The Everything Chess Basics Book (17 page)

Castling is indicated in chess notation by the use of zeros to indicate the number of squares between the king and rook separated by a hyphen. Thus castling kingside looks like 0-0, while castling queenside looks like 0-0-0.

Move Numbers

The moves are all numbered, beginning with the first move, which is move one, and the next move, which is move two, etc. Since White moves first, his move is given first. Next you give Black’s move. You just have to remember that Black’s first move is part of move one.

Pawn Moves

Just like the movement of the pawn, the notation for pawn moves is different. When a pawn moves, it is written simply as the destination square. You would expect a typical first move to be written 1. Pe4, but actually it is the simpler 1. e4. When pawns capture, the notation is the file letter followed by the x for a capture followed by the destination square (4. dxe5). When a pawn promotes, it is written as the move followed by an equal sign followed by the symbol for the piece the pawn has promoted to (d8=Q or hxg8=N+).

An entire game can thus be described in a single paragraph. Get out a chessboard and set up the pieces for the start of a game and play through the following game.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 6. Bc4 Nf6 7.
Qb3 Qe7 8. Nc3 c6 9. Bg5 b5 10. Nxb5 cxb5 11. Bxb5+ Nbd7 12. 0-0-0 Rd8
13. Rxd7 Rxd7 14. Rd1 Qe6 15. Bxd7+ Nxd7 16. Qb8+ Nxb8 17. Rd8
checkmate.

This is the final position. If you have come up with something else, go back and make sure you play all the moves correctly.

Algebraic Notation

What you have just read through is a game written in algebraic notation. Change the piece symbols to small pictures of the pieces and you have an international language, understood by chess players everywhere. This form of algebraic notation is called
figurine algebraic
.

White: Paul Morphy
Black: Duke and Count
Paris, 1858
1. e4 e5 2.
f3 d6 3. d4
g4 4. dxe5
xf3 5. sxf3 dxe5 6.
c4
f6 7. sb3 se7 8.
c3 c6 9.
g5 b5 10.
xb5 cxb5 11.
xb5+
bd7 12. 0-0-0
d8 13.
xd7
xd7 14.
d1 se6 15.