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Chess board and pieces: setup, squares and notation
A chess board is a grid of 64 squares and every one of them has a name. Once you know the names, you can read any chess book, replay any game and talk about a position without pointing.
The board
The board is eight by eight squares, alternately light and dark. The columns are called files and the rows are ranks. The long diagonals of one colour matter a great deal for bishops. The board is always placed so that each player has a light square at their right-hand corner ("light on the right").
Naming the squares
Files are lettered a to h from White's left to right. Ranks are numbered 1 to 8 from White's side to Black's. Every square is its file letter followed by its rank number, so White's queen starts on d1 and Black's king on e8. The same square is therefore always named the same way, whichever side you play.
In the diagram, "#" is a dark square. Notice that a1, White's left-hand corner, is dark, and h1 is light.
The starting position
- Rooks on a1, h1, a8 and h8.
- Knights on b1, g1, b8 and g8.
- Bishops on c1, f1, c8 and f8.
- Queens on d1 and d8, kings on e1 and e8.
- Pawns on every square of the second rank (White) and seventh rank (Black).
A useful reminder: the queen goes on her own colour. The white queen starts on a light square, the black queen on a dark one.
The pieces and their names
| Piece | Letter | Value | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | K | priceless | 1 square any way |
| Queen | Q | 9 | any distance, straight or diagonal |
| Rook | R | 5 | any distance, along rank or file |
| Bishop | B | 3 | any distance, diagonal |
| Knight | N | 3 | L-shape, can jump |
| Pawn | (none) | 1 | forward 1 (2 from start), captures diagonally |
The knight is N because K is taken by the king. Each side's rooks, knights and bishops are paired, and the kingside is the half with the king (files e to h), the queenside the half with the queen (files a to d).
Algebraic notation
Algebraic notation is the standard way to write moves and the only form FIDE recognises. A move is the piece letter followed by the square it goes to:
- Nf3: a knight moves to f3. For pawns, no letter: e4 means a pawn moves to e4.
- x marks a capture: Bxc6 is a bishop taking on c6. A pawn capture names its file first: exd5.
- + means check and # means checkmate: Qh5+, Qxf7#.
- O-O is kingside castling and O-O-O queenside castling.
- e8=Q is a pawn promoting to a queen on e8.
- If two identical pieces can reach the same square, add the file (or rank) of the one that moves: Nbd2.
Moves are numbered in pairs: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 means White's first move, Black's reply, and so on. Annotators add marks such as ! for a good move, ? for a mistake and ?? for a blunder.
Reading a game record
Here is a short game written in notation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O. White advances the king's pawn two squares, Black copies it, White develops a knight to f3 to attack the e5 pawn, Black defends with a knight on c6, White's bishop pins up the knight on b5, Black asks the bishop what it intends with ...a6, the bishop retreats to a4, Black develops the other knight, and White castles kingside. You can set up any game record on your own board and follow it move by move.
Small details that help
- "Kingside" is the half of the board with the kings (files e to h). "Queenside" is the other half (files a to d).
- The four central squares, d4, e4, d5 and e5, are the "centre". The next ring out is the "extended centre".
- A diagonal is named by its end squares, such as the long diagonal a1-h8.
- A piece "attacks" a square if it could capture something there on its next move, and "defends" a friendly piece if it could recapture there.
Why learn notation?
It lets you follow a book or video, and look up an opening by its name (see openings for beginners). It also helps you review your own games after you play. Now you can try everything on a real board: how to play chess is the next stop.
Frequently asked questions
Which way round does the board go?
Each player should have a light square at their right-hand corner. Check that the white queen is on a light square and the black queen on a dark one.
Why is the knight written N and not K?
K is already used for the king, so the knight takes N. Pawns have no letter in notation.
How do I write castling in chess notation?
O-O for kingside castling (short) and O-O-O for queenside castling (long). Some books use zeros, 0-0 and 0-0-0.