Since the beginning of chess, people have kept track the moves. This has been done by using a system called “chessnotation”. It is a simple way to record each move and communicate them. You can see online chess lessons on our website.

Because the chess board has one side that is alphabetized from a to h, the alphabet is often used extensively in chessnotation. If the King is to be used, it is represented with a K. While a queen is represented by Q. Depending upon the country, you can use a different letter for the Bishop. France uses F for the Knight while the rest of the world uses B. Because the King’s name is K, Knights cannot use K. So it uses N. The Knight is also symbolized with an S, which is the start letter of the German name for Knight. The Rook is marked in red and each Pawn with a purple.

There are 8 numbers. You can find each piece’s exact location by using a combination of letters and numbers. There are 64 squares, and the game has an 8×8 layout.

The White left handed Rook is at space a1, signifying the start point for the notation. It is far easier to write down the games this way than to explain each move for each of the chess pieces. Each player can communicate chess moves by email, correspondence, or other methods without needing to see each move.

Players will each have their own chess board so they can easily see each piece. Email chess allows the player to make the move and then email the email. The other player will then duplicate the exact move on their board and then plan their next move. It is important to have one chessboard for each player when players are in different locations. This allows the visualization process to be maintained even if they are separated. In video transmissions, each player can see and make the move.