the [[queen (chess)|queen]]'s file is named "Q" and the [[king (chess)|king]]'s file is named "K". Since there are two each of the remaining pieces on the first rank, it is necessary to distinguish between them. The pieces on the queen's side of the [[Chessboard|board]] (to White's left; to Black's right) are named with respect to the queen, i.e. "queen's rook", "queen's knight" and "queen's bishop"; and have the shortened names "QR", "QN" and "QB", respectively. Similarly, the pieces on the king's side (White's right; Black's left) are named with respect to the king, i.e. "king's rook", "king's knight" and "king's bishop"; and have the shortened names "KR", "KN" and "KB". The rank is given a number, ranging from 1 to 8, with rank 1 being closest to the player. In 19th century chess literature the first rank is usually called simply the "[piece]'s square", so "K1" ("King One") is called "King's square" (K. Sq.). Some players omitted both the "1" and the "sq", so "Rook to King 1" was written '''R–K'''.
This method of naming the squares means that each square has one name from White's point of view and another from Black's. For a full diagram of the board using this naming method, see the image above.
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==Comparison to algebraic notation==
[[File:Score sheets - DPLA - 0a590328ede519d75918cbcfe22acc2e (page 9).jpg|thumb|Game in descriptive notation from 1931. This player uses "KT" for knight, and "sq" for the first rank.]]
[[File:Score sheets - DPLA - 0a590328ede519d75918cbcfe22acc2e (page 249).jpg|thumb|Game in descriptive notation from 1931. This player writes "Knight to Bishop's square" as '''Kt–B''' and "King's Rook to King 1" as '''KR–K'''.]]
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–QB4 and planned to play B–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}}.
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