How to name the squares in chess
Every square on the board has a name made of a letter and a number. The letter is the file, the column, from a to h. The number is the rank, the row, from 1 to 8.
The rules in short
- Files run a to h from left to right, as seen from White's side of the board.
- Ranks run 1 to 8 from White's side up to Black's side.
- White's queen side rook starts on a1, and the square in the bottom left corner is always dark.
- A move is written as the piece letter and the square it goes to: Nf3 means a knight moves to f3.
How moves are written
Each piece has a letter: K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop and N for knight. Pawns have no letter, so a pawn moving to e4 is just written e4. A capture adds an x, so Nxf3 means a knight captures on f3. A move that gives check adds a plus sign.
This is called algebraic notation, and it is how books, websites and coaches describe games. Once you know the squares you can read any of them, and replay a game from a list of moves.
A quick way to remember the colours
Light on the right: the square at the bottom right corner, h1, is always a light square, whichever side you are looking from. If you set up a board and the corner on your right is dark, turn it around.
Try it on a real board
This lesson is free and needs no account. You move the piece yourself on an interactive board, and it tells you straight away if the move is right.
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