View source for Descriptive notation

{{short description|Notation for recording chess games}}
[[File:Fischer Score Card.jpg|thumb|Scoresheet in descriptive notation used by [[Bobby Fischer]] in a 1970 game against [[Miguel Najdorf]].]]
'''Descriptive notation''' is a [[chess notation]] system based on abbreviated natural language. Its distinctive features are that it refers to files by the piece that occupies the back rank square in the starting position and that it describes each square two ways depending on whether it is from White or Black's point of view. It was common in English, Spanish and French chess literature until about 1980.<ref>{{harvcol|Brace|1977|pp=79–80}}</ref><ref>{{harvcol|Sunnucks|1970|p=325}}</ref> In most other languages, the more concise [[algebraic notation (chess)|algebraic notation]] was in use. Since 1981, [[FIDE]] no longer recognizes descriptive notation for the purposes of dispute resolution, and algebraic notation is now the accepted international standard.

==Description==
===Nomenclature===
With the exception of the [[Knight (chess)|knight]], each piece is abbreviated as the first letter of its name: '''K''' for [[King (chess)|king]], '''Q''' for [[Queen (chess)|queen]], '''R''' for [[Rook (chess)|rook]], '''B''' for [[Bishop (chess)|bishop]], and '''P''' for [[Pawn (chess)|pawn]]. As ''knight'' begins with the same letter as ''king'', it is abbreviated as either '''N''' or '''Kt''', the first being the modern convention. In 1944, ''[[Chess Review]]'' received many letters debating the change from Kt to N.<ref>{{harvcol|Lawrence|2009|p=10}}</ref>

[[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.

When recording a move by White, the naming from White's point of view is used; when recording a move by Black, the naming from Black's point of view is used.

'''Spanish descriptive notation''' uses a similar system, with a few differences:
* The initials to identify the pieces are taken from the equivalent Spanish words: R = ''rey'' (king), D = ''dama'' (queen), T = ''torre'' (rook), C = ''caballo'' (knight), A = ''[[alfil]]'' (bishop) and P = ''peón'' (pawn). The files are named after the initials of the pieces on the first rank, with those on the queen's side being suffixed by the letter "D", and those on the king's side suffixed by the letter "R". From White's left to right along the first rank this yields: TD, CD, AD, D, R, AR, CR, TR.
* The dash, which in English descriptive notation symbolizes the word "to", is omitted.
* The numerical rank is identified ''before'' the file, e.g. "4R" is equivalent to "K4" (e4 in algebraic notation).

In Spanish descriptive notation the [[Sicilian Defence]] ('''1. P–K4 P–QB4''' in English) would be written '''1. P4R P4AD''' ({{lang|es|peón al cuatro del rey, peón al cuatro del alfil de la dama}}). This is also the method used in French descriptive notation.<ref>{{harvcol|Hooper|Whyld|1996|p=106}}</ref>

===Notation for moves===
Each move is notated by a sequence of characters that is structured based on the move's type. Special indicators are added to the end of the sequence if relevant.

* ''Non-capturing move'': A move without capture is notated by the piece's name, a hyphen and the destination square, e.g. '''N–QB3''' (knight to queen's bishop 3) and '''P–QN4''' (pawn to queen's knight 4). 
* ''{{chessgloss|capture|Capture}}'': A capture is notated by the piece's name, a cross (×), and the name of the piece captured, e.g. '''Q×N''' (queen captures knight).
* ''[[Castling]]'': The notation '''O-O''' is used for castling {{chessgloss|kingside}} and '''O-O-O''' for castling {{chessgloss|queenside}}. The word "'''Castles'''" is sometimes used instead, particularly in older literature, in which case it may be necessary to disambiguate between kingside and queenside castling; this may be done by specifying the rook or side, i.e. "'''Castles KR'''," "'''Castles Q''',"or "'''Castles queenside'''".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Reinfeld|first=Fred|title=The Seventh Book of Chess|publisher=Barnes & Noble|year=1963|isbn=9780064632744|location=U.S.}}</ref>
* ''[[Promotion (chess)|Promotion]]'': Parentheses are used to indicate promotion, with the promotion piece enclosed in parentheses, e.g. '''P–R8(Q)'''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/07/25/archives/chess-pr8-q-then-pr8-q-leads-to-some-fireworks.html | title=Chess:; P-R8 (Q) then ... P-R8 (Q) Leads to Some Fireworks | work=The New York Times | date=25 July 1963 | last1=Horowitz | first1=Al }}</ref> Sometimes a slash or an equal sign is used, e.g. '''P–N8/R''', '''P×R=N'''.
* ''Special terms and symbols'': Special indicators that are appended to the move include "e.p." (''[[en passant]]''), "ch" or "+" ([[Check (chess)|check]]), "?" (a [[question mark]] for a bad move), "!" (an [[exclamation mark]] for a good move), "mate" or "++" ([[checkmate]]), "[[Rules of chess#Resigning|resigns]]" and "[[draw (chess)|draw]]".  

Typically, the full designation for a piece or a file is shortened to just the last part (indicating type of piece) whenever this does not produce ambiguity. For example, the move KP–K4 would always be written '''P–K4''' since only one pawn can move to K4 without capturing; the move Q–QB4 would be written '''Q–B4''' whenever Q–KB4 is not a legal move. A pawn capturing a pawn may be shown as '''P×P''' if it is the only one possible, or as '''BP×P''' if only one of the player's bishop's pawns can capture a pawn, or as '''QBP×P''', '''P×RP(R6)''' or '''P×QBP''' or other such variations.

Disambiguation of pieces using notations like QBP and KR becomes awkward once the pieces have left their starting positions (or for pawns, left their starting files), and is impossible for pieces created by promotion (such as a second queen).  So as an alternative, moves may also be disambiguated by giving the starting square or the square of a capture, delimited by parentheses or a slash, e.g. '''B×N/QB6''' or '''R(QR3)–Q3'''. Sometimes only the rank or file is indicated, e.g. '''R(6)×N'''.

When listing the moves of a game, first the move number is written, then the move by White followed by the move by Black.  If there is no appropriate move by White to use (e.g. if the moves are interrupted by commentary) then an ellipsis ("…") is used in its place.

==History==
In the earliest chess literature, natural language was used to describe moves. This is the ultimate source of all forms of descriptive notation. Over time, abbreviations became common, and a system of notation gradually evolved. For example, the common opening move [[King's Pawn Game|1.e4]] was originally recorded as "Pawn to King's Fourth" or similar; by the time of [[Howard Staunton]]'s ''The Chess-Player's Handbook'' (1847), this had been abbreviated to "P. to K's 4th."which was later further reduced to "P–K4".

==Comparison to algebraic notation==
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}}. 

On the other hand, algebraic notation has several advantages. The notation for any given move is almost always more concise in algebraic notation than in descriptive notation; this can reduce the length of chess books and magazines by several pages. While confusion can arise in descriptive notation because each square has two names, no such problem exists in algebraic notation. Algebraic notation specifies a capturing piece's destination square; meanwhile, because unambiguous captures lack coordinate information in descriptive notation, visualization is more taxing, since it requires remembering exactly which pieces are attacking which.

==Example==
The following game scores show the [[Evergreen Game]].

English descriptive notation:
{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|
#P–K4 P–K4
#N–KB3 N–QB3
#B–B4 B–B4
#P–QN4 B×NP
#P–B3 B–R4
#P–Q4 P×P
#O–O P–Q6
#Q–N3 Q–B3
#P–K5 Q–N3
#R–K1 KN–K2
#B–R3 P–N4
#Q×P R–QN1
#Q–R4 B–N3
#QN–Q2 B–N2
#N–K4 Q–B4
#B×QP Q–R4
#N–B6 ch P×N
#P×P R–N1
#QR–Q1 Q×N
#R×N ch N×R
#Q×P ch K×Q
#B–B5 dbl ch K–K1
#B–Q7 ch K–B1
#B×N mate
}}
English descriptive notation with variants:
{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|
#P–K4 P–K4
#Kt–KB3 Kt–QB3
#B–B4 B–B4
#P–QKt4 B×KtP
#P–B3 B–R4
#P–Q4 P×P
#Castles P–Q6
#Q–Kt3 Q–B3
#P–K5 Q–Kt3
#R–K.Sq. KKt–K2
#B–R3 P–Kt4
#Q×P R–QKt.Sq.
#Q–R4 B–Kt3
#QKt–Q2 B–Kt2
#Kt–K4 Q–B4
#B×QP Q–R4
#Kt–B6+ P×Kt
#P×P R–Kt.Sq.
#QR–Q.Sq. Q×Kt
#R×Kt+ Kt×R
#Q×P+ K×Q
#B–B5+ K–K.Sq.
#B–Q7+ K–B.Sq.
#B×Kt++
}}
Spanish descriptive notation:
{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|
#P4R P4R
#C3AR C3AD
#A4A A4A
#P4CD AxP
#P3A A4T
#P4D P×P
#O-O P6D
#D3C D3A
#P5R D3C
#T1R CR2R
#A3T P4C
#DxP T1CD
#D4T A3C
#CD2D A2C
#C4R D4A
#AxPD D4T
#C6A+ P×C
#P×P T1C
#TD1D DxC
#TxC+ CxT
#DxP+ R×D
#A5A+ R1R
#A7D+ R1A
#AxC++
}}

Algebraic notation:
{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|
# e4 e5 
# Nf3 Nc6 
# Bc4 Bc5 
# b4 Bxb4 
# c3 Ba5 
# d4 exd4 
# 0-0 d3 
# Qb3 Qf6 
# e5 Qg6 
# Re1 Nge7 
# Ba3 b5 
# Qxb5 Rb8 
# Qa4 Bb6 
# Nbd2 Bb7
# Ne4 Qf5 
# Bxd3 Qh5 
# Nf6+ gxf6 
# exf6 Rg8 
# Rad1 Qxf3 
# Rxe7+ Nxe7 
# Qxd7+ Kxd7 
# Bf5+ Ke8 
# Bd7+ Kf8 
# Bxe7# 
}}

{{clear}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            =4
| total_width       =  
| image1            = Score sheets - DPLA - 0a590328ede519d75918cbcfe22acc2e (page 9).jpg 
| caption1          = This player uses "KT" for knight, and "sq" for the first rank.
| image2            =  Score sheets - DPLA - 0a590328ede519d75918cbcfe22acc2e (page 249).jpg   

| caption2          = This player writes "Knight to Bishop's square" as '''Kt–B''' and "King's Rook to King 1" as '''KR–K'''.
| image3            = Score sheets - DPLA - 0a590328ede519d75918cbcfe22acc2e (page 67).jpg
| caption3          = This player writes [[check (chess)|check]] as {{small|(CH)}}. On one occasion, "Rook on Queen's square to Queen's Bishop's square" is written '''R–Q–QBsq'''.
| image4            =  Score sheets - DPLA - 0a590328ede519d75918cbcfe22acc2e (page 179).jpg

| caption4          =This player uses dots instead of dashes, so "Pawn to Queen 4" is '''P. Q. 4'''. He also denotes castling as '''Castles'''.

| header            =Scorecards from a 1931 tournament demonstrating variations in descriptive notation.
}}
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{citation
 |last=Brace|first=Edward  <!-- not [[Edward Brace]] -->
 |year=1977
 |title=An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess
 |contribution=descriptive notation
 |publisher=Craftwell
 |isbn= 1-55521-394-4}}
*{{citation
 |last=Golombek | first=Harry | author-link=Harry Golombek
 |year=1977
 |title=Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess
 |publisher=Batsford
 |contribution=notation, descriptive
 |isbn=0-517-53146-1}}
*{{cite book
 |last1=Hooper 
 |first1=David  
 |author-link1=David Vincent Hooper
 |last2=Whyld 
 |first2=Kenneth 
 |author-link2=Kenneth Whyld
 |title=[[The Oxford Companion to Chess]]
 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]
 |edition=2nd
 |year=1996
 |orig-year=First pub. 1992
 |contribution=descriptive notation
 |page=106
 |isbn=0-19-280049-3 }}
*{{Citation
 |last1=Just|first1=Tim
 |last2=Burg|first2=Daniel B.
 |year=2003
 |title=U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess
 |edition=5th
 |publisher=McKay
 | pages=219–20
 |isbn= 0-8129-3559-4}}
* {{citation
 |last = Lawrence|first = Al|author-link = Al Lawrence (chess writer)
 |date=January 2009
 |title = On the Shoulders of Chess Giants
 |journal = [[Chess Life]]
 |issue = 1
 |pages = 10
 }}
* {{citation
 |last = Staunton|first = Howard|author-link = Howard Staunton
 |year = 1847
 |title = The Chess-Player's Handbook
 |publisher = Henry C. Bohn
 }}
* {{citation
 |last=Sunnucks | first=Anne |author-link=Anne Sunnucks
 |year=1970
 |title=The Encyclopaedia of Chess
 |contribution=descriptive notation
 |publisher=St. Martins Press
 |isbn=978-0-7091-4697-1}} <!-- ISBN is for the second edition -->

{{chess}}

[[Category:Chess notation]]