Chess Notation Converter

What each notation is for, and where the rules come from

Algebraic: FIDE's form and PGN's form

FIDE's Laws of Chess, applied from 1 January 2023, open Appendix C with: "FIDE recognises for its own tournaments and matches only one system of notation, the Algebraic System, and recommends the use of this uniform chess notation also for chess literature and periodicals." Files are a to h, ranks 1 to 8, and each piece is its capital initial, except that "N is used for a knight, in order to avoid ambiguity" (C.2).

The algebraic in PGN files is not quite FIDE's. FIDE writes castling with zeros (0-0, C.13.1) and a promotion as the move followed by the piece (d8Q, C.11), and makes the capture, check, mate and e.p. marks optional (C.13.3 to C.13.6). PGN's export format writes castling with the capital letter O, adds = before a promoted piece, always writes x, + and #, and never marks en passant. The SAN column here follows PGN; the converter reads FIDE's forms too.

Long algebraic: the starting square spelled out

FIDE C.8: "A longer form containing the square of departure is acceptable. Examples: Bb2e5, Ng1f3". The Long column writes the hyphenated version (Ng1-f3, Bf4xe5+); either is read.

UCI coordinates: what engines exchange

The Universal Chess Interface was "developed in 2000 by Rudolf Huber and Stefan Meyer-Kahlen", according to Meyer-Kahlen's Shredder site. Its move format is the from-square and the to-square with no piece letter (g1f3), and a lower-case piece for a promotion (e7e8q).

ICCF numeric: digits only

Files and ranks both become the digits 1 to 8, so e2-e4 is 5254 and g1-f3 is 7163, and no piece letter in any language is needed. For a promotion this converter adds a fifth digit: 1 for a queen, 2 rook, 3 bishop, 4 knight.

"Scoresheets using a notation system other than algebraic may not be used as evidence in cases where normally the scoresheet of a player is used for that purpose." — FIDE Laws of Chess, Appendix C

English descriptive: how older books are written

Descriptive notation names each file after the piece that starts on it (QR, QN, QB, Q, K, KB, KN, KR for a to h) and counts ranks from the moving side's own back rank, so the square White calls K4 is K5 to Black. P-K4 is a pawn to the king's fourth, PxP a pawn taking a pawn. Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals (1921) is written this way, with Kt marking both the knight and the knight's file; the book never uses N.

When two pieces could make the same move, this converter adds the square the moving piece stands on (N(QB3)-QN5); a pawn capture names the pawn's file (KPxP) or the captured pawn's (PxQP); a piece capture that is still unclear names the square (BxN/KB6). It always picks the shortest of those forms that fits only the move played. Reading descriptive, it accepts Kt or N, flank files with or without K or Q (B-B4 is read when only one bishop-file square fits), ch for check and Castles.

Local letters and figurines

FIDE C.3 lets each player use the piece names "commonly used in his/her country", with the examples F for the French fou and L for the Dutch loper (bishop), and adds: "In printed periodicals, the use of figurines is recommended." This converter reads and writes English letters only.