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It has been necessary to adopt some simple method of describing the squares of the board and of recording the moves of a game which could be used uniformly for all the varieties of chess included in this work. Since the ordinary English descriptive notation does not lend itself to such adaptation, I have adopted the literal or algebraical notation which is used in all German chess books. The diagram will make clear the method of this notation, and it can obviously be extended without difficulty to a board of any size. In the cases of the Chinese and Corean games, in which the pieces are placed on the intersections of the lines dividing the board and not on the squares, a similar notation is adopted, but now the successive vertical lines are designated by letters and the horizontal lines by numerals.

In describing a move, the symbol of the piece that is moved is given first. If it merely move to another square, the description of this square follows the symbol immediately. Thus

Kte2 means Knight moves to the square e2.

If there is any ambiguity, the description of the square from which the piece moves is placed in brackets immediately after the symbol of the piece, or the file upon which it stands is prefixed. Thus

Kt(e2)c4 means the Kt on e2 moves to c4.

aRe1 means the R on the a-file moves to e1.

If the piece make a capture, the description of the square to which the piece moves is omitted, and in its place × or takes R, Kt, &c. is written. Thus

Kt × R means Knight takes Rook.

Here again ambiguity is avoided (a) by adding the description of the square from which the piece moves in brackets, as above; (b) by adding to the symbol of the captured piece the description of the square on which it stands; (c) by adding both descriptions; or, in the case of Pawns (d) prefixing to one or other, or both of the Pawns, the file upon which it stands. Thus

Kt(e2) × Kt; or Kt × Kt(c4); or Kt(e2) × Kt(c4); or aP × P; or P × dP; or cP × dP; all of which will be intelligible from what has been said before. The briefest method naturally has the preference.

If a piece gives check, this is expressed by placing + or ch after the description of the move, with the special forms

dbl + or ++ , double check; +d (also dis ch), discovered check; + r, checkrook, a check forking King and Rook; m., mate.

Other symbols are 0–0, castles on King’s wing; 0–0–0, castles on Queen’s wing; , moves (the exact move not being specified); =, even game;!, good move;?, bad or inferior move.