Notation

Let’s start with the board. The chessboard consists of 64 alternating black and white squares. The horizontal rows of squares are called ranks, and the vertical columns are called files. A set of squares of the same color that are aligned diagonally is called a diagonal. The two most important diagonals are a1-h8 and h1-a8. The board can also be divided into flanks. The queenside includes the four files between the edge of the board and the queen. The kingside includes the four files between the opposite edge of the board and the king.

Squares also have names. The system used is algebraic notation.

Ranks are named from 1 to 8 and files from a to h. Each square is a combination of a number and a letter. For example, the g6 square is the square locate in the g file and the 6th row.

At the start of the game white pieces are placed on ranks 1 and 2, and black pieces on ranks 7 and 8.

Each piece is named by the first letter of its name.

The king is a K, the queen a Q, the rook an R, the bishop a B, and the knight an N (to avoid confusión with the king). In Spanish, they can also be found as rey (R), dama (D), torre (T), alfil (A) and caballo (C).

R = rey / K = king

D = dama / Q = queen

T = torre / R = rook

A = alfil / B = bishop

C = caballo / N = knight

Pawns do not have a letter in notation. Instead, their moves are recorded by writing the file and rank they move to. In the picture, the black pawn would be noted as a5 and the white one that has captured a knight would be noted as exf4.

Promotions are indicated with a =. The square they move to is noted and a = is added, followed by the letter of the piece it has promoted to. If it’s a queen it would be e8=D, ori if it’s a knight, it would be e8=N.

The rest of the pieces are noted first with their corresponding letter and then with the square they’ve reached. For example, Nf3. Captures are recorded with an x between the letter and the final square, for example, Qxh4. If two pieces of the same type can reach the same square, the initial rank or file must be written down. Say there are two rooks on the first rank and the one from the a file moved to the c file, then it would be noted as Rac1.

Special moves are recorded this way:

0-0 = short castling

0-0-0 = long castling

= check

++ or # = checkmate

x = capture (optional)

e.p. = capture in passing or "en passant" (optional)