Learn the basicsStep 13 of 13
Reading the notation
A move is written as the piece's initial plus the destination square. In English: K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop, N knight. Pawns have no letter — you just write the square.
So Nf3 means "the knight goes to f3". e4 means "the pawn goes to e4". An x marks a capture, a + a check, and a # checkmate.
You can type your moves straight into this site, in the field under the board — in English (Nf3), in French (Cf3), or simply by naming both squares (g1f3). Try it on this last step.
Your turn
Play Nf3 — from the keyboard if you like, in the field under the board.
Your turn
White to move
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Move1 / 1
Attempts0
Play your move on the board: drag a piece, or tap it and then tap its destination square.
You know the rules.
You can now play a full game. Next: the exercises to practise on, or a game against the computer.